Brunswick County commissioners reject rezoning request for 59-acre Stella Drive parcel

Brunswick County commissioners voted 3-2 Aug. 18 to deny a rezoning request that would have changed a 58.9-acre parcel at 7190 Stella Drive (tax parcel 02100058) from Commercial Intensive (CI) to R-7,500 (medium-density residential).

The item, filed as rezoning case Z-917, came before the board as a de novo public hearing after the county planning board approved the downzoning 5-1. Planning staff had recommended approval, saying the request was “consistent with the Blueprint Brunswick 2040 comprehensive place type designation and consistent with the goals, recommendations, and policies of the plan,” and noting the property is not in a flood hazard area.

The applicant’s representative, Sam Frank, told commissioners the application was intended as a downzoning to align the parcel with the county comprehensive plan. “What’s presented to you tonight is a downzoning from commercial intensive use, to medium density residential use,” Frank said, and he told the board the change would reduce the intensity of potential future uses compared with what CI zoning allows.

Opponents, including residents who live adjacent to the parcel, asked the commissioners to deny the request. Kimberly Parker, who said she lives on Stella Drive, told the board the area includes wetlands and that recent heavy rainfall and past storms have already made evacuation and access difficult. “If hurricane Aaron was to come right now, it’d be catastrophic for our areas,” Parker said. Nearby resident Steve Parker urged commissioners to consider existing drainage patterns and expressed concern that development could block natural flow paths.

Staff described the site and constraints in detail during the hearing. Key facts presented by staff included: - Site: 58.9 acres; street address shown as 7190 Stella Drive NE (near Leland). - Current zoning: CI (Commercial Intensive); proposed zoning: R-7,500 (medium-density residential). - Utilities: county water was reported as not available to the parcel; county wastewater connection is available via a 10-inch high-pressure force main on Andrew Jackson Highway. - Schools: parcel lies in the Leland Lincoln Elementary, Leland Middle and North Brunswick High School districts; staff noted Leland Lincoln Elementary is over capacity, middle school capacity exists and the high school was approaching capacity. - Density numbers discussed: staff and the applicant referenced density metrics during the hearing (transcript statements: roughly 4.4 units per acre under current zoning and about 5.8 under the R-7,500 figure discussed in the staff/applicant exchange); planning staff also noted multifamily is allowed under some current CI scenarios and that a plan-development (PD) proposal had been submitted to the planning department but could not be dispositive for the rezoning vote.

Commissioners who opposed the rezoning cited multiple issues in public remarks: the parcel’s location amid commercial zones and pockets of CI on the same side of the road, concerns about traffic on U.S. 74/State Road 7476 and Stella Drive, school capacity and emergency response access, and uncertainty about stormwater impacts. Several commissioners said they preferred to retain the commercial zoning to preserve a buffer between residential and heavier commercial uses.

The board adopted a motion to leave the property zoned Commercial Intensive. A roll-call listing of individual commissioner votes was not read into the record during the vote; the board chair announced the motion carried by a 3-2 margin. Commissioners directed staff to prepare the required consistency statement for the board’s adopted action.

The public hearing and vote followed a robust public comment period during which neighbors described repeated flooding at or near the site and warned that additional residential development could worsen evacuation and drainage challenges. Planning staff and the applicant responded to questions about stormwater standards, noting that any future planned unit development would be required to meet higher stormwater design standards (staff said planned developments are typically designed for the 100-year storm while development by right under some existing zoning standards is designed to a lower event). Staff also summarized applicable adopted local policies, including the Brunswick County Unified Development Ordinance and the Blueprint Brunswick 2040 comprehensive plan.

The board took no final action this meeting to change the county’s unified development ordinance or to alter countywide stormwater policy; several commissioners suggested revisiting the UDO and other county processes in future sessions.

Votes at a glance - Rezoning case Z-917 (tax parcel 02100058, 7190 Stella Drive): Motion to retain current zoning (CI) passed 3-2. Staff to prepare consistency statement for the board’s adopted action.

What’s next Staff will prepare the statutorily required consistency and reasonableness statement reflecting the board’s decision and return it for the record. Any future development proposals for the parcel would have to comply with applicable permitting (including US Army Corps of Engineers permits for any wetland impacts) and county development standards.