The New Hanover County Planning Board heard a preliminary forum Jan. 8 for a special-use permit (1S2507) to allow boat and shipbuilding in an I-1 industrial district at 2020 Capitol Drive.

Planning staff told the board the parcel is located between North College Road and the airport in an area designated as an employment center, described the site as an existing two-story industrial building of about 13,820 square feet, and said boatbuilding is a permitted I-1 use only with approval of a special-use permit. Staff said the site exceeds required parking and that projected peak-hour trips fall below the traffic-impact threshold that would require a formal traffic impact analysis.

Applicant George Stronach of Tideline Boats described an indoor fiberglass manufacturing process called vacuum infusion, which he said is a self-contained, lower-emission method compared with traditional spray or hand-laid fiberglass techniques. "The entire manufacturing process will be done inside the building," Stronach said, adding that the company expects to start with six employees in March and grow to about 12 by the end of the year and produce roughly one boat per month in the first year.

Staff advised that the preliminary forum is advisory only and that neither staff nor the planning board makes the final decision on special-use permits; the matter will go forward to the Board of County Commissioners for a quasi-judicial hearing where staff outlined four criteria the commissioners must evaluate (public health and safety, conformance with the UDO, effect on adjoining property values, and harmony with the comprehensive plan). Staff reported no public comments had been received at the time of the presentation.

Board members and technical staff asked the applicant to confirm the facility's SIC/NAICS code and determine whether a stormwater permit will be required for boat washing or other exterior activities given the site's shared stormwater pond. The applicant and staff agreed to confirm permitting details before the commissioners' hearing.

Because this proceeding was a preliminary forum, the planning board did not make a formal recommendation; the applicant was advised to address the technical permitting points and submit any supplemental materials for the commissioners' packet.