Posted on November 22, 2021
ATLANTIC BEACH — Coastal towns in North Carolina may soon need to create beach management plans, but towns on Bogue Banks are one step ahead.
The N.C. Coastal Resources Commission held a business meeting Nov. 9 and 10 at the Doubletree by Hilton hotel in Atlantic Beach. The commission unanimously approved sending proposed rules to require coastal towns to create and adopt a BMP to be excepted from using the first line of stable vegetation for measuring setbacks on oceanfront lots.
A BMP is a plan for beach nourishment and maintenance for a given municipality’s beach strand. Existing state regulations require beachfront property development to measure setbacks from the first stable line of vegetation or for a municipal government to get state-approved exception from this requirement, allowing town officials to set their own development line for measuring setbacks.
N.C. Division of Coastal Management deputy director Mike Lopazanski said at Wednesday’s meeting BMPs are going to replace development lines.
“The development line doesn’t rquire any long-term committment to beach nourishment,” he said. “We’ve had issues with that.”
The BMP submission process proposed is very similar to the existing static line exception application process, according to Mr. Lopazanski.
CRC member and Atlantic Beach Mayor Trace Cooper confirmed this Wednesday, also saying Atlantic Beach already has state-approved static line exception.
“In order to have an exception, we had to submit what’s required for a BMP,” Mr. Cooper said, “so the work’s already done. This is true for all the towns on Bogue Banks.”
The proposed BMP rules now go to public comment. Public comments will be accepted at meetings and through means to be announced.
