Town officials have scheduled a public hearing this month to consider proposed policy changes regarding the filling of wetlands.
The hearing is set for 5 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 20, at town hall, 407 Budleigh St., during a commissioner workshop on proposed changes to the 2007 Coastal Area Management Act Land Use Plan.
Commissioners in May directed town staff to draft land use plan amendments to address a complaint about policies regarding development of and the placement of fill in upland wetlands.
The proposed changes include adding language regarding new development and fill of upland wetlands. The new language would define upland wetlands as those wetlands that are not coastal wetlands as defined by CAMA and state law and that are federally protected from dredging and filling without a permit from the Army Corps of Engineers under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act and certification from the North Carolina Division of Water Quality.
The planning and zoning board in July considered draft resolutions prepared by the town attorney and suggested changes to the resolution and recommended approval with those changes included.
Land use plan amendments follow a process that includes submittal to the Department of Environmental Quality Division of Coastal Management for certification.
The town provided the following forms relevant to the hearing:
For more information, contact Planner Melissa Dickerson at 252-473-4112.