New episode in Carolina Shores Golf Course drama, as developer sues town
CAROLINA SHORES, NC (WWAY)– The controversial Carolina Shores Golf Course development has a new chapter, with the developer now suing the town.
“Yes, I think he would lose, hands down,” said Lon Forehand, a resident of Carolina Shores. That is his opinion on the lawsuit that the Town of Carolina Shores received from Philippe Bureau, the developer trying to re-zone the old barren golf course.
“The first proposal that we presented to the town commissioners, and to the planning board, was for 120 homes,” said Bureau in an interview with WWAY earlier this year. “Additionally, we also added 19 water stormwater ponds.”
Lune De La Maison LLC, and Philippe Bureau, the owner of the golf course, has been a talkative salesman when pitching the redevelopment, but when WWAY reached out to him, he could not comment on a lawsuit against the town leaders.
So how did this all happen? The town commissioners voted down his proposal after a contentious back and forth between town residents, town leaders, and Bureau.
Residents like Forehand said they were worried about flooding, an increase in traffic, and lower property values.
After those meetings, the town rejected the idea, saying it did not align with the town’s land use plan under the Coastal Area Management Act Comprehensive Plan, and that the plan did not ensure economic growth, protection of natural resources, and brought a danger to quality of life.
After the rejection, the developer is asking for a Writ Certiorari, a request made to a higher court to review the decision of a lower court.
In the petition, it says the proposal was well within the town’s ordinances, that the board focused too much on negative impacts of the project, and that the opposition did not present enough support to deny the request.
Forehand says he is not surprised that bureau is suing, saying that with so much development in Brunswick County, he imagines most developers would do the same to make the most money.”
A lot of them have deep pockets, so if they don’t get the result they want, they go to the courts. That’s what they do,” said Forehand.
Once the town does go to court, Forehand says they will be there no matter what, supporting the town.
“We just hope for the best outcome here, and we’re not going away,” said Forehand. “We’re going to provide our input, and hopefully it ends up with what the community wants at the end of this process.”
As of this publication, WWAY has reached out to Bureau’s attorney for a statement but has not heard back.
