Kitchen Cabinets in Holly Ridge, NC

HOLLY RIDGE, N.C. (WNCT) — Holly Ridge’s town council approved the Holly Ridge Development Group LLC’s request to annex over 1,000 acres in a 3-2 vote Thursday night.

Councilmen Josh Patti and Brandon Longo voted no. The vote comes after months of those in the community voicing their concerns about the project and incorporating it into the town. Over twenty people spoke during the designated hour-long public comment. None showed support for the annexation.

“Unfortunately, greed won out tonight,” Dorothy Royal said. “Not common sense, not the voice of the people. We