The countdown is on as Brunswick decides fate of land near Southport

Brunswick County officials are working against the clock to deal with thousands of acres of land that was recently returned to the county's planning jurisdiction.

In late June, state legislation stripping the city of Southport of its power to regulate planning and development for land around its city limits in its extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ), found success. A 60-day clock is counting down, during which time the city and county must work to answer questions regarding zoning and ongoing development in the affected area.

Here's what it means for residents in that area and the already strained Brunswick County planning department.

What is an ETJ?

An ETJ allows a municipality to regulate development of land near, but outside, its corporate limits. It extends the jurisdictional power of a municipality beyond its city limits for planning and development regulation.

A bill introduced by Rep. Charlie Miller in May was recently passed and ratified into law as House Bill 911, which prohibits Southport from regulating development on land outside its corporate limits.

Not including Southport, six of Brunswick County's 19 municipalities have ETJs: Bolivia, Oak Island, Calabash, Carolina Shores, Sunset Beach and Shallotte.

Staff working to assign zoning

Brunswick County Planning Director Kirstie Dixon said the county has until the end of August to assign zoning to the impacted area -- roughly 2,000 acres near Southport.

"This is going to be a lot of work" for the 11-member team, Dixon said at the July meeting of the Brunswick County Planning Board.

The department held a community open house on July 25 where it presented an initial zoning proposal for the impacted area. The biggest change residents can expect is that the county's zoning districts largely allow higher densities than the city's, meaning future developments could include more housing units per acre.

The Brunswick County Planning Board will consider the initial zoning proposal at its Aug. 12 meeting.

Other Brunswick County towns could be impacted

Shortly after Miller filed the original bill, the Brunswick County Board of Commissioners sent the local delegation a letter requesting they add Brunswick as one of three counties impacted by Senate Bill 675 .

The bill stripped ETJ authority from municipalities in Granville and Iredell counties, and while Brunswick County was not added to the list, the request made known the commissioners’ desire to eliminate ETJs in the entire county.

In a letter to local delegates, the commissioners expressed that they feel they could better address the challenges of growth and development if consistent planning, zoning and inspection services were applied to all areas outside municipal limits. The unintended consequences of the county’s municipalities losing their ETJs would be investigated before such action, the commissioners clarified in an amendment to that initial letter.

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Dixon said if the other ETJs are released, she would hope the county would have more than 60 days to deal with zonings for that land.

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: The countdown is on as Brunswick decides fate of land near Southport