Following discussions that spanned the last three months, the Town of Southern Shores Planning Board voted unanimously Monday to recommend denial of a special use permit for a proposed development with a mix of condos and commercial uses along U.S. 158 and Ginguite Creek.
The planning board serves only as an advisory panel to the Southern Shores Town Council, and can only make recommendations to councilors who have the final say on the application.
Ginguite, LLC., a subsidiary of SAGA Realty and Construction, submitted an application for the nearly seven acre parcel at 6915 North Croatan Highway that is already zoned in the General Commercial District (C), with a small portion zoned as R-1 residential.
The special use permit request already faced several hurdles, including opposition from nearby residents, and town staff recommendations to deny the inclusion of a marina while requiring a large setback from an adjacent neighborhood and church.
According to the site plan, the buildings would front the U.S. 158 side of the property.
Wes Haskett, Deputy Town Manager and Planning Director, said in a September memo to the planning board that a 38-slip marina and related structures part of the original proposal were not permitted under the town’s zoning ordinance for the General Commercial zoning district.
Also part of the town staff’s recommendations to the planning board is the requirement of a 50-foot setback from the adjacent Southern Shores Landing neighborhood and All Saints Episcopal Church, and preservation of the existing natural vegetative buffer.
Documents submitted by the applicant ahead of the November meeting showed the marina had been deleted from the revised application, that they would have an independent traffic survey conducted as requested by town officials, addressed concerns over utilities including the wastewater treatment plant in Southern Shores Landing that the proposed development would tie-in with, and replied to other questions posed by the planning board.
Planning board members previously discussed the proposal at their September and October meetings, where numerous town residents and non-residents expressed their opposition to the development during pubic comment periods. Similar comments were made at the start of the November meeting.
Following a lengthy question-and-answer session with representatives of the applicant, town staff and others, the board voted unanimously to recommend the Town Council deny the special use permit.
The application can now move to the Southern Shores Town Council agenda for consideration. When that may take place is not yet known.
Watch the Southern Shores Planning Board November 20 meeting:
