The Wrightsville Beach Planning Board discussed the recently released preliminary flood zone maps for the Town of Wrightsville Beach and New Hanover County during its meeting Tuesday, Sept. 9.
Flood zones are used to determine flood insurance rates and the minimum height for the first habitable floor in the property. Wrightsville Beach falls mostly in either AE or VE zones, with VE zones being more high-risk for flooding and therefore more restrictive.
Director of parks and planning Tony Wilson presented the new maps to the board, saying changes to the flood zones were, for the most part, beneficial to town properties because several VE zones became AE.
“It’s good news for those commercial property owners because they had designed their building to VE standards and one thing with VE zones is you can’t flood-proof [the structure],” Wilson said.
He went on to explain buildings in an AE zone could actually be built on ground level as long as they were flood-proofed by an engineer.
“This would affect a lot of oceanfront properties on the south end,” Wilson said, “which have gone from a VE to an AE … and it would apply to properties near Johnnie Mercer’s Pier, and that area on Causeway Drive where we have some businesses.”
Wilson was disappointed, however, the preliminary maps kept Harbor Island in the VE zone. He added the town could choose to go through an appeal process, which would involve hiring engineers to conduct a study to determine if the zones are indeed correct. If approved, it will take about a year to adopt the new maps.
Sue Bulluck addressed the board, asking business owners and residents to become educated about the new flood zones to formulate a plan for rebuilding in the case of a major flood.
“The details of these maps and how they affect the town as far as our business community is vital,” Bulluck said.
The board also discussed the upcoming joint meeting with the Board of Aldermen, planned for either Oct. 28 or 29. Wilson encouraged board members to create a list of topics to discuss during the joint meeting. He suggested they bring up the mixed-use properties in town, as well as other issues the planning board typically deals with.
“[We need] agenda items or topics with a large scope that would possibly require our board to roll our sleeves up,” chairman Thomas “Ace” Cofer said.
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