For the past three years, Brunswick County has been the fastest-growing county in North Carolina. Currently, it’s the seventh-fastest-growing county in the entire nation. However, one County Commissioner believes the rapid growth needs to slow down.
Commissioner Randy Thompson has raised concerns about the rate of new residential development. He is proposing a nine to 18-month building moratorium. Under Thompson’s plan, current projects that have already been approved can move forward, but he wants the county’s planning and zoning boards to hold off on issuing any new building permits and applications.
Thompson voiced his concerns after a tropical cyclone caused flooding in the central part of the county in early September. The storm temporarily shut down 47 roads, including portions of U.S. 17, N.C. 211, and N.C. 133. Thompson believes the flooding was exacerbated by recent development and insists that the county needs to study the situation before continuing to build.
He is calling for a county-wide flood study to assess both current and future impacts of residential development. Thompson also wants county leaders to collaborate with local municipalities to develop a unified evacuation plan. One issue brought to light by the recent storm was that each town had its own emergency response plan.
“To learn that municipalities had been independently developing their own evacuation plans, which included the use of state roadways entering the county—without our emergency management department being aware—was mind-boggling to me,” Thompson said during a public hearing.
Thompson has requested that county staff stop accepting new residential development applications until public safety protocols and infrastructure are reviewed. The findings and potential solutions are expected to be presented on Oct. 21. His request does not impact commercial development or already submitted and approved residential projects.
“Instead of continuing to add to our population, let’s address the issues that our current population is dealing with before we add any more to it,” Thompson said.