Planning Board - Regular Meeting

Heat. Heat. N. or I mean making recommendations.

Okay, we're ready. Are y'all ready? I'm ready. I need a He's thinking about his wave up at Virginia Beach. I'd like to call the December 11th, 2025 CR city planning board meeting to order. Do I have a motion to approve the agenda? Yes. Make I have a first and a second. All in favor? I.

Any opposed? Agenda is approved. Also, may I get a motion to approve the November 13, 2015 minutes of the Surf City Planning Board meeting? 2025. Didn't I say that? He said 2015. Oh, 2025. Just for the just for the viewing audience. I wasn't even born in then. Do I have a motion to approve? Yes. Make a motion to approve. Second.

I have a first and a second for approval of the November 15th, 2025 minutes. All in favor? I. Any opposed? Minutes are approved. I don't see anyone for public comment. A ma'am. Okay. Okay, next on our agenda, um Jeremy, I'll turn it over to you for items for consideration.

Thank you, Madam Chairman. Agenda item A on the planning board agenda is re coming back to the job growth um lane use category goals and policies in the corridor map. Um, I discussed this in during the summer and my last presentation was in October and I said I would be back at a future date seeking our recommendation to take to town council at a future date. Um if the board considers this this evening and then re makes a recommendation, it may be February at the earliest because I am waiting for uh state division of custo management to let me know if this would be a minor or a major update to the Kimalan plan or comprehensive lanes use plan. If it's a major, it's a much bigger deal. Um there's public meetings, hearings, and to have. If it's minor, um, it's just an ad in the paper and I take it to the council and make a presentation. Everything points to minor because it's not changing the future land use category for any properties of where what we're trying to propose here. But with that said, I'm going to go over again what it is we're looking at. Um, as you are aware, uh, since 2023, we have an updated comprehensive lane use plan that serves as our CAMA lane use plan as required for any coastal community in North Carolina. Um, in the lane use plan, we have many future lane use policies and goals, and we have future lane use categories and designations for uh, properties in town limits and for many miles outside of our jurisdiction for the chance that they may annex. And we have a procedure and a path to make a recommendation. This board has a path to make a recommendation on annexations based off of the future lane use map. One of the goals identified in the

town's strategic plan. Another plan um is the identification of job growth corridors and strategies. And when I came on with the town, I told Mr. Brewer, I would work on a policy and policies and goals that we could be incorporated in the comprehensive land use plan along our major corridors um which with this board I've shared we've identified as the areas from the 5210 intersection north to the Enzo County line from Capefir Community College Surf City campus north to uh US7 and then from US7 17 at that same intersection all the way to the Enso County line. And this is a corridor where we would implement policies that would support that would be supported by five new policies. They're in your um staff report, but encouraging land uses that bring economic diversity, regional connectivity, infrastructure efficiency, environmental stewardship, and workforce support. Um, as you know, we are a coastal community and we rely heavily on our coastal um, e economy. Um, and this is we hope to as we grow out and we grow down 50 and 210 and 17 that we will diversify our economy and as the town gains more utility capacity, sewer and water, uh, we will have a push and a need for a again leaning on the diverse economy having land use users and developers that bring in high employment. High employment is anything in excess of 15 plus employees. uh that would encourage to live and work in Sur City and have something an alternative job base. Um

again, this doesn't change the future land use category for any of these properties, but it would affect those properties adjacent or immediately adjacent um to these corridors. So, we backed up the map. It used to be kind of a buffer um roughly a thousand feet from those corridors. Um but now we've just identified it as those corridors um outlining the ride of way. Um that way it's more flexible policies um and lends itself um for support of those proposed lane uses that would bring different economic users. Um one of the mentions in the policies is regional connectivity. Uh that's why they're on these corridors. They're all areas that tie into our future multi-use path and major NC do supported roads that would tie directly into the future Hamstead bypass and inadvertently out to I40. With that said, if the board has any more questions, I'll be happy to discuss, but I am looking for a recommendation to take this to a future town council meeting. um once we hear back from DCM on um what process to follow. The the short summary is to just give this board and the town council more tools to support those type of developments that may be unsupported by some policies, but this would point to why it would be supported and back the town's up decision to approve something that may be contrasting to some of the underlying land use categories because rightfully so, a lot of our as as you see on the map before you, a lot of our future land use categories ories

are residential. Um, and that is, you know, we have folks that want to annex into the town. They want our utilities. They want our services. They want that access. Um, but like anything, council is always going to have that hesitation to just do a broad sweeping zoning on a property that annexes in. You know, so you the idea is you annex it. You annex it at the lowest base zoning that has the least amount of uses and they come forward with a resoning conditional resoning or a resoning that supports what they want to do and then council has that opportunity and these policies would help that decision. That's kind of similar to what we did with the Medlin um piece of land. Yes. Yeah. And that's

and they did a whole CZ for the whole thing.

Absolutely. And these if these policies were in place that would these would have been called right out to support that type because it is a very diverse development. Um and not much different with the past dandelion reszoning we have with the flex space and that's a high employment user. It's diverse. It's an economic driver. It ties in with the existing infrastructure in the area and the community college on that side. whereas the Medlin property is going to pour out right on the NC50 headed towards Holly Ridge and into the heart of town. And so that these would be policies that you could use to support a reasonzoning like that. So does on the on the job just question on the job growth corridor. Is this something we're just looking at just identifying areas?

