Planning board backs Slough Point Marina expansion after applicant reduces slips, adds parking and agrees to speed signage

The Pender County Planning Board voted unanimously to recommend approval of a conditional rezoning to expand an existing dry-stack boat storage marina on Lewis Road, near the Intracoastal Waterway.

Staff recommended approval based on consistency with the future land use map and existing water-dependent uses in the area; the board’s recommendation includes an added condition requiring the applicant to install two speed radar signs on Lewis Road, at the applicant’s expense, subject to NCDOT and county approval and maintenance by the applicant.

"The proposal before you is consistent with the future land use map," planner Miss Waters told the board while summarizing staff analysis. She noted environmental constraints on the property including special flood hazard areas, wetlands and areas of environmental concern, and said the applicant had reduced the proposal from an earlier 2023 submittal.

Attorney Matt Nichols and the applicant’s team described changes from the 2023 proposal: a cut in the number of new dry-stack spaces from 356 to 223, removal of a restaurant use, an increase in parking from 115 to 131 spaces total, and a reduction of the proposed northern dry stack from four levels to three. Nichols said the revised plan increases the project footprint under conditional zoning from about 2.2 acres to 6.8 acres to create a more efficient layout and additional on-site parking. "We're talking about essentially adding more slips here. However, we're doing that within a footprint that's nearly 3 times the size that's currently under the conditional zoning," Nichols said.

Applicant operations manager Brian Thurston explained operational controls for marina use, including a reservation system and multiple forklift/drop zones. Thurston said the marina operates with an app-based reservation system and limits launches per day; the facility currently runs three forklifts and will add drop-zone capacity under the proposal.

Several nearby residents and marina customers spoke during public comment. Supporters said the marina provides safe, efficient access to the water and a neighborhood gathering place; nearby residents urged careful mitigation of traffic and parking impacts. "If it wasn't for the marina, I'd probably be playing a lot more golf because that public dock is, for lack of a better term, horrendous for me," said Walt Taylor, a marina user.

Several neighbors who live on Lewis Road described congestion at the adjacent state boat ramp and asked for enhanced traffic controls. In response, the applicant agreed to work with NCDOT and the county to install two digital speed-radar signs in both travel directions on Lewis Road at the applicant’s expense; the planning board added that commitment as a condition to the recommendation.

Staff and the applicant also pointed to environmental approvals already received: Nichols said required CAMA (Coastal Area Management Act) permitting for water-dependent structures had been completed.

The planning board passed a motion to recommend approval, including the standard conditions listed in the staff report and the added condition requiring the speed radar signs. The board’s recommendation will be forwarded to the Board of County Commissioners for final action at its Oct. 20 meeting in Burgaw.