Dare County Commissioners voted Monday during its regular meeting to table any decisions on an environmental zone of influence that borders Buxton Woods Reserve for 90 days.
development
Coastal commission OKs limited use of wheat straw bales
The North Carolina Coastal Resources Commission has changed an oceanfront development rule to allow wheat straw bales be used under certain conditions as an alternative to sand fencing to try and fend off erosion, a move environmental and wildlife groups oppose.
Protective zone around Buxton Woods may be unenforceable
Dare County officials are now questioning the legality of the “zone of influence” buffer district the county enacted in 1988 to protect Buxton Woods Reserve from development.
Doomed to repeat history: What’s in future for NC wetlands?
Guest commentary: Ignoring the past guarantees a grim future for our coastal communities, as the fishermen of Rose Bay warned decades ago. Will we listen now, or once again pay the price for failing to protect our way of life?
Blue crab management plan revision runs into rough waters
Proposed limits on the commercial harvest of blue crabs faces critics who say the management plan amendment is based on a benchmark stock assessment using data from 1995 to 2016.
Judge restores state’s 30 erased coastal development rules
A judge has ordered that more than two dozen longstanding rules used to guide coastal development and protect resources be placed back into the North Carolina Administrative Code.
Conservationists seek Farm Act changes to boost land gifts
Officials with land trusts across the state are concerned that incentives in the law that took effect Jan. 1 may not be enough to entice property owners to donate.
Dare commissioners vow fight over Wanchese land price
Dare County commissioners, during a special meeting Wednesday, agreed to again attempt to negotiate a deal with the developer of a controversial high-density residential development in Wanchese, but also didn’t rule out condemnation as an option.
Brunswick County seeks input on development ordinance
Brunswick County community members may ask questions and provide input on updates to the county’s unified development ordinance this month.
Coastal geologist Orrin Pilkey, 1934-2024: An appreciation
“With Orrin, the stories never stopped,” writes author and Coastal Review contributor Gilbert M. Gaul of the acclaimed Duke University scientist who died Sunday. “Some of them were even true.”
Coastal commission lawyer: CAMA a 50-year ‘balancing act’
Coastal Resources Commission legal counsel Mary Lucasse, speaking during a recent legal symposium in New Bern, said the Coastal Area Management Act balances development and private property rights with protecting natural resources.
Inundation-prone Sledge Forest site set for development
A sprawling, “rare, old-growth forest” on the banks of the Northeast Cape Fear River in New Hanover County that’s a key part of the river floodplain is targeted for a massive 4,000-home golf course/equestrian development with few options for opponents to stop it.
Superintendent’s warning to coastal commission rings true
Cape Hatteras National Seashore Superintendent Dave Hallac had told the Coastal Resources Commission last week that Rodanthe homes were apt to fall this weekend. It took fewer than 48 hours for the first to collapse.
Brunswick County to explore creating a stormwater utility
A month after an unnamed storm dumped more than a dozen inches of rain and caused flooding in much of the southeastern part of the state, Brunswick County commissioners are looking to better balance stormwater management and development.
Gators’ more frequent appearances make splash along coast
Whether they’re country alligators or city alligators, wildlife biologists say the reptiles just want to be left alone, but the loss of habitat means interactions are more and more likely.
Second Rodanthe house in 24 hours falls into ocean Friday
A second house, which was damaged by the debris from the first, fell into the ocean in Rodanthe Friday night.
