‘We don’t have to build for everyone’: Commissioners again deny rezoning on Carolina Beach Road

NEW HANOVER COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — A long-debated rezoning along Carolina Beach Road in New Hanover County was denied again Tuesday.

The 4.56-acre tract at 6634 Carolina Beach Road has come before county boards multiple times in recent years. On Tuesday, commissioners voted to deny a request to rezone the site from R-15 (residential) to conditional R-5 for a 36-unit attached single-family townhome community. The decision came despite an August 7 Planning Board recommendation for approval and staff support tied to conditions.

“It is acceptable for us to mark certain parcels and properties as ones that need to remain just as they are, R15,” said Commissioner Dane Scalise. “And I think this parcel is one of the pieces of property. It is okay there are some we are not going to rezone. And I think it’s consistent with this board’s position over the last several times that this issue has been brought before us for us to continue to adamantly explain to the property owners that we do not intend to rezone this property.”

Neighbors from Lords Creek again pressed concerns about traffic on the 55-mph corridor, drainage and flooding, and the project’s proximity to existing single-family homes. A petition with hundreds of signatures opposing the rezoning was referenced during public comment.

Several commissioners noted the project’s history of withdrawals and denials and said that has damaged public trust.

Meanwhile, Commissioner LeAnn Pierce said while out in community, residents are adamant that they don’t want increased density.

“Quite honestly, I don’t know where the theory came from that we have to build new home for everybody who wants to move to New Hanover County,” added Commissioner LeAnn Pierce. “We would have to built 100 foot skyscrapers to do that because everybody wants to be here.”

The applicant, Cindee Wolf with Design Solutions, representing owners Giovanni Ippolito and Tanya Vlančancić, argued the plan had been scaled back from prior proposals, from 78 to 36 units, capped building height at 35 feet, preserved a central tree-save area, added a Type A opaque buffer, and offered a right-turn lane extension onto a circular drive with right-in/right-out access on Carolina Beach Road. Wolf said the NCDOT would still review the driveway permit and that the project’s trip count falls below the threshold for a full traffic impact analysis.

Supporters included the Alliance for Cape Fear Trees, which backed the tree-preservation strategy and urged low-impact design features. Business advocates pointed to the region’s housing supply needs, while opponents countered that higher-density infill on this constrained site would strain safety and quality of life.

In making the motion to deny, commissioners acknowledged the proposal aligns with portions of the 2016 Comprehensive Plan but said rejection was “reasonable and in the public interest” because the attached units would sit too close to existing single-family neighborhoods.