Leland board approves plats for 400-plus townhomes | Port City Daily

2022-07-05 11:24:12 By : Ms. Ella Tu

BRUNSWICK COUNTY — Plans for two developments in Leland were approved Tuesday night by the town’s planning board.

The Westgate and Seabrooke subdivisions met the town’s land use requirements and passed with 4-2 and 5-1 votes, respectively. The projects would add nearly 500 townhomes to the area, but some constituents were opposed to the possibility. 

READ MORE: 2 developments each propose 200-plus townhomes for Leland

“You’re not creating a community,” resident Edna Kostek said. “You’re warehousing people.”

Many of the public’s concerns were about increased traffic in surrounding neighborhoods and privacy.

The Westgate subdivision would span 26 acres for 254 townhomes situated behind the Shoreline at Westgate neighborhood at Tideline Drive and Shellbank Lane. A traffic analysis was completed for the project, yet the public and board members were still concerned about overloading the roads with more vehicles. 

Two parcels of the land are owned by Nathan Sanders and the third is owned by SD WEST II LLC, an entity controlled by Mark Maynard Sr., president and CEO of Tribute Companies.

“I can’t believe a big company wants to take our little two tiny little streets in our private little neighborhood in our private little road and take that away from us,” resident Betsy Montague said. “We don’t have those deep pockets. We don’t even have the money to defend ourselves.”

Plans for the Seabrooke community, between the Seabrooke neighborhood and Webster Court, consist of 212 single-family townhomes across 36 acres and a traffic impact analysis is still underway. Seabrooke Development LLC owns the property.

Board members echoed concerns from the public, like traffic congestion, parking, and tree protection. However, Town Manager David Hollis reminded members they were tasked with determining whether the land design meets the law, not specific building or road designs. 

“There’s a lot of topics that are brought up that are not relevant to the item at hand,” Hollis said. “So when you go down that path of talking about those things, it opens up the opportunity for the public to think you have the authority to do that.”

The planning board’s approval was an early step in the development process. Next, the plans will be presented for the town council’s approval at their June 16 meeting.

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