Existing Commercial Site Plan Analysis

Welcome to the Village of Bald Head Island’s Existing Commercial Site Plan Analysis website (formerly the Commercial Area Master Plan).

The Village is preparing a site plan analysis for all commercially zoned properties on the Island.  The purpose of the analysis is to create a framework to guide future commercial development related to buildings, parking, vehicular and pedestrian circulation, stormwater, and landscaping.  The analysis may result in recommendations for enhancing the existing Code of Ordinances. 

A committee has been appointed by the Village Council comprised of volunteers from the community with whom property owners can share interests, opinions, and concerns. 

Below is an overview of the activities that have taken place so far:

• November 9, 2022 – CAMPC Kickoff Meeting. Members were sworn-in. The planning consultant gave a presentation. A roundtable discussion/interview session with the committee members and commercial stakeholders was facilitated by the planning consultants. See the presentation and minutes in the blue box to the right (PC) or below (Phone/Tablet).
  A survey was provided to commercial stakeholders and made available to the public in hard copy at the IPC/PO and online from November 14 – November 31.
  SURVEY RESULTS
• December 5, 2022 – Walkabout with Committee, various stakeholders of marina, historic district, mid-island, Conservancy/East Beach area.
• Various times (Dec/Jan) – Work sessions took place to review walkabout input and ensure all received input was included in the draft site plan analysis.
• January 27, 2023 – Formal CAMPC meeting (all members present, with Nathan McBrayer on phone). The meeting was open to public. The committee approved the minutes from Nov. 9 and Dec. 5. The committee reviewed its roles and responsibilities, the input from the Dec. 5 walkabout, and reviewed the input from over 200 surveys submitted by island property owners and stakeholders.
• March 1, 2023 – Commercial Area Master Plan was renamed Existing Commercial Site Plan Analysis. The name of the committee will remain the same in order to keep its formation under the existing Village policy.
• March 17, 2023 – The Commercial Area Master Plan Committee was renamed the Commercial Area Planning Task Force by the Village Council.
• April 3, 2023 – The CAPTF announced that it will be accepting comments on the draft BHI Commercial Design Guidelines. Those interested can view the document HERE and listen to the discussion on this draft document HERE (Passcode: 2L7kr$QC). Comments received to date can be viewed HERE.
• April 24, 2023 – The CAPTF met on April 20, 2023, to review the comments received on the first draft of the commercial design guidelines and the second draft. Additional changes will be made to the document and when that is available, the task force is expected to reach out to the public and contractors specifically with an opportunity to provide comments. Thank you to all who submitted comments so far, your input is valuable to the process. 
• May 23, 2023 – The Commercial Area Planning Task Force (CAPTF) met on May 9, 2023.  The task force members received a presentation from Brian Jenest of Cole, Jenest & Stone.  After the presentation, CAPTF chair Kevin Arata made a statement to clarify the task force’s efforts and provide an indication of where the task force is at in the process. Below is a summary of his statement:
  After a meeting on February 16th, an article in a local newspaper incorrectly implied that the results of the meeting were prescriptive. The meeting was an indicator of potential developments presented by the planning consultants. The task force, whose primary goal is to create Commercial Design Guidelines, listed potential focus areas for the Village Council but did not recommend specific steps for development. The task force is currently refining the draft Design Guidelines with input from property owners and plans to involve contractors and commercial property owners in the review process. The Village Council is also reviewing its ordinance to align it with the Design Guidelines and may be in a position to review the need for the continued moratorium on undeveloped commercial properties, which the Task Force did recommend, and Council implemented, in April 2023. The task force emphasizes the importance of careful development that aligns with the island’s infrastructure and preserves its current character.