Author Archive

Wilmington-Cape Fear Home Builders members meet with with Congressman David Rouzer

  Special thanks to Congressman David Rouzer for meeting with members of the Wilmington-Cape Fear Home Builders Association this morning at his office in Wilmington. Members discussed a number of federal issues as part of NAHB’s 2015 Legislative Conference.  

Kure Beach considering rental regulations. (Unfortunately, they aren’t permitted in NC)

Kure Beach to consider cracking down on vacation rentals (VIA WECT) Kure Beach will consider cracking down on vacation rentals. The Kure Beach Planning and Zoning Commission will hold a special meeting at Town Hall on March 4 to receive public input on a proposed “Vacation Rentals” ordinance. Planning Commission Chairman Craig Galbreith said the

N.C. Appeals Court says state must pay landowners, takes shot at Map Act

You may recall BASE addressing the Corridor Map Act during the 2011 General Assembly via SB214. This bill limited the amount of time that land could be encumbered by the Map Act and was signed by the governor as SL2011-242. Recently, the NC Court of Appeals took up the issue as well. From the Winston-Salem

Congressional hearing: Impacts of the Proposed Waters of the United States Rule on State and Local Governments

This morning at 10 AM is a joint hearing of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works. You can watch online at the link below. http://transportation.house.gov/calendar/eventsingle.aspx?EventID=398554   Panel I  The Honorable Gina McCarthy, Administrator, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency The Honorable Jo-Ellen Darcy, Assistant Secretary of the Army,

Sunday StarNews cover story on Homeowners Insurance, consent to rate letters and potential legislative action

Lawmakers hear uproar over ballooning homeowner insurance rates WILMINGTON | Insurance companies are using a decades-old law to push higher-than-approved homeowner insurance rates on North Carolinians, says Sen. Michael Lee, calling the statute a loophole that needs to be closed. Lee, R-New Hanover, who is on the Senate Insurance Committee, said he is going to

EPA Publishes Final Water Science Report , the main basis for Waters of the US Rulemaking

On January 23, the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Office of Research and Development released the final science report, Connectivity of Streams and Wetlands to Downstream Waters.  You’ll remember that this Science Report, in draft form, was the basis for the Waters of the US Rulemaking which caused so much distress in 2014. Well, now the

Holden Beach Clarifies “Building Height”

As many of you know, each municipality has a different/unique/confusing method of measuring building height. With the recent release of flood maps in our counties and the hubbub around flood insurance increases, the definition of building height has become very important for everyone. Measuring height to enable flood insurance savings and architectural features has become

LOCAL GOVERNMENTS TAKING ACTION ON FLOOD MAPS

In January, Wrightsville Beach voted to hire a firm to begin the process of challenging the new flood maps, specifically for Harbor Island.   According to the Lumina News, the Board of Aldermen are concerned about “illogically high-risk flood zones for much of Harbor Island” and have been carefully and thoroughly exploring the possibility of an

COASTAL RESOURCES COMMISSION DISCUSSES LAND USE PLANNING CHANGES

At the October and December Coastal Resources Commission meetings, DCM Staff presented proposed amendments to the 7B CAMA Land Use Planning Requirements and 7L Local Planning and Management Grants. The draft language was the result of comments and input gathered at two regional workshops held during the previous year in which input on the CAMA

REMINDER: US DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY TO SET NEW HOT WATER HEATER STANDARDS

The Department of Energy has made amendments to energy conservation standards on residential water heaters to go into effect on April 16, 2015.   Energy output of water heaters are measured by an Energy Factor (EF) rating calculated by the DOE.  The higher the EF, the more efficient the heater. The standards for EF ratings have