Holden Beach Property Owners Association

Time is running out to comment on proposed oil and gas drilling off the South Atlantic coastline and to weigh in on seismic testing.

Drilling

Click here to go to the summary page from the BOEM which includes a map of the areas proposed for drilling and a summary of the plan.  Click the blue “Comment Now” button on the top right of that page to submit a comment.  They need to hear from you by March 31.

Seismic Testing

Seismic testing for oil and gas is scheduled to begin possibly this year.  This highly controversial method for hunting petroleum deposits is suspected to harm fish, whales, dolphins and other marine life.  A protest letter signed by 75 leading marine scientists was sent to President Obama asking him to not allow seismic testing in the Atlantic, warning that testing “is likely to have significant, long-lasting and widespread effects on the reproduction and survival of fish and marine mammals”.  You can read more about it here.  To find out more about the permitting and comment process click here.  A public hearing has been scheduled for April 9, 2015 in Morehead City.  To comment on seismic testing email Michele Walker at the North Carolina Division of Coastal Management.  They will take comments until the hearing on April 9.

Click here for a condensed update on the March Commissioners’ Meeting.   Highlights included the report from P&Z on the Mega-House and a presentation  What is a Vegetation Line from Building Inspector Tim Evans on NCDENR’s possible plans for a “Development Line” for ocean front construction.   What do you think?  Post your comments!

The Town has re-submitted the PARTF Grant to help fund Bridgeview Park.  The new features incorporated in the grant application include kayak launches, shade structures and a splash pad.  Splash Pads are interactive water features for children to play in.  Christy Ferguson, of the Town’s Parks and Recreation Department, presented the grant information to the HBPOA Board of Directors in January.  HBPOA sent a letter with grant application giving our full support!

Below is a proposed site plan for the park.

Different granting organizations make certain requests regarding site plans for property.  The above site plan is what was submitted with the PARTF grant to depict elements of the grant requested for funding.  They have specific items they look for and request to be shown in this document.  Other organizations may request completely different items for focus.  Please be advised this is only the site plan for the PARTF grant.

Click here for a short summary of actions at the February Board of Commissioners’ meeting Tuesday night.  There were no comments at the Public Hearing prior to the meeting regarding the annexation.  As always, feel free to email us at hbpoa@hotmail.com with questions and we will get back to you.   

Ocean Isle is moving forward with the construction of a 750′ terminal groin at the east end of the island.  Plans for the groin, specifications, maps and diagrams can be found in this U.S. Army Corps of Engineers document.  The sand for the required fill would be taken from the Shallotte Inlet between Ocean Isle and Holden Beach.

Are you keeping up with what is happening with wind farms and oil/gas drilling on our coast?

Wind Farms

Last summer, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) designated three areas for commercial wind energy leasing.  One area is in off Kitty Hawk/Duck, the other two are off Brunswick County, roughly south of Holden Beach and off Frying Pan Shoals.  The first step in the process is to  construct 394′ meteorologic towers to assess the wind potential.  The BOEM did a Visual Assessment of what these towers would look like from shore which you can view here.  (This file might take a while to load.)  It shows what the towers would look like from different vantage points at different times of the day and night.

The Environmental Assessment (EA) for the Wind Energy projects was released for public comment January 22, 2015.  Click here to view the EA, which includes information on how to make comments.  The Public Comment period ends February 23, 2015.  There are also three public meetings, the closest to Holden Beach being February 12 from 5-8pm at the South Brunswick Islands Center, 9400 Ocean Highway 17 W., Carolina Shores 28467.

Oil Drilling Off the NC Coast

This highly controversial form of energy exploration is all over the news.  North Carolina Senators Burr and Tillis are firm supporters of drilling off our coast and attached an amendment to the Keystone XL legislation requiring the government to set up procedures for leasing, exploring and developing offshore oil and natural gas resources by 2017.

The Raleigh News and Observer published an article on the issue recently and this editorial.  You can also read a summary of the issues here.  Former VA Governor Martin O’Malley’s opinion piece on drilling along the eastern seaboard was picked up by the New York Times.

The first step in exploring for oil and gas involves the use of seismic airgun testing.  Two companies are prepared to do this and testing could start this spring.   Read more here.

We hope that you will become familiar with the energy issues facing coastal North Carolina and the potential impact on Holden Beach.

The Town of Holden Beach is proposing changing the way the 35′ building height limit is measured and adding two feet of freeboard.  The Public Hearing for the change will Monday, January 13, at 6:45pm.  You can read the proposed ordinance here.  The Town has been working on the issue for months.  They are not proposing to change the 35″ height limit, just the way it is measured.  The added freeboard will help maintain or lower our flood insurance rates.  Planning and Inspections Director Tim Evans presented at the December Board of Commissions’ meeting and the slides from his presentation can be viewed here and here.  As always, you may contact us at HBPOA@hotmail.com with questions.