Town of Surf City Land Use Plan 2005 Town of Surf City 214 New River Drive P. O. Box 2475 Surf City, NC 28445 910-328-4131 / 910-328-4132 (fax) Town Council A.D. “Zander” Guy, Jr., Mayor Nelva R. Albury, Mayor Pro Tem Michael H. Curley William J. Fowler Donald Ray Helms Douglas C. Medlin Planning Board Barry Newsome, Chairman Oliver W. “Al” Alphin Frank Camps-Campins John “Trapper” Cramer Carl Johnson Carol Ryce Kim Shailer Sidney Williams Town Manager Michael Moore Town Attorney Charles Lanier Town Clerk Patricia Arnold Planning Director Todd Rademacher Technical Assistance Provided By: Cape Fear Council of Governments 1480 Harbour Drive Wilmington, North Carolina 28401 910-395-4553 / 910-395-2684 (fax) Acknowledgment Special recognition and thanks goes to Mr. Allen Serkin and to Mr. Adam Jones, students in the UNC-Wilmington Department of Environmental Science, who provided important assistance on the preparation of this document. Town staff is also recognized for providing their usual wonderful level of assistance, which is actually rare, but which we have come to expect at Surf City. Thanks! The preparation of this document was financed, in part, through a grant provided by the North Carolina Coastal Management Program, through funds provided by the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972, as amended, which is administered by the Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Table of Contents Page # Introduction................................................................10 How to Use the Land Use Plan.................................................13 Part 1 – Data Collection& Analysis.............................................14 Section 1: Community Concerns and Aspirations .................................14 (A) Significant Existing & Emerging Conditions............................14 (B) Key Issues ........................................................16 (C) Community Vision.................................................18 Section 2: Analysis of Existing and Emerging Conditions ..........................23 (A) Population........................................................23 (1) Current Permanent Population Estimates .........................23 (2) Current Seasonal Population Estimates ...........................26 (3) Permanent Population Growth Trends...........................28 (4) Key Population Characteristics .................................28 (5) Age of Population.............................................30 (6) Income......................................................32 (B) Housing Stock.....................................................34 (1) Current Housing Stock ........................................35 (2) Building Permits Issued ........................................38 (C) Local Economy....................................................39 (1) Employment By Major Sectors..................................40 (2) Description of Community Economic Activity.....................42 (D) Population Projections..............................................42 (1) Short-term — 5 & 10 year projections on permanent & seasonal population......................................................42 (2) Long-term — 20 year projections on permanent & seasonal population 43 (E) Summary – Analysis of Existing and Emerging Conditions ...............44 Section 3: Natural Systems Analysis ............................................46 (A) A Description and Analysis of Natural Features and Environmental Conditions of Surf City’s Planning Jurisdiction.............................46 (1) Areas of Environmental Concern ................................46 a. The Estuarine System ....................................47 b. Ocean Hazard Areas.....................................48 c. Public Water Supplies ....................................49 d. Natural & Cultural Resource Areas ........................49 (2) Soil Characteristics ...........................................49 (3) Water Quality Classifications...................................53 (4) Shellfish Growing Areas & Primary Nursery Areas ................56 a. Primary Nursery Areas...................................57 b. Secondary Nursery Areas.................................57 c. Special Secondary Nursery Areas ..........................57 (5) Flood Hazard Areas ..........................................58 a. Other Natural Hazard Areas ..............................59 (6) Storm Surge Areas............................................59 1 (7) Non-coastal Wetlands (Probable 404 Wetlands) ....................61 (8) Water Supply Watersheds & Wellhead Protection Areas ............62 (9) Environmentally Fragile Areas..................................62 a. Wetlands...............................................62 b. Natural Heritage Areas...................................63 c. Areas Containing Endangered Species ......................64 d. Prime Wildlife Habitats ..................................55 e. Maritime Forests ........................................64 (10) Additional Natural Features Identified by Surf City...............65 Section 4: Composite Map of Environmental Conditions...........................65 (A) Class I — land containing only minimal hazards and limitations that may be addressed by common land planning and development practices............66 (B) Class II — land containing development hazards and limitations that may be addressed by methods such as restrictions on types of land uses, special site planning, or the provision of public services................................66 (C) Class III — land containing serious hazards for development or lands where the impact of development may cause serious damage to the functions of natural systems .....................................................67 Section 5: Environmental Conditions...........................................68 (A) Water Quality.....................................................68 (1) Status and changes of surface water quality.......................69 (2) Current situation and trends on permanent and temporary closures of shellfishing waters.............................................69 (3) Areas experiencing chronic wastewater treatment system malfunctions....................................................70 (4) Areas with water quality or public health problems related to non-point source pollution ......................................70 (B) Natural Hazards...................................................70 (1) Areas subject to storm hazards such as recurrent flooding, storm surges, and high winds......................................71 (2) Areas experiencing significant shoreline erosion as evidenced by the presence of threatened structures or public facilities .............71 (3) Estimates of public and private damage resulting from floods and wind since the last plan update .........................................72 (C) Natural Resources .................................................73 (1) Environmentally fragile areas — where resource functions may be impacted as a result of development ................................73 (2) Areas containing potentially valuable natural resources ............74 Section 6: Analysis of Land Use & Development..................................74 (A) Existing Land Use Map.............................................74 (B) Land Use Analysis .................................................74 (1) Types of land use in Surf City ..................................74 (2) Description of any land use conflicts.............................76 (3) Description of any land use — water quality conflicts ..............77 2 (4) Description of development trends ..............................77 (5) Location of areas expected to receive development during the five year period following plan certification & potential conflicts with Class II or Class III land ........................................................78 (C) Historic, Cultural, & Scenic Areas....................................78 (1) Historic Structures ...........................................79 (2) Scenic Areas.................................................79 (D) Projections of Future Land Needs ....................................79 Section 7: Analysis of Community Facilities .....................................83 (A) Public & Private Water Supply Systems ...............................83 (B) Public & Private Wastewater Systems.................................85 (C) Transportation Systems.............................................87 (D) Stormwater Systems................................................87 (E) Beach & Sound Access ..............................................87 (E) Other Facilities ....................................................88 Section 8: Land Suitability Analysis ............................................89 (A) Water Quality.....................................................89 (B) Land Classes I, II, and III — Summary Analysis ........................89 (C) Proximity to Existing Developed Areas & Compatibility with Existing Uses .....................................................90 \ (D) Potential Impact of Development on Cultural Resource Areas .............90 (E) Land Use Requirements of Local Development Regulations, CAMA Use Standards, & Other Applicable State & Federal Regulations .......90 (F) Availability of Community Facilities — Water, Sewer, Transportation ......90 Section 9: Review of 1993 CAMA Land Use Plan .................................92 A. Effectiveness of Policy from the 1992 Land Use