Sunset Beach council adopts UDO amendment shifting some site‑plan approvals to staff, preserves public hearings

The Town of Sunset Beach council on June 1 adopted a text amendment to the Unified Development Ordinance clarifying the respective duties of the UDO administrator, the technical review committee and the planning board.

Planning staff introduced Attachment 3B, a clean version of earlier redlined proposals, saying it codifies which tasks are administrative (staff/technical review committee) and which are legislative (council decision), while retaining required public hearings. Planning board member Richard Dyinger testified that preliminary plat approvals and plan review benefit from the board’s expertise and urged preserving the planning board’s review role. Council members discussed the difference between administrative box‑checking and discretionary policy choices and stressed that public input and required notices would continue.

After debate, a council member moved to approve Attachment 3B and read the required consistency statement with the 2017 Town of Sunset Beach land‑use plan; following a second and an affirmative voice vote, council approved the amendment.

Supporters said clarifying duties will streamline reviews and reduce procedural ambiguity; critics warned against diminishing the planning board’s practical influence. Staff said that administrative review will still rely on a technical review committee that includes police, fire, county utilities and engineering, and that major legislative changes remain subject to council action and public notice.

The action alters internal review and approval pathways for major site plans and preliminary subdivision plats but, according to staff, does not eliminate opportunities for public comment or the planning board’s advisory role on legislative matters. The council asked staff to ensure public-facing materials explain the change and to monitor whether the amendment improves clarity and processing times.