Amid rapid development, a Brunswick town takes steps to better protect trees

An amendment to Shallotte’s unified development ordinance (UDO) will allow the town to better protect trees amid continued development in the area.

At its July meeting, the Shallotte Board of Aldermen considered an amendment to its UDO, the document that guides planning and development for the town and its extra territorial jurisdiction near, but outside, the town’s limits.

The UDO previously required a heritage tree survey prior to the development of properties. While that requirement will continue, the amendment to the UDO will go a step further in protecting heritage trees and ensuring tree replacement through development.

The amendment provides guidelines regarding when trees can be removed during development and when they must be preserved. For trees that are removed, the amendment also provides a replacement schedule. When trees are removed, the ordinance now outlines, they must be replaced by planting trees from the town’s canopy tree list prior to final approval.

This amendment isn’t the first of its kind in Brunswick County. The county as a whole continues to see record growth and the residential and commercial development that comes with it. As a result, municipalities, like rapidly growing Leland, are considering changes to their development guidelines to mitigate the impacts of the development.

Earlier this year, Leland passed an amendment to its UDO , removing single-family residential units as a permitted use in four of its zoning districts: general commercial business, regional business, commercial trucking, and office and institutional.

Currently, Brunswick County is considering some amendments to its UDO, on top of an effort to completely rewrite the ordinance in its entirety.

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In Shallotte, the amendment was unanimously passed by the board at its July meeting.

Jamey Cross covers Brunswick County for the StarNews. Reach her at jbcross@gannett.com or message her on Twitter/X @jameybcross.

This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Amid rapid development, a Brunswick town takes steps to better protect trees