Brunswick County appoints new planning board member as growth pressures mount

BRUNSWICK COUNTY, N.C. (WWAY) — Brunswick County commissioners have appointed a new member to the county’s planning board as officials continue to grapple with rapid growth and development challenges.

Commissioners on Monday selected Travis Cruse for the District 4 seat among a pool of candidates. The appointment comes as the county seeks to fill another vacancy left by Jim Board, who resigned last month citing frustration with the board’s limited authority over development decisions.

Commissioner Mike Forte said he understands concerns from residents and officials about the pace of growth.

“Look, nobody is happy about all the growth,” Forte said.

Forte noted Brunswick County is the fastest-growing county in North Carolina and, according to 2024 data, ranked as the 11th fastest-growing county in the nation. He said while many newcomers are retirees, families with school-age children are also moving into the area.

That growth is putting pressure on local schools. During a recent Brunswick County Board of Education meeting, the director of Carolina Demography at the UNC Population Center said most schools in the county are projected to reach or exceed capacity by 2036.

Several elementary schools — including Belville Elementary, Town Creek Elementary, Union Elementary and Virginia Williamson Elementary — have already reached capacity.

Forte said a proposed school bond on the November ballot could help address overcrowding.

“We need to enlarge our schools…and it’s so bizarrely expensive,” Forte said.

If approved, nearly $350 million would go toward building two new schools and expanding existing facilities. However, Board said even with the funding, it could take five to 10 years before new schools are built and ready to accept students.

Board, the former planning board member, said his resignation stemmed from concerns about how development is being managed.

“I’m not anti-development, but I do want it to be done with a reasonable expectation of being able to support that development and right now I don’t think that’s being done,” Board said.

Forte said he understood Board’s frustrations but emphasized that projects meeting county requirements must be approved.

“If they dot every I and cross every T and do everything by code they have to be approved, that’s just the way it works,” Forte said.

County officials say the search for a replacement to fill Board’s vacant seat is ongoing.