Planning Board Recommends Approval for Heron Cove 67‑lot Rezoning on Gordon Road

The New Hanover County Planning Board voted 4-0 on June 5 to recommend that the Board of County Commissioners approve a conditional rezoning that would allow a 67‑lot single‑family subdivision, called Heron Cove, on about 10.8 acres at 1927 Gordon Acres Drive and adjacent parcels on Gordon Road.

Staff told the board the applicant seeks to rezone the site from R-15 to a conditional R-5 district to allow a 67‑lot single‑family development. Zach (staff planner) said the site is wooded, largely surrounded by R-15 zoning, and that the request is “generally consistent with the comprehensive plan” and with the general residential place type; staff recommended approval subject to conditions. The applicant’s presentation emphasized preserved open space, a reconfigured road to save an 18‑inch oak and bicycle and pedestrian connections to Gordon Acres Drive and Daniel Boone Trail. Amy Schaeffer, representing the applicant team, said the developer agreed to plant two trees per lot and to leave trees in open‑space areas where feasible.

Neighbors urged denial or redesign. Sarah DeVries, Kim Turner and Tim Strickland, who spoke in opposition, said the parcel is narrow, would require extensive clearing, and that the layout (two rows of lots with a single internal roadway) would concentrate traffic and reduce neighborhood livability. DeVries asked whether the developer had pursued alternatives such as a single row of homes or using adjacent land offered to the developer. Strickland raised flooding concerns on nearby private roads and said he had observed past culvert washouts. Opponents pointed to tree removal and the limited ability of replacement plantings to replace mature canopy.

County engineering staff and the flood study manager responded to questions about stormwater and flood risk. Tim Lowe, county engineering, said stormwater ponds “are a condition of their permit. There’s an operation maintenance agreement that is signed and transferred over to the HOA for continued maintenance,” and described the county’s authority to require corrective actions if maintenance lapses. Staff also described an advisory Northern Watersheds Flood Study that maps some areas at a 1% annual chance flood risk; staff said the maps are advisory and not regulatory but intended to show property owners potential risk.

During debate board members cited the county’s housing shortage and the applicant’s concessions. Natalie English of the Wilmington Chamber of Commerce urged the board to support increased density as workforce housing. Board members noted the applicant reduced units from 81 to 67 since the prior hearing, added conditions for sidewalks, bike/ped connections and additional on‑lot trees, and preserved a significant oak tree.

The approval includes multiple conditions the board recorded in its motion: emergency‑only access to Daniel Boone Trail; minimum garage/driveway parking for the proposed homes (the motion retains a minimum one‑car garage but reflects that driveways and options for two‑car garages are available); a six‑foot fence at the rear of each lot; preservation of an 18‑inch oak tree within the internal road configuration; two trees of at least two inches caliper to be planted on each lot and maintained by the HOA under a landscaping easement; two 10‑foot bicycle/pedestrian easements connecting to Daniel Boone Trail and Gordon Acres Drive and an associated utility easement where needed; and tree preservation in open space areas except where conflicts exist with essential stormwater or easement needs. The board also recorded that staff review (TRC/zoning compliance) will be required before final platting.

Two board members — Colin Tarrant (chair) and Mr. Moore — disclosed conflicts and recused themselves from consideration of this case; Mr. Matthews also said he would recuse himself from a separate item later in the agenda. The motion to recommend approval passed 4-0.

The Planning Board’s recommendation will go to the Board of County Commissioners, which has a tentative hearing scheduled for July 21, 2025, at 4 p.m. at the New Hanover County Historic Courthouse.