Council hears text amendment to stormwater ordinance tied to Whiteville City Schools project; residents warn of flooding risks

City staff presented a proposed text amendment to the city's stormwater ordinance related to a Whiteville City Schools project and told council the amendment would increase the threshold that triggers required stormwater plans or retention/detention from 10,000 to 20,000 square feet for certain nonresidential developments.

The staff presentation said the change is specific to a school project but that, if adopted, the amendment would apply more broadly to similar development citywide. A staff member noted that some state requirements—enforced by the Division of Water Quality—already apply where an acre or more is disturbed and that the ordinance language interacts with those state rules.

During the public hearing, resident Mike Shack (208 High Street, Whiteville) argued Whiteville's infrastructure is already aged and that broadening exemptions could create a "snowball" of growth that the city cannot support. "This is gonna be a snowball," Shack said, urging caution and better infrastructure planning before relaxing local controls. Councilors and staff discussed whether the text amendment applies to new development only or to existing nonresidential properties and debated whether requirements b(1–4) apply together or separately; staff clarified that plans would be required for all new commercial, industrial and other nonresidential major development and that separate language in the amendment addresses the school board's management plans.

No final council vote on the ordinance was taken tonight; staff said the amendment would be recommended to city council at its September regular meeting after the public hearing process.