Holly Ridge approves annexation of 1200 plus acres for new development, including 300 acres in Pender County

HOLLY RIDGE, NC (WWAY) — The town of Holly Ridge has approved the annexation of approximately 1,226 acres of land for a new development.

With nearly 100 people in attendance, the town’s special meeting on Thursday night got heated at times.

The meeting was the final one after months of hearings and discussions regarding the proposed annexation of land by the town.

The annexation was requested as part of a proposed 2,700-plus unit housing development.

Dozens of residents spoke out against the annexation.

Holly Ridge resident Liz Sadler worried about possible tax increases.

“I am a widow on a fixed income, that if my taxes go up any further, I’m not going to be able to live in Holly Ridge any longer,” Sadler said.

Dominick Tesoriero said the town’s emergency services won’t be able to handle the population increase.

“We are pretty much at max with the infrastructure and it just, it really just upsets me that we are going to add 7 thousand, possibly more people here in the next 10, 15 years, when we don’t even have enough fire departments or police officers to deal with the 5,000 that are here right now,” Tesoriero said.

The proposal also included the annexation of around 300 acres from Pender County.

Pender County Commissioner Brad George spoke during the public comment section as a private citizen.

He said their board had not spoken about or given any views on the annexation, drawing surprise from people in the audience, and added their schools wouldn’t be able to handle an increase in students.

“They will be annexed into Surf City Middle School and Surf City Elementary because that part of the neighborhood will be in Pender County, they can not go to Onslow County Schools,” George said. “Those schools are already overcrowded. We have no plans to build a new school in this part of the county for some time.”

Despite these concerns, the council approved the annexation by a 3-2 vote.

They also approved the rezoning of the land.

Holly Ridge Mayor Pete Parnian said this will help the town for many years to come.

“The benefit to Holly Ridge is expansion of the revenue base, the tax base and that way, with that additional revenue, we can do other things for our citizens,” Parnian said. “Build a better sports field, have a multi-use path, build a community center and things that improve the life of Holly Ridge residents.”

Mayor Parnian said there are still many more steps the developer has to go through before construction can begin.

He said he expects the first homes to be completed within 2 to 3 years.

An exact timeline for when construction will begin is not yet known.