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Residents urge temporary pause on residential building, cite flooding, sewer, health and traffic concerns
Summary
Multiple residents and a conservation group urged commissioners to impose a temporary moratorium or pause on residential approvals while water, sewer, flood and environmental studies proceed; speakers described increased traffic, flood events, rising insurance and possible contamination.
During the public‑comment period on July 21 several Brunswick County residents and representatives pressed the Board of Commissioners to pause or more tightly manage residential development pending studies of water/sewer capacity, flooding and environmental contamination.
Christie Merrick, founder of Stop Over Development Brunswick County (also identifying herself with the Brunswick County Conservation Partnership), said the county’s rapid growth has produced flooding, traffic increases and higher insurance costs. “I have begged and pleaded for you to say yes to a moratorium for residential developing,” Merrick told commissioners. She urged a time‑limited pause to allow the county’s proposed reverse‑osmosis (RO) plant and other upgrades to come online and to complete promised flood and epidemiology studies.
Judy Andersack of Ocean Isle Beach criticized county approvals for large residential projects and developers’ impacts on wetlands, roads and public services; in public comment she described the effect on schools, emergency services and infrastructure and called for “responsible leadership, smart planning, and protection for our residents.”
Other speakers — including Jason Gaber representing Brunswick County Habitat for Humanity and Michael Darby, a Supply resident — raised the county’s housing‑land constraints and asked whether excess development is being approved without sufficient sewer/water infrastructure. Gaber asked the county to identify surplus county‑owned lots or underutilized parcels for affordable home building.
County commissioners and staff said the county is studying water and sewer capacity and urged a measured approach. Several commissioners acknowledged infrastructure strains but also noted significant variation across the county’s utilities: staff reported one wastewater plant was at about 82% of capacity at the end of fiscal 2025 while another plant was considerably less used. Commissioners stressed that large‑scale policy changes require legal and technical review before being implemented.
Why it matters: Speakers framed growth as a public‑safety and quality‑of‑life issue: flooding, traffic, higher taxes and insurance rates, and possible water contamination were cited as reasons to pause or better manage approvals. The board did not adopt a moratorium at the July 21 meeting but directed staff to continue providing technical information and to bring back options.
Next steps: Staff will continue utility and flood‑risk monitoring, report on UDO and stormwater progress at upcoming meetings, and provide additional data requested by commissioners and community groups.
