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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