Commission declines to approve rezoning for eight-unit townhome project on Carolina Beach Road

The New Hanover County Board of Commissioners on March 16 declined to approve a conditional rezoning request for about 1.16 acres at 7244 Carolina Beach Road that would have allowed eight attached single-family units.

Staff described the request as a rezoning from R15 to conditional R5 for up to eight attached units, showed a concept plan with two duplexes and one quadraplex, and said the proposal included parking guarantees, a preserved oak tree and buffers intended to mitigate impacts. Staff noted the development was expected to generate roughly two additional students and that peak-hour trips were below the threshold requiring a traffic-impact analysis.

Applicant Cindee Wolf, speaking for the property owner, described efforts to secure a private access easement with Red Lighthouse Village homeowners and said the plan had been reduced from nine to eight units. “I never would have brought a project with increased density to you if the access was to Carolina Beach Road,” Wolf said, stressing that the intended access would be via Red Lighthouse Lane and that the plan includes buffers and preservation of a large oak.

Supporters from nearby neighborhoods — including Paul Gagny, a homeowner at 804 Red Lighthouse Lane, and Nicole Rainer, president of the Lee Landing HOA — urged the board to approve the project, citing access advantages and neighborhood acceptance.

Opponents raised multiple concerns. Lori Bruner, who lives on Little Pony Trail, called the request “patchwork, high-density rezoning between single-family neighborhoods” and said the proposal was not compatible with surrounding R15 zoning. Multiple residents raised questions about sewer alignment, elevations, emergency access, parking and whether the informal memorandum of understanding with the nearby HOA was legally binding. Adrian Garber said earlier high-impact development in other locations had caused environmental and drainage problems and urged caution.

After public comments and board questions about by-right development alternatives and whether Red Lighthouse Village HOA approval would be required, a motion to deny the rezoning was made and seconded. The transcript records the board’s roll call in the following terms: “so that is 3 against the proposal and two in favor of the proposal,” and later states, “Your request is not approved.” The board therefore did not grant the conditional rezoning.

Commissioners also discussed traffic capacity on Carolina Beach Road; staff said planning capacity was 34,000 vehicles and the latest measured traffic volume was 41,368, indicating the corridor is over capacity. Board members emphasized the importance of emergency access, private road maintenance and the binding nature of any HOA access agreement as issues that would need resolution in a future submittal.

What happens next: There was no approval of the rezoning request at the meeting. The applicant may revise the proposal, pursue by-right development options, or return with additional documentation; any new or revised application would return to the planning process for public hearing and board action.