An Atlanta-based company proposes to fill federally regulated wetlands and route streams through culverts at an undeveloped site on the mainland side of Ocean Isle Beach to allow construction of a shopping center.
US 17 Bypass Plan Prompts Flooding Fears
State transportation officials are set to study a more than decade-old plan to connect U.S. 17 in Brunswick County across the state line to a South Carolina highway, but a county commissioner is among those worried about destruction of wetlands in a flood-prone area.
Figure Eight Set to Vote on Terminal Groin
Property owners on Figure Eight Island will soon receive ballots for a vote on whether to proceed with construction of a terminal groin here. Meanwhile, a letter from nearly 50 owners opposed to the project will also arrive in their mailboxes.
Groups: Ocean Isle’s Groin Application Flawed
The N.C. Coastal Federation and the Southern Environmental Law Center say Ocean Isle Beach’s permit application for a terminal groin doesn’t meet state, federal environmental requirements.
Sunset Beach Studying Plan to Dredge Canals
Officials in Sunset Beach have hired a firm to review the environmental effects of dredging creeks and man-made canals here, but some say going deeper for bigger boats is a bad idea.
Groups Want Industry to Get More Scrutiny
Environmental groups and residents have proposed changes for New Hanover County’s special-use zoning permit process that would provide the public more detail on the potential effects of industrial development.
Figure Eight Homeowner Won’t Budge
A homeowner on exclusive Figure 8 Island says he’s dead set against the terminal groin that the island’s homeowners’ association wants to build and won’t provide the needed easement.
Protecting Habitat Isn’t Always Scary
Protecting habitat that endangered species need to survive always comes with scary stories about how people will be restricted from using the land. Experts say those fears are almost always overblown.
Critical Habitats: What They Are, What They Do
Putting a plant or animal on the endangered species list isn’t enough to save it. Federal law requires that the habitat a species needs also must be protected. Yet, agencies are often slow to take this necessary step.
Corps Issues Final Study on Figure Eight Groin
The Army Corps of Engineers has released its final environmental study on Figure Eight Island’s proposed terminal groin project, and island homeowners have applied for a permit to build the structure at Rich Inlet.
North Topsail Asks for Sand Tube Extension
For the second time in less than a year, North Topsail Beach will ask for more time to remove an illegal portion of a sand bag wall it built in 2014 at New River Inlet. Now, the town wants six more years.
Sunset Beach Votes to Go to Court
The Sunset Beach Town Council voted Tuesday to file a lawsuit against the company planning to build an upscale development on a portion of land that the town says it owns.
Topsail Beach’s Sand Dune Debate
The much-debated dune ordinance Topsail Beach adopted a year ago is once again under review with the town planning board determining how much sand, if any, may be removed from a property in order to build.
New Day Finally Dawns for Living Shorelines
More natural methods of erosion control should be easier to permit under a new proposal by the Army Corps of Engineers.
Will Beach Towns Seize Property?
Town officials hoping to build terminal groins say they don’t plan on taking private property for the needed easements. Eminent domain is politically unpopular and rarely used in North Carolina.
Terminal Groins: Easements Needed
Communities proposing terminal groins may have to get the permission of property owners to build these controversial structures. What happens if they say no? We explore possible answers in this Special Report.
