02 Mar 2015
New Hanover County and City of Wilmington to Hold Joint Meeting
On March 11 New Hanover County and the City of Wilmington will hold a joint meeting. This meeting is to display the Comprehensive Plan Growth Strategies Maps. The meeting will be held at the New Hanover County Executive Development Center from 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm. The public is invited to drop in and see the
26 Feb 2015
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
18 Feb 2015
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
18 Feb 2015
City launches new map gallery
The City of Wilmington has launched a new program that provides user-friendly map-based information from the city’s website. Citizens can quickly and easily access information from six interactive maps. Read more
16 Feb 2015
School calendar debate likely to wait until after summer break
RALEIGH, N.C. — Wake County is among dozens of school districts pushing lawmakers to roll back a decade-old calendar law that keeps school officials from beginning the academic year before Aug. 25, but progress on any such bill is likely to be slow this year, if it comes at all. Read more
04 Feb 2015
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,
29 Jan 2015
New Hanover County: Planning Public Meetings on Future Land Use Map & Place Types
New Hanover County has released the DRAFT Future Land Use Plan Map and is in the process of holding public meetings to discuss. According to the County: “While the Future Land Use Map is not legally binding, it is intended to be a general representation of the vision of New Hanover County for the next
29 Jan 2015
Editorial – Costly loophole for homeowners
If freshman Sen. Michael Lee makes good on his stated intent to fix a state law that allows insurance companies to shake down homeowners for higher rates than the state allows, he’ll secure a legion of fans in the Cape Fear region. Folks near the coast already pay generally higher rates than their inland counterparts.
29 Jan 2015
NC bill would give more flexibility from school calendar law
Another battle is looming between the tourism industry and educators over giving North Carolina school systems more flexibility on when to start and end the school year. One of the first bills filed Wednesday in the General Assembly, House Bill 9, would restore the ability of the State Board of Education to give local school
27 Jan 2015
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