We're not identifying specific properties. Um it would be those properties that use 50 to access. Um now when we develop it, we'll look for connection intern if if it develops. We'll look for internal connections, but their direct access is going to be on these NC DOT roads. So it doesn't really we're not really specifying what kinds of uh industries we want in there. No, this is just straight. This is a straight like this is where we want those. Correct. Okay. You know, if a brick manufacturer came in, well, obviously the zoning would have to support it. Maybe these policies would support it, but there's other things that come with the manufacturing facilities.

And that's, you know, that just when you think job growth and large large employers, you can think manufacturing, but there are alternatives. I mean there's the the IT community um computing medical facilities um there's a diverse field of large employment not just industrial this isn't super this isn't specific this is just a general

this doesn't introduce new uses or identify specific uses while we have we talk about desired employment centers um retail or office that boost high employment. Um, but no specific uses other than maybe your light industry, light manufacturing, but this is more oriented to um high employers. I mean, if a Walmart was wanting to go along 50, technically Walmart is a high employer. The policy here could be used to support something like that. I'll make a motion to uh accept these recommendations for the job growth corridor.

Second. I have a first and a second to accept the recommendations proposed. All in favor? I.

Any opposed? Recommendations are approved. I I will report back to the board on when that is going to council. Like I said, I think the earliest it would be February because there will be an advertising component. Um but until I until I hear back from DCM, I don't want to move forward. Um so next next item in favor um agenda agenda item B um many you recall I sent out a revised agenda. Uh this was a I don't even know if I want to call it an oversight. Um, but I found a section in the ordinance where if you've ever done development in the town of Surf City or mo a lot of communities, um, most modern ordinances require foundation and final surveys when you do new construction. Um, foundation is required right before you go vertical and found uh, final survey is required when you're done and ready for your final inspections for your final occupancy. For whatever reason, our current ordinance had the final survey requirements in a section related to a specific land use type related to complexes. It was just there randomly. Um, I reached out to Withers and Ravenell who wrote the assisted with the zoning ordinance. really wasn't an explanation other than it had to been a typo or a mispa paste and error and it was never picked up on because it followed the correct ordering in the ordinance. It just makes zero sense for it to be located there. Uh so staff looked back at it um for the final survey requirement. What we're doing is we're proposing to

pull it out of 5.3 complexes. complexes deals with um property that have multiple lane uses on them or a shopping center. But the final surveys and foundation surveys aren't specifically related to complexes are related to any development. We're proposing to move it from 5.3 complexes to 3.8 section zoning permit as a an addendum into that section and just add that foundation and final surveys. And this is the same language that's in the ordinance that they are required in all zoning districts for new construction when they're so as submitted and what they show on them. So it's really a cleanup item to make add clarity. So someone new to the area who's not used to developing will understand where the requirement comes from and it makes everything consistent on what we publish on the website and what we get out to developers. Obviously staff is recommending approval. I'll make a motion we approve it.

Second. I have a first and a second to approve the amendment. All in favor? I. Any opposed? Amendment is approved. Okay. Jeremy, you got any updates or?

Um, I keep forgetting to share with you. If you look at the monthly governmental update, that's where I share our current major developments and their kind of their status if they've been completed or under construction. Um, if you do get completed, you come off the list, but it's more for the public to know what's being constructed and where. So, they're not always having to inquire to the town. Hey, we see this development happening here. But if this board wants me to share that routinely, please let me know and I'll get it out to you. I request that you

It's definitely important for this board to know what development is going on. As a an appointed committee, the public's going to come to you, too, and ask those questions. I understand you're on the planning board. They're going to ask you. Um, and this way it get gives you that information to be armed with. They only get asked one question. I see they've they're starting development. Is that a Chick-fil-A? There you go. There you go. Um, if you would share that with us, it'd be great.

I will. And I'll be sure to get it in future agendas. And I apologize. because I know that's something I think you guys have gotten used to and um since I've been here I've been inconsistent with it and I apologize. Um the four items the board reviewed at during their November meeting uh the three conditional resonings, the Sumpter, the station, and the Medlin. All three of those conditional resonings and the Hampton Inn were heard by the town council at their December 2nd meeting and all were approved. Um the Medlin and the station, no the Medlin resoning you will most likely see at a future date in a site plan form um just because of the size. Um so with that said, uh the last additional thing is I've been here seven and a half months. It's I'm super always happy to be here. I get up every day. It's stressful days, but it's I love being here and um looking forward to a whole year here, but um if I don't see any of you again, happy holidays.

Thank you. Time flies when you're having fun, Jeremy. Does not seem like you've been here that long. No, it doesn't. But it's busy and thank you for what you're doing. Thank you. Yeah. Thank you. Do I have a meet a motion to adjourn the meeting? I make a motion to adjurnn. Second. I have a first and a second. All in favor? I meeting is adjourned.

Thank you very much. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat.

Heat. Heat.