Planning Board - Regular Meeting

Taurus. Okay. Okay.

Oh, hey. Hey, hey, hey.

Okay. I'd like to call the February 12th, 2026 Surf City Planning Board meeting to order. I need a motion to approve the agenda. So move. Second. I have a first and a second. All in favor? I

motion is approved. Uh may I get a motion to approve the minutes of the January 8th, 2026 planning board minutes? Make a motion we approve it. Second. I have a first and a second to approve the January minutes. All in favor? I minutes are approved. Do we have anyone for public comment?

Mind running back there and grabbing that off of the platform there. Thank you. Usually the police grab it for me. No one's on it. Okay. No public comment. Thank you. Okay. Jeremy, um, you want to take us into our items for consideration?

Yes, ma'am. Uh the the one item on the agenda, item A, the single item on our meeting this evening, is a zoning text amendment that has been submitted by Nick Laneir, who's an engineer with Creek Development Group. He has submitted an application proposing an amendment to section 7.6 off- streetet parking and loading standards of the zoning ordinance. Mr. Lineer's amendment proposes to allow alternative parking and driving services as allowed in section 7.4 or 7.6 F6 7.6 F6 of the ordinance. Again, that's the off- streetet parking standards and this would be off- streetet parking design. Further with his amendment, he's he has proposed as a number six to that text is to allow an alternate parking and driving service that may be considered for required off- streetet parking. Currently, right now for any development that requires five or more parking spaces, the ordinance requires it to be paved either via concrete, asphalt, some type of pavement um per NC DOT driveway manual. Um, and that's typically like asphalt and that's the design of it. Um, however, Mr. Laneir is proposing to allow other alternative services that are typically or that are similar to those already accepted by North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality. With your packet, I have submitted some information that Mr. Laneir submitted with his application for amendment that shows the true grid system. That is just one type of alternative method. Um, but this any of the methods prescribed would not just be simply 57 stone gravel on top of geoextural fabric. That would not be allowed except

what we already allow in the coastal forest overlay district. Um, I'll bring your attention to page five of your agenda item where I highlighted language from our previous zoning ordinance which actually allowed this same thing. We allowed alternative materials to be used for parking uh outside of just your standard asphalt or concrete. I believe this is supported by our comprehensive land use plan that it helps control storm water runoff. Right now, if you just put your standard impervious concrete, impervious asphalt on a property for to meet the paving requirements. Now, that water's got to be handled as it moves away from the site off of it. Alternative styles like the true grid system or some type of true PA system allows the water to infiltrate immediately, get into the ground and controls it much more efficiently. And those are being routinely reviewed by the state under storm water allowances. Um I believe Mr. Laneir's used that same true grid material recently with the town of Holly Ridge. Um, but with that said, staff is recommending approval of this proposed text amendment to allow alternative surfacing for parking lots that is supported by policy 5.1x of the comprehensive land use plan. Um, in addition, this proposed tax amendment presents flexibility for new development or redevelopment for that matter. Um, Mr. Laneir and myself are here to answer any questions that the board may have. Um to give Mr. Laneir a little background, he's a former city engineer for the city of Jacksonville. He he left to go to the private sector and as you know, southeastern North Carolina is in desperate need of more engineers, architects because they are just surveyors in general because they are just overwhelmed. Any of you have ever

called one know it takes time for them to even be able to take on new jobs. Um but our former community development director Amy K is now in his position. So, good thing for the private engineering community. Nick has been great to work with on projects um from a public side and I've been enjoyed working with him on the private side too. But with that said, he stands ready to answer any questions that the board may have and I do too. Jeremy, this um would primarily affect city I mean state control roads more so than city. It it doesn't affect roads. affects internal parking lots, but it would be anything that required paving

um under our ordinance, it would affect it. So, if you had a large shopping center that came in, say a new Harris ter's their parking lot, they could take advantage of an alternative parking surfacing as approved by staff. um we would scrutinize it heavily to make sure it's something that has the strength works under NCDOQQ rules permitted through NC do DUQ. Um with that said and I was going to say something else to your response um to respond to but it jumped on my mind. I apologize. Um, I think this is it's a it's a good benefit to allow us some flexibility because because we do have very strict lock coverage standards and our lock coverage is limited to a certain amount of impervious on development. So allowing other pvious alternatives, controls runoff and helps development um manage their storm water much more efficiently. But this would be any kind of office use um multif family

residential res you're not going to see that much application in residential because there's it's very large homes that are going to trigger a necessary paving requirement. Um right now you'd have to have a 3,000 foot home 2500t home to trigger five parking spaces and even then it's above five parking spaces. that would not kick in. And Jeremy, did you say earlier that this pertains strictly to the mainland or

it would not um those properties in the coastal forest overlay, they are already there. They they have already allowed alternative parking standards under that overlay district. Um because the whole intent of the coastal forest overlay is protection of the tree canopy and to red reduce significantly reduce impervious coverage. I make a motion we approve it. I have a first and a second for approval. All in favor? I.

No opposed. So the plan is approved. Mr. Laneir, did you just want to say something for kicks and giggles or are you satisfied? I think Jeremy did a wonderful job. He did. I I will say the board will be familiar with Nick is um recently moved to a new office. He works closely with Charles Riggs um in downtown Jacksonville. Um I do suspect we'll see Nick a lot more on different projects because like as I said before, engineers in our immediate area are very limited. most of our developers and whatnot needing to go have to go to Wilmington or somewhere else and pull someone in. So, having more local engineers and surveyors is always a plus.

Thank you, Jeremy. You have any updates for us?

Um, so Mr. Derek Arthur is no longer a board member. Unfortunately, he is um spends more than half his year in the state of Florida, so he is considered not a residence anymore. you got a new license and it says Florida. So, he was kind enough to email us and let us know and per the committee handbook um that basically you're now off of the board. Um the council will be looking at um appointments uh coming up with their work session in the March um their early March meeting. Um so, we should have some new members appointed soon. We currently have that vacancy and an alternate vacancy. Are you saying that his tax benefits from living in Florida outweigh the salary that he received?

No. No. I I I wouldn't share the personal reasons why he had to make it, but he still he still has a home here. He's just in Florida more

due to family. We'll say family. Um other than that, you know, I provided on page 25 of your uh of the agenda. That's our updated um development tracking that's got completed. Those under construction, the board should be fairly familiar with most most of these because they have gone in front of you um and for approval or recommendation to the council. Um I try to keep this up to date. Um this number will start getting more completed as we go forward. Uh just because of our utility status. Um, we'll be closing out a lot of a lot of existing projects, but we got a lot that are still coming up. We got the hotel that was recently improved in three subdivisions. Anytime you see construction and you are not aware, please contact us and we'll let you know what's going on. Other than that, Madam Chairman, I have nothing else. Do I have a motion for dismissal?

Move that we adjourn. Second. So I have a first and a second to adjurnn. All in favor? I meeting is adjourned.

Ma'am. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat.

Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat.

Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Yeah. Heat.