THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, August 1, 1994 TAG: 9408010054
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY BETTY MITCHELL GRAY, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NEW BERN LENGTH: Short : 47 lines
The Coastal Resources Commission may change the way it regulates the replenishment of sand on the state's beaches and renews permits for large development projects.
The beach nourishment proposals would close loopholes used by those seeking exceptions to the state's policy prohibiting structures such as bulkheads, jetties and seawalls from being built to protect oceanfront property, according to J. Timothy Thornton, chairman of a committee studying the issue.
And the proposals generally clarify state policies and programs governing the use of beach nourishment and other erosion responses on the beachfront, said Preston Pate Jr., division assistant director.
``It's logical to assume that beach nourishment will continue to be a response to beach erosion,'' Pate said. The proposed rules ``more clearly define the circumstances under which projects can be approved.''
The commission voted unanimously Thursday to hold public hearings - tentatively scheduled for the commission's September meeting in Wilmington - on the proposals.
On Friday the commission also agreed to hold public hearings on a plan to streamline the renewal of permits for large coastal development projects. That would mean less paperwork for the developers, particularly those whose projects are opposed in the state's courts or are under administrative review.
The proposal allows the Division of Coastal Management, the state agency that issues permits for coastal development under the Coastal Area Management Act, to extend the time limit for those permits if the developer faces a legal challenge to the project.
Currently, permits for large coastal developments are issued for three years.
If a project faces a legal challenge and the developer stops work to wait for a court or administrative judge's ruling, years can go by without work being done, but the clock on the three-year permit keeps ticking.
The proposed change would stop the clock on the permit until the legal challenge has been resolved, saving developers time and trouble, Pate said. by CNB