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Friday, March 29, 2024

Taller buildings again opposed by residents, town leaders 

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“We assure you that we are not hotshot commercial developers from up north trying to make a fast buck. We are your neighbors, both in business and in residence,” Helen Paliouras said in her plea to the Wrightsville Beach Planning Board during its Feb. 3 meeting.

Paliouras and her husband Jim Paliouras, owners of the commercial lot and building which leases to South Beach Grill restaurant, were applying for a text amendment to a town ordinance to allow a height increase for mixed-use development in the C-1 commercial district, an issue that has stirred vehement opposition from the majority of town residents.

An item on the last board of aldermen meeting agenda would have allowed plans for mixed-use projects greater than 40 feet to be reviewed by town staff, but that was firmly rejected by the board’s 6-0 vote. Eight citizens spoke against the issue during the public hearing, and Mayor Bill Blair said twice that number voiced their opposition to him prior to the meeting.

Two parties with plans for mixed-use developments believe their proposals deserve consideration, despite exceeding the 40-foot height limit. Tom Kievit and his team hope to build the Island Center on the 1.1-acre property behind Johnnie Mercer’s Pier, a currently vacant lot shared with Kings Beachwear.

Cameron Zurbruegg, development partner with Hendon Properties of Atlanta and part of Kievit’s team, described the Island Center as a four-story building with self-contained parking, shopping, 10 residential units and a restaurant with rooftop dining.

Zurbruegg said he didn’t believe the skyline of the beach and neighboring residents’ views would be significantly more obstructed by a 50-foot structure than by a 40-foot structure. He also addressed the concern that should the retail fail, the space would be backfilled by bars.

“If you build a brand-new facility that costs millions of dollars … nobody on the beach can sell enough $1.50 beer to pay the rent,” Zurbruegg said during a Jan. 29 phone interview.

With the current town ordinances, he cannot bring the plans before the board for review and public comment, so he said his team is planning several meet and greets to educate citizens about the project. Feedback from residents who have seen the plans has been entirely positive, he said.

In the meantime, Zurbruegg and his team are redrafting their text amendment for the C-2 district with a close eye on the planning board’s response to the Paliourases’ proposed amendment for the C-1 district.

“I think it’s important to see how it plays out in their scenario and learn from the process,” Zurbruegg said.

The Paliourases’ project would be a similar concept, with parking on the ground floor, a restaurant on the second floor and two stacked condominiums on third and fourth floors, which Helen Paliouras said would help pay their finances.

The motivation for the project is providing tenant John Andrews, owner of South Beach Grill, with an upgraded restaurant to match the popularity of his business, Paliouras added. The current building, which was built decades ago to be First Union Bank, is dwarfed on both sides by Summer Sands Suites and Station One Condos.

The project would need four or five additional feet, architect Bill Gage said. There are already many 43-, 44- or 45-foot structures in town. When the 40-foot height limit was put in place, buildings were measured from the top of the nearest fire hydrant. Now they are measured from street level. Furthermore, the 40-foot height limit was intended to create four usable floors, and new FEMA building regulations eliminate one entire floor.

Gage presented the board with a 40-foot version of his plan to demonstrate the shortcomings of such a design. Lowering the ceiling heights of the restaurant and the condominiums would decrease the property value, he said.

“Seven foot nine is legal . . . but someone would not . . . lay out a substantial investment for something with the ceiling height of a motel room,” he said.

Matthew Nichols, authorized agent for the applicant, pointed out even if the Paliourases were able to bring their plan before the board, it would still be required to go through the conditional-use permitting process, giving the public and town leaders considerable control in the project’s direction.

Town residents once again voiced their opposition, and board members voted to forward an unfavorable recommendation to the board of aldermen. The aldermen sent a clear message when they voted down the last text amendment. Ken Dull, elected by his peers as planning board chairman, said the commercial districts need to be addressed in a more comprehensive manner.

“This is expensive property at the beach, and I understand people who are trying to upgrade,” board member Vivian “Zeke” Partin said. “We’ve been charged with looking at how to redevelop our commercial area and I think taking these piecemeal is probably not going to work.”

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