ONLY ON 3: Residents concerned over growing sinkhole in neighborhood

NEW HANOVER COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — A growing sinkhole next to a storm drain in a New Hanover County neighborhood has residents asking for help.

The sinkhole, located in the 6500 block of Shire Lane, is in the Shenandoah Woods subdivision, adjacent to Belmar Forest. Neighbors say calls to the county the DOT have left them frustrated; the small stretch of the road is not state-maintained, county officials said. Ed Bischpoing lives on that road and says it formed about a month or so ago and has grown since then.

“Well the road’s gonna collapse at one point,” Bischpoing said. “I mean if it’s allowed to continue on, the road’s gonna collapse and then we’re gonna back up the drainage. So the idea is to fix it now while it’s cheaper to fix then after more damage is done.”

New Hanover County Development Services Director Chris O’Keefe says county crews are aware of the issue. He says the county filed a 60-day notice to the developers of both neighborhoods to fix the issue. That notice was filed February 19, officials said. If the hole is not repaired by then, county workers will repair the sinkhole and bill the developers responsible, O’Keefe said.

O’Keefe says the developers are responsible for the maintenance of issues like this one. Once the road is turned over to the state, O’Keefe says, DOT maintenance crews can repair storm drains like this one. He says if the sinkhole was not in the road’s right-of-way, it would be the homeowner or HOA’s responsibility to repair it.

WWAY called the developer who originally owned the lot according to public records; the number listed was disconnected.