Board of Commissioners

TOWN OF CAROLINA SHORES Planning Board Meeting Minutes August 20, 2025 10:30 a.m. At 10:30 a.m., Chairperson Ron Johnson called the August 20, 2025, Planning Board Meeting to order. The Pledge of Allegiance was recited and there was a moment of silence. The following members attended: Ruth Ann Campbell, David Steele, Diane Baker, Ashley McEntee and ETJ Alternates Normand Neligon and George Grant. Also present: Commissioner Watts, Board Liaison; Chad Hicks, Town Administrator and Nicole Hewett, Assistant Town Administrator/Town Clerk. Absent: None Approval of Minutes: MEMBER BAKER MADE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE MINUTES OF THE JUNE 18, 2025, PLANNING BOARD MEETING. MEMBER CAMPBELL SECONDED THE MOTION. CHAIRPERSON JOHNSON CALLED FOR A VOTE AND MOTION CARRIED BY UNANIMOUS VOTE. Administrative Reports: Mr. Hicks said where Sunfield comes to Persimmon, the pavement has been coming back for years and years and is going out to bid. Mr. Hicks said we sent out a bid package for Bayberry. Mr. Hicks said, as you have probably heard, the golf course has presented paperwork for a proposed rezoning, and the plans are online. New Business: Work Session on the CAMA Land Use Plan Draft Chapter 3 Natural Systems Analysis and Survey Results: Wes Macleod from Anchorpoint Planning thanked the Planning Board for having him at the meeting. Mr. Macleod said we will be reviewing Chapter 3: Natural Systems Analysis and the survey results. Mr. Macleod said there will be two public meetings regarding the CAMA Land Use Plan. Mr. Macleod said they will be held on September 16th and 23rd. Mr. Macleod said the next chapter you will be receiving is Chapter 4: Community Facilities. Mr. Macleod reviewed a summary of the survey results which will be complied with in the final document (a copy of the results are on file with the Town Clerk). Mr. Macleod reviewed Chapter 3: Natural Systems Analysis with the Planning Board. Mr. Hicks said we are a Class 9 now and Mr. Macleod said he will add a Class table to the document. Public Comment: Sandy Smith, 11 Pinewood Drive – Ms. Smith asked for clarification on the two upcoming Public Meetings (CAMA) and asked if there would be a separate meeting for the community of Carolina Shores and the issue of the golf course. Mr. Hicks said no, this is just the CAMA Land Use Plan. Ms. Smith said you will not be holding any specific meetings for the community of Carolina Shores. Mr. Hicks said other than the Planning Board and Board of Commissioners, no. Ms. Smith said that is all she has to say. Julie Turner, 4 Egret Court – Ms. Turner said she realizes we are in the process of a new CAMA Land Use Plan and it’s being drafted. Ms. Turner said on the Town of Carolina Shores website, the current CAMA Land Use Plan is dated 2018, is that correct. Ms. Hewett said that is correct. Ms. Turner said does the Planning Board adhere strictly to the CAMA Land Use Plan and this is the one dated 2018/2019. Mr. Hicks said it is up to the Chair, but it is Public Comment, they don’t do questions and answers, but Mr. Hicks said that is the guiding document right now. Ms. Turner said she knows we aren’t talking about rezoning at this point, but will there be some transparency where residents can read and understand the studies that have been done and see traffic, wastewater, etc., and will that be posted. Mr. Hicks said yes. Thank you. Joanne Umstead, 6 Golf Crest Ct. – Ms. Umstead said she asked if this was the proper meeting to go to and they said yes. Ms. Umstead said it’s a lot to do with the trees. Ms. Umstead said we need the trees for the stormwater drainage and if they take down all the trees, we are going to be in a bigger flood zone. Ms. Umstead said just the past week, she has taken several pictures. Ms. Umstead said she has had her property since 1982. Ms. Umstead said she has never seen it in the past couple of years getting as bad as it is. Ms. Umstead said a couple of days ago; she saw her first snake. Ms. Umstead said the water, with these ditches, is getting so high and her neighbor and her have never seen it go over the top, like it did yesterday. Ms. Umstead said we need the trees to soak up the water, but she has pictures here of the smaller tree between her property and next door. Ms. Umstead said when it rains like it did last week, it stays flooded for a long time. Ms. Umstead said after yesterday’s storm, it is this high up off the ground. Ms. Umstead said if they keep cutting down trees for more housing and development, the roots are going to get so weak that they will fall onto people’s homes and businesses and it’s going to ruin our green space. Ms. Umstead said she is saying the more housing, whatever kind they are, it doesn’t matter, they are going to be cutting down a lot of trees. Ms. Umstead said we need the trees that we do have left. Ms. Umstead said that is all she is going to say. Ms. Umstead said one more thing, when they were talking about checking the roads and the drainage, the other thing is if we need to evacuate. Ms. Umstead said the more homes they put in, tons of more people are going to be moving in and evacuation, should we need it, is going to be pretty bad. Thank you. Joe Dowling, 1 Mashie Court – Mr. Dowling said his concern, and he hopes it is all of your concerns too is the inability of Brunswick County Utilities to keep up with the development of southern Brunswick County. Mr. Dowling said on August 18th at 9:00pm, there was an untreated sewage release into the Calabash River of 1,100 gallons. Mr. Dowling said he has been tracking these utilities, and this is commonplace down here. Mr. Dowling said it’s screaming that we are overloaded, and we can’t handle what we are doing. Mr. Dowling said to add additional strain to it is insanity in his book. Mr. Dowling said all he thinks about is eating his shrimp dinner out of the Calabash River that just received 1,100 gallons of sewage. Mr. Dowling said thank you. Deb Courtemanche, 27 Carolina Shores Drive – Ms. Courtemanche said the water pressure in her home and their street is down. Ms. Courtemanche said her sprinklers won’t even come all the way up when they come on because there is not enough water pressure. Ms. Courtemanche said every now and then she will turn on the faucet in the kitchen and it is just a trickle coming. Ms. Courtemanche said we are overloading our natural resources here. Ms. Courtemanche said she knows that you are saying that you are basing all of your decisions on the old CAMA report, but she is assuming you will also be taking the results of the current CAMA report into account. Ms. Courtemanche said obviously from the results of that, the community has responded terrifically, and they do not want any more development in any high- density areas. Ms. Courtemanche said thank you. Ms. Hewett said the Town of Carolina Shores Planning Board and Board of Commissioners received a Public Comment from Rita & Don White who live on 28 Swamp Fox Drive. The letter is dated August 2 15, 2025, and was received on the same date. Ms. Hewett read the letter for the record (a copy of this letter is on file with the Town Clerk). Robin Johnson, 14 Gate 3 and 16 Gate 3 – Ms. Johnson said when will the proposal for the rezoning begin to be discussed. Mr. Hicks said it could possibly be September, not sure or it may be October. Mr. Hicks said when we post the agendas on the website, just keep up with it on the website. Ms. Johnson said thank you. Adjourn: MEMBER CAMPBELL MADE A MOTION TO ADJOURN THE AUGUST 20, 2025, PLANNING BOARD MEETING AT 11:16 AM. MEMBER BAKER SECONDED THE MOTION. CHAIRPERSON JOHNSON CALLED FOR A VOTE AND MOTION CARRIED BY UNANIMOUS VOTE. _____________________________ Chairperson Submitted by: Nicole L. Hewett, Assistant Town Administrator/Town Clerk 3