Statement of Appeal for 10 Pelican Point RdOur names are Christina and Austen, we are the owners of 10 Pelican Point Rd, Wilmington, NC 28409.
We recently received a letter on behalf of New Hanover County outlining a code of violation of the
Zoning Ordinance for our home. We would like to officially appeal this violation. Thank you in advance
for your consideration as you read the statement below:
We bought 10 Pelican Point in February of 2022 as a home for our future family. This house was
listed and advertised as a potential AirBnb, short term rental, or accessory dwelling unit/guest house
by the last two realtors to sell this home. According to our surrounding neighbors, the back unit has
been used as an ADU for over the last 10 years as a rental.
On top of all of this, as we went to purchase this home, we did our due diligence to make sure we were
able to use the back unit as a guest house. There were many other factors that led us to trust that this
would be possible. For instance, the secondary dwelling was permitted for the updates made by the
seller. There are several other secondary units all around us that are used for long term and short term
rentals. One secondary unit in particular was fully permitted and inspected as an ADU. Our home was
appraised factoring in a renovated Accessory Dwelling Unit, all comments made on our official
appraisal noted that the back unit was an “ADU / Guest House.” Lastly, due to the county digitizing all
records, we were not able to access the original permits when the building was officially converted to a
second dwelling in 2007.
We are asking that with all of these factors, and many more personal hardships that this violation has
caused us, that you would allow us to use the fully renovated ADU on our property as a dwelling. There
are many great benefits to accessory dwellings in our county: affordable housing, affordable short term
rentals, and affordability for home buyers.
With all of the above in mind, we are writing to ask you if you would consider lifting our violation for
the Zoning Ordinance and allow us to continue using our guest house as a dwelling.
Thank you,
Christina Sheltra & Austen Truhe