The N.C. Coastal Resources Commission recently approved applications submitted by the towns of Oak Island and Carolina Beach for development lines.

In the case of the Brunswick County beach town Oak Island, the change is expected to mean that "a lot of previously undevelopable oceanfront lots will now be developable," said Jake Vares, the town's planning and zoning coordinator. 

Because the CRC approved its application with conditions as a result of some minor changes that need to be made, the Oak Island development line will have to go back before the Oak Island Town Council before it's made official, Vares said.

Appplying for a development line is an option for communities that engage in large-scale beach nourishment projects, according to a news release from the Wilmington Regional Association of Realtors. In the view of WRAR and other officials, the release said, the line provides more local control of development and strengthens property rights.

“We think the Development Line option gives communities the best opportunity to control their own destiny,” said CRC Chairman Frank Gorham in the WRAR release.

Prior to establishment of the development line option in 2015, regulations required the establishment of a pre-project vegetation line marker for setback restrictions, known as a Static Line, for beach renourishment projects, the WRAR release explained.

"Local governments can petition the CRC for a Static Line Exception, but only after a five-year waiting period. The Development Line is locally-designated, but subject to CRC approval," the release said.

The development lines approved Wednesday represent the seaward-most allowable location for oceanfront development. While communities with a development line will not be required to submit a beach nourishment plan to the CRC, the WRAR release said, both of the latest petitioning towns have each had significant beach fill projects in the past and shown a dedication to beach nourishment.

“The Association, in collaboration with other groups, worked for several years to secure approval of the Development Line option,” said WRAR Chief Operating Officer Shane Johnson in the release. “We are excited to see towns exercising this option. It represents a strengthening of local control which is important because each beach town is unique and should have the right to have a say in future development.”