Author Archive
05 Aug 2014
Waters of the US Rules Will Impact You!
BASE is working daily to continue to educate our members, local governments, allies and the general public about the proposed changes to Waters of the United States and “wetlands” rules. These rule changes, proposed by the EPA and US Army Corps of Engineers in April, would have a significant impact nationally but especially in southeastern
05 Aug 2014
Governor’s New Transportation Planning Initiative Underway–Wilmington MPO Ranks Local Projects
The Strategic Transportation Investments (STI) is a new formula to determine how the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT), in partnership with local governments, will fund and prioritize transportation projects in the state of North Carolina. The TAC has the ability to assign 1,500 points at the Regional tier and 1,500 points at the Division
22 Jul 2014
Columbus County commissioners approve land-use ordinance
Columbus County comissioners approved a land-use ordinance at they Monday meeting. The ordinance will require a permit in order to open an industrial facility, adult business, or intensive livestock farm. You can read the full ordinance.
16 Jul 2014
NHC, Wilmington Comprehensive Plan Update
New Hanover County has announced that it will hold a public meeting on August 12th from 4-7 P.M. to receive citizen input regarding their comprehensive plan as set forth by the Plan NHC theme committees. Each of these committees has a different focus, includng the local economy, the environment, community health, equity of services and
15 Jul 2014
Homeowners Insurance Rate Case Rescheduled for October
In early 2014, the North Carolina Rate Bureau (representing insurance companies in NC), requested an overall statewide average increase of 25.3 percent for homeowners insurance rates, varying by geographic territory. BASE spoke at the public hearing on January 24, expressing our continued concern and asking the Commissioner of Insurance to hold a full hearing. Commissioner
11 Jul 2014
Wilmington, New Hanover Comprehensive Plans
Both the City of Wilmington and New Hanover County have embarked on separate comprehensive planning efforts. Both efforts will lead to the creation of comprehensive plans and necessitate changes to land development ordinances and zoning. The New Hanover County Comprehensive Plan seeks to determine a vision for how the County should develop over the next twenty
11 Jul 2014
All Subdivisions/Phases Plan for Centralized Mail Delivery
Instead of enabling delivery to individual homes, USPS has decided that “centralized delivery” is a more efficient way to provide mail service. USPS changed the Postal Operations Manual in 2012, removing the ability for the developer and Postmaster to make a joint decision on means of delivery. Now, developers wanting to provide mail service need
11 Jul 2014
General Assembly Winding Down?
At press time, the legislative calendar was rapidly winding down. The waning days of session bring a flurry of bills, several of which are very important to BASE. Understanding the impact of the USPS issue, BASE staff crafted legislation to proactively fix an issue with DENR stormwater permits in subdivisions forced to install concrete pads
10 Jul 2014
Turtle Habitat to Frustrate Beach & Inlet Permitting?
Recently, 685 miles of beaches from North Carolina to Mississippi were designated “critical habitat” for loggerhead sea turtles. This designation is the largest federal protection of its kind and includes 68 miles of coastline in Topsail Island, Lea-Hutaff Island, Pleasure Island, Bald Head Island, Oak Island and Holden Beach. Local government officials are greatly concerned
09 Jul 2014
Wilmington City Council Approves Transportation Bond Referendum
At their July 8 meeting, the Wilmington City Council approved a $44 million bond referendum which would allow for $55 million in transportation improvements within the city. The remaining $11 million would come from existing funds. Traffic has consistently been a primary concern for citizens in years of citizen surveys. On May 20, Council heard