Planning board recommends 36 townhomes at 6634 Callahan Beach Road over neighbor objections about traffic and runoff

On Aug. 7 the New Hanover County Planning Board voted to recommend approval of rezoning request Z25‑14, which would rezone roughly 4.56 acres at 6634 Callahan Beach Road from R‑15 to a conditional R‑5 district to permit 36 attached single‑family dwellings.

Staff told the board the site has been subject to three prior rezoning petitions and that this proposal reduces density compared with those earlier requests to about eight dwelling units per acre. Staff recommended conditions that include limits on housing types, a maximum building height of 35 feet, preservation of regulated trees and an additional condition requiring a 20‑foot‑wide public access easement along Carolina Beach Road for future bicycle and pedestrian use. Staff also noted the project’s stormwater pond is sited south on the parcel adjacent to delineated wetlands and that DOT driveway permitting will control required right‑turn improvements.

Cindy Wolf, representing the property owners, said the plan places the 36 homes in nine four‑unit structures, provides individual garages and exterior parking for each unit, preserves a central stand of trees as a natural common area, and will construct an on‑site stormwater pond; she said wetlands have been delineated and will not be impacted.

Several neighbors testified in opposition, highlighting traffic safety and sight‑line problems at the nearby Lords Creek and Glen Arthur Drive entrances and warning that grading and development could increase runoff into lower backyards. John Wisner and Beth Bergen asked the board to revisit previously submitted drainage and safety concerns; Kyle Presma specifically asked that the “west side” drainage be studied to ensure water is not routed onto existing yards.

County engineering staff explained TRC stormwater review will require designs that do not increase off‑site flow and that the county designs to a 25‑year storm standard (roughly a 2–4% probability 24‑hour event depending on location). The applicant said grading will direct impervious runoff to the proposed pond and that DOT will evaluate driveway permitting and any required turn‑lane modifications.

Board members noted the reduced density compared with prior proposals, the tree preservation and buffering measures, and the TRC and DOT processes that will review technical drainage and driveway issues. One member urged the applicant to reduce units adjacent to neighbors; another remained concerned that the plan did not sufficiently respect existing homes. A motion to recommend approval with the staff‑recommended conditions and the added public access easement was seconded and approved by voice vote with at least one recorded nay. The recommendation will go to the County Commissioners in September for a final decision.

Next steps: If commissioners approve the rezoning, the project must satisfy TRC stormwater requirements, NCDOT driveway permitting, and building/permitting conditions including installation of screening fencing and tree protection prior to clearing.