YO U R C O A S TA L C O M M U N I T Y N E W S PA P E R S I N C E M AY 2 0 0 2
Source: National Weather Service
March 9–15, 2017
luminanews.com
Volume 16 | Issue 10 | 25¢
Cottage painter at WB Museum this Sunday
Weekend police report Page 3
Page 3
Causeway house meets height limits By Terry Lane Staff Writer
An independent surveyor has determined that the house under construction at the west end of Wrightsville Beach’s Causeway Bridge comes in under the town’s 40-foot height limit, according to documents filed with the town’s planning department last week. The four-bedroom, single family home, under construction by Parker Construction Group at 1 Auditorium Drive, measured at 39-feet, 3 ¼ inches from the center of the street, while measuring 45-feet, 5 inches above sea level. Begun in July 2016, construction is projected to be finished in May 2018. Christopher Parker, president of Parker Construction Group, said the home is being built on one of the largest pieces of properties in Wrightsville Beach, and like most other homes under construction in the town, utilizes nearly all of the 70 percent allowable floor-toarea ratio. n See HOUSE Page 2
Staff photo by Terry Lane.
The four-bedroom, single family house being built at 1 Auditorium Drive near the Causeway Bridge by the Parker Construction Group came in under the town’s 40-foot height limit. The builder said the house was projected to be completed in May 2018.
Back to the Dance
Wilmington City Council approves Airlie Road development By Terry Lane
“I know the gate goes
Staff Writer
Photo courtesy of Joe Browning, UNCW
Behind third-year coach Kevin Keatts, the University of North Carolina Wilmington Seahawks are making their second straight appearance in the NCAA tournament after defeating the College of Charleston for the Colonial Athletic Association conference title on Monday. Read more about the Seahawks’ repeat championship on page 5. ~ Terry Lane
County enacts changes to industrial SUP policy
By Terry Lane Staff Writer
The New Hanover County Board of Commissioners on Monday unanimously approved changes to the county’s industrial permitting policy, despite a line of speakers raising concerns about the impact it could on environmental quality. The board unanimously voted to approve the new policy, which changes the county’s
The Wilmington City Council on Tuesday approved a rezoning request for an 11.9 acre lot on Airlie Road that paves the way for the construction of a 57-unit mixed use development that brought out scores of neighbors in opposition. After a nearly two-hour public hearing, the city council voted 6-1 to approve the project, with only council member Kevin O’Grady opposing. The site, located at 315 Airlie Road, across the street from Airlie Gardens and south of the former Galleria shopping center, would feature nine homes fronting the
special use permit (SUP) industrial permitting policy that the county’s business community has described as too strict, discouraging new businesses from locating to the region. Several residents spoke at the public hearing, raising concerns that the table of permitted uses would allow too many heavy industries into the county’s industrial zones, including those in Porters Neck. Some also said that the county didn’t do enough to notify residents in those areas that the changes to the SUP.
against plan, but I see it as a concession by the developer.” street deemed a North Carolina “Scenic Byway.” It’s attracted opposition from neighbors, many of whom argued it would bring too much traffic and density to the area, while potentially damaging water and environmental quality. In order to be able to build the project, the developers
However, county planner Chris O’Keefe said that the SUP changes wasn’t a rezoning, and therefore, had different requirements for public notice. Commissioner Rob Zapple told speakers at the hearing that there would be more opportunity for citizens to have input on changes to the SUP when the county considered it as part of upcoming revisions to the county’s Unified Development Ordinance. Email terrylane@luminanews.com
-- Charlotte-based developers State Street Companies -- asked the city to approve a zoning change from residential R-15 to “urban mixed-use,” which pairs residential and commercial development. Jeff Kentner, State Street Company president, said the $150 million project would have a “huge” economic impact on the city. The rezoning was supported by the city’s planning staff and approved by the Wilmington Planning Commission on Feb. 1. The developers have said the project would be exclusively residential, but it would allow connectivity with a proposed new n See AIRLIE Page 2
Town
seeking citizen input on recycling, land use By Terry Lane
WB flag football league enters 25th year of competition By Terry Lane Staff Writer
Drive by Wrightsville Beach Park on a Sunday this spring and you can’t miss the action, as team after team of flag football players engage in friendly competition for a title that has become increasingly more coveted. This season marks the 25th year the league has played, with all but the first season being competed at the Wrightsville Beach Park. The games often draw spectators, usually friends and girlfriends of the players, but one recent fan was there to reflect on how the league got started. “It turned out much better to play the games at Wrightsville Beach. The girls from the beach would come watch us play,” said Jeff Babilonia, who started the flag football league in 1992 as a way to meet people in Wilmington, where he had recently moved here from Chicago. “I didn’t know anyone and I hated going to the gym. But I could play sports all day long. So I put an add in the n See FOOTBALL Page 2
Staff photo by Terry Lane
Mark Taylor, quarterback for Marty’s Calves, is sacked by defenders from team Bite before getting the pass off during flag football play on Feb. 26 at Wrightsville Beach Park.
Staff Writer
From the performance of the town’s law enforcement to future land development plans to curbside recycling, Wrightsville Beach officials are seeking input from residents through a series of surveys that could have an impact on town policy. The town has two active surveys, one on recycling and the other on land use, while the police department recently concluded a citizen survey. The surveys are available online at the town’s website at www. towb.org or a paper version of the surveys are available at the town’s offices at 321 Causeway Drive. One of the questionnaires that could result in changes in the n See INPUT Page 2
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