07 Apr 2014
US Fish & Wildlife Service Reopens Comment Period on Red Knot, Hearing In Morehead City May 6
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has reopened the comment period on its proposal to list the red knot as threatened under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The Service proposed to list the knot on September 30, 2013, following an analysis of the best available data in more than 1,400 scientific documents. The public can
04 Apr 2014
Oak Island Moratorium Update: Planning Board Acts On Vacation Rental Ordinance, Does Not Recommend Residential Cap
An update on the ongoing Oak Island moratorium on 6+ bedroom houses: In a meeting this past week which lasted nearly four hours, the Oak Island Planning Board met to consider a vacation rental ordinance and an ordinance which would cap residences at Oak Island at 5,000 square feet and 7 bedrooms. BASE spoke during
04 Apr 2014
FEMA Releases Congressional Advisory On The Homeowner Flood Insurance Affordability Act
Congressional Advisory Overview on the Homeowner Flood Insurance Affordability Act of 2014 On March 21, 2014, President Obama signed the Homeowner Flood Insurance Affordability Act of 2014 into law. This law repeals and modifies certain provisions of the Biggert-Waters Flood Insurance Reform Act, which was enacted in 2012, and makes additional program changes to other
02 Apr 2014
New Hanover County Unveils Economic Development Analysis
New Hanover County has received the final economic development target analysis report from Jay Garner titled Pathways to Prosperity: New Hanover County’s Plan for Jobs and Investment and it’s critical companion piece, the Competitive Realties Report. Both documents are available for download here Pathway to Prosperity – New Hanover County’s Plan for Jobs and Investment
02 Apr 2014
DENR Officially Announces Low Impact Development (LID) Program
NCDENR’s Division of Energy, Mineral and Land Resources (DEMLR) has formally noticed its new voluntary Low Impact Development (LID) program. The LID program is the product of a cooperative effort between engineering consultants, NC State University, the University of North Carolina, local governments, and the NC Coastal Federation. For the first time in North Carolina,
28 Mar 2014
Oak Island Update: Moratorium Expiring, A Vacation Rental Ordinance…And A Proposed Cap On Residential Size
The Town of Oak Island established February’s moratorium “on development of homes with more than six bedrooms so as to provide sufficient time for the development of regulations.” With the expiration of the moratorium scheduled for April 21, the Town is quickly moving forward with several proposals. The Oak Island Planning Board will hold a
26 Mar 2014
New Subdivision? You May Want To Ensure Your Residents Are Getting Mail
If you have a new subdivision, you may want to doublecheck that your residents are getting their mail. Recently, an issue emerged in Raleigh regarding the US Postal Service and an unannounced policy switch requiring cluster mailboxes in new subdivisions. Instead of enabling delivery to individual homes, USPS has decided that “centralized delivery” is a
25 Mar 2014
Environmental Review Commission Unveils Potential Legislation
Since late 2013, working groups from the General Assembly’s Environmental Review Commission have been working diligently on a number of issues. Of note to the real estate and development community are studies on stormwater, local environmental ordinances, water/sewer providers and engineering work. At the March ERC meeting, the work groups made brief presentations on their
25 Mar 2014
Jacksonville Holds Off Vote on UDO, Mass Rezoning
In 2007 the City of Jacksonville embarked on a Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) project. The project is the first comprehensive update of the city’s zoning ordinance since its adoption in 1972. The UDO can be found here In conjunction with the UDO, land with a zoning district classification from the previous zoning ordinance will be
25 Mar 2014
Oak Island Moratorium Leads to Vacation Rental Ordinance Proposal
In February, the Town of Oak Island hastily called for a special meeting and public hearing to “establish a moratorium on development of homes with more than six bedrooms so as to provide sufficient time for the development of regulations.” In spite of concerns raised by BASE, the Town moved forward with ordinance establishing a