1974-11-04 RM Exhibits
APPLICATION FOR PLANNING ASSISTANCE FUNDS UNDER THE
COASTAL AREA MANAGEMENT ACT OF 1974
I REQUEST FOR ASSISTANCE
Having declared its intent to develop a land use plan as required by
the Coastal Area Management Act of 1974 by a Resolution adopted on October
21, 1974, the New Hanover County Board of Commissioners hereby requests
funds in the amount of $23,000 from the Secretary of the Department of
Natural and Economic Resources for the purpose of assisting in the
preparation of planning studies and the initiation of such activities
which will be required to insure that the County Land TJse Plan complies
with the provisions and requirements of the Coastal Area Management
Act of 1974 The following Table, prepared in accordance with Section
3 of the "Rules and Regulations Relating to Generally Applicable Grant
Criteria and Procedures for First-Phase Coastal Resources Planning",
presents an estimated cost for the preparation of the major plan elements as
outlined in the "Proposed Guidelines for Local Planning" distributed by
the Coastal Resources Commission
CALCULATION OF PLANNING ELEMENT COSTS
Maximum Reduction Resulting
Planning Element Grant Factor Need
1 Establish Effective $3,750 40% 60%
Citizens Communica-
tion System
2 Resource Inventory
and Existing Land
Use Analysis
3 Analyze Land
Capability and
Development
Resources
4 Establish Objectives
and Formulate Land
Use Policies
5 Formulate and Adopt
Land Development
Plan
Total First
Phase Grant
Assistance
Request
$5,000 10%
$6,250 0%
$6,250 0%
$3, 750 0%
9 0%
100%
100%
100%
Actual Planning
Element Cost
$ 2,250
$ 4,500
$ 6,250
$ 6,250
$ 3,750
$ 23,000
In making this request, it is certified that the County's Land Use
Plan will be prepared in accordance with the highest professional planning
standards and practices and that it will be in conformance with "Guidelines
for Local Planning" to be adopted by the Coastal Resources Commission
II APPROPRIATE NEEDS CATEGORY
Considering the criteria relating to needs categories set forth in
"Rules and Regulations Relating to Generally Applicable Grant Criteria
and Procedures for First-Phase Coastal Resources Planning", it is the
opinion of the applicant that New Hanover County should be classified under
Needs Category A and that it is eligible for a maximum planning grant under
that category The following information is offered in support of this
designation
A Urbanized Character of County - The two most appropriate indica-
tors of a county's urbanized character are total population
and population density According to census data, New Hanover
County's 1970 Population of 82,996 was the second highest among
the 20 counties included in the coastal area as defined by the
Coastal Area Management Act Local estimates place the County's
current population level at approximately 90,000, indicating
a 1970-80 decennial growth rate of 21 percent
Density is the second consideration In 1970, the County's
population density was approximately 449 persons per square
mile This density was the fourth highest in the State--com-
parable to or exceeding the densities of the urbanized counties
of the North Carolina Piedmont, and it was the highest in the
"coastal area"
B Development Problems - According to a recent detailed survey and
interpretation of New Hanover County soils by the Soil Conserva-
tion Service, over 95,000 acres, or 66 percent of the County's
total land area, have severe or very severe limitations for
urban uses Although soil characteristics are not the only
factors determining the capability of land for development,
this information does emphasize the fragile nature of the County's
environmental systems and suggests that a very small portion
of the County can be developed without environmental damage--per-
haps as little as 35 percent At the same time, as far back as
1967, approximately 25 percent of the County's land was already
considered urbanized or built-up, indicating that only a relatively
small amount of developable land remains
Nevertheless, the County's locational advantages for economic
activities--State Port, available skilled labor, and existing
industries to mention a few--and its position as the growth
center of Southeastern North Carolina indicates that the County
will continue to experience a high growth rate Therefore, it
is reasonable to assume that without the development of innovative
land management tools the County's growing population will apply
ever increasing pressure on its environmentally sensitive land
and water resources
C NUMBER OF AREAS OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERN - In addition to the
development problems which have been outlined, a considerable portion of
New Hanover County's land area has also been designated as
an interim area of environmental concern According to best
estimates, roughly 23,000 acres, or about 20% of the County,
has been placed in the interim AEC classification
In summary, if the social, economic, and natural values of the County's
land and water resources are to be preserved in the face of extreme de-
velopment pressure, then it will require extensive state and local in-
vestment to develop effective growth management policies
III PLANNING JURISDICTION
Subsequent to the expressed desires of the incorporated municipalities
within the County and by authority granted under the Coastal Area Management
Act, the New Hanover County Board of Commissioners has delegated planning
responsibility to the County's incorporated municipalities, for areas under
their regulatory jurisdiction In delegating this authority, the Board of
Commissioners has required coordination of all local plans with the county
plan in conformance with the policies of the Coastal Resources Commission
IV EXISTING LAND USE PLANNING STUDIES
The following table contains a list of New Hanover County's land
use planning documents which have been prepared to date In each case,
the studies have been evaluated for their utility in meeting the require-
ments for First Phase Planning under the Coastal Area Management Act and
the guidelines of the Coastal Resources Commission
V PLANNING COMMISSION
The Wilmington-New Hanover County Planning Commission, a joint city-
county planning agency, was established on July 24, 1967 For the past
12 months the Planning Commission has met regularly on the first Wednesday
of each month
It should be emphasized that, although the County has an active , informed
Planning Commission, an effective citizens communication system has not
been established at this time Therefore to insure the effectiveness of th:e
land use planning process and ultimately achievement of the objectives of
the Coastal Area Management Act, a considerable amount of high-level staff
time and effort will be devoted to ales~,~nin.g and implementing a mechanism
to permit citizen participation in the planning process
VI STAFF QUALIFTCATIONS
The technical studies and activities needed to insure that the
New Hanover County Land Use Plan will meet the requirements of the
Coastal Area Management Act and the guidelines of the Coastal Resources
Commission will be undertaken by the Wilmington-New Hanover County Planning
Department, a planning agency of the City and the County It is certified
EVALUATION OF EXISTING PLANNING DOCUMENTS
Document
1 Land
Potential
Study
Date Prepared
and/or Adopted
Utility for Coastal
Resources Planning
Program
Comments
Completed 1968
Minimal
2 Land Completed 1969 Minimal
Development Never adopted by
Plan County Commissioners
1 Considering the abundance
of very fragile natural
systems found in the
County, the physical ana-
lysis, which is .confined
primarily to geology, water
supply and climate, is not
nearly broad or detailed
enough
2 Existing cultural features
having a major impact on
land potential are not
analyzed at all
1 Plan for future land uses
was not based on any ana-
lysis of socio-economic
factors
2 No locational criteria for
land uses were developed
3 Minimal attention to the
development of meaningful
goals and objectives
3 Detailed Soil Published 1973 Highly 1 The soil survey represents
Survey, Identi- Useful "new" information which
fication, and must be considered in
Interpretation planning for future land
uses
2 Due to problems of map
scale compatibility,
utilization of this infor-
mation will require con-
siderable effort and
expense
that the Planning Department either has on staff or will obtain the
necessary qualified personnel to carry out the activities required in
the "Guidelines for Local Planning" to be adopted by the Coastal_Re-
sources Commission Further, it is certified that both the Planning
Director and Assistant Director, who will have overall responsibility for
planning activities relating to the Act, both meet the Planner-in-Charge
criteria