Board approves rezoning at Ocean Isle Beach Road after developer and neighbor reach binding agreement

Brunswick County commissioners approved rezoning case Z941, changing a 13.11‑acre split parcel near the signalized intersection of Highway 17 and Ocean Isle Beach Road to CLD (commercial low density). The applicant’s attorney, Rhianna Smith, and commercial developer Greg Stewart said the project would correct split zoning, align uses with the established Highway 17 commercial corridor and bring economic activity to the area.

The most consequential testimony came from an adjoining property owner, James Weymus, who told the board that he had negotiated a binding private agreement with the developer that will be attached to the deed if the sale closes. He described a package of protections — a 30‑foot no‑touch setback, an eight‑foot screening fence subject to Board of Adjustment approval, and a 70‑foot open space buffer — which together create roughly a 100‑foot effective buffer from his property line and include a private covenant prohibiting residential development on the parcel. Weymus said those measures resolved his concerns and that he no longer opposed the rezoning. Commissioners discussed traffic, buffering and future site plan review; the board approved the land‑use map amendment and the rezoning with a 4–1 vote.