Planning commission approves coastal site reviews for 65 Vanzant/28 Rowan and 22 Louns

The commission approved an architectural peer‑review expenditure for 65 Vanzant and 28 Rowan (an 11‑unit multifamily coastal site plan review) and unanimously approved a coastal site plan for 22 Louns, a proposed single‑family dwelling.

At 22 Louns, project engineer Vince Hines described a site bisected by FEMA flood zones and explained the design includes a first floor set above the base flood elevation plus two feet and garage mechanicals elevated above the water‑entry line. "The first floor is set above elevation 18 which meets the requirement of the base flood elevation plus two," Hines said. Coastal consultant Azure told commissioners that a living‑shoreline solution was not suitable for much of the seawall on this lot because of high wave energy and a 5‑foot elevation change; she recommended selective seawall replacement and potential hybrid approaches with further permitting.

Stormwater and erosion controls: the applicant's team described a permeable driveway, infiltration systems for roof runoff and sediment/erosion controls to limit construction impacts; staff noted outstanding DPW comments that the applicant said could be addressed prior to building permit.

Votes: the peer‑review expenditure for 65 Vanzant/28 Rowan carried (one commissioner passed on the roll call) and the 22 Louns coastal site plan review was approved unanimously on the application vote.

Ending: staff will track outstanding technical comments and a seawall‑specific coastal site plan review may be required if the applicant pursues seawall replacement.