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Surf City schedules annexation hearing and staff outlines 'job growth corridor' and committee initiatives
Summary
Council agreed to set a June 2 public hearing for a 1.5‑acre annexation request from Topsail Property Management LLC and heard staff present a job‑growth corridor policy and a slate of committee initiatives including beach resilience, public art, and multi‑use path coordination.
Council gave consensus to set a June 2 public hearing on an annexation request from Topsail Property Management LLC for three parcels totaling roughly 1.5 acres; staff said the property, located along Highway 50 next to Smith Dental, would still go to the planning board and likely require parcel recombination during site plan or conditional‑rezoning review.
Planning Director Jeremy Smith presented a proposed job‑growth corridor policy intended to guide comprehensive land‑use decisions along several corridors (including crossings from NC 210/NC 50 to US 17 and the county line). Smith said the policy is a land‑use support mechanism—not a zoning change—and is designed to encourage employment‑center uses such as distribution, light manufacturing assembly, flex space and institutional/medical uses while excluding high‑impact industrial operations. He recommended tools such as conditional rezoning so council and planning staff can preserve review authority.
Council discussion centered on labeling and scope: several members preferred the phrase “economic diversity” over “job growth,” and members raised concerns about preapproving workforce housing as a by‑right use in the corridors. Staff said they will refine the language and return the proposal to the planning board for additional review.
Staff also reviewed committee initiatives for the coming year, including the ‘Surf in the City’ surfboard statue program, municipal mural and utility‑box art, expanded beach‑and‑street‑sweep efforts, a cigarette recycling pilot, native landscape policy development, parks programming tied to a future public‑facilities map, and continued coordination of the Topsail Island connector multi‑use path.
Next steps: The annexation will proceed to the planning board before a June public hearing; the job‑growth corridor language will be refined per council feedback and taken back to the planning board for further public review.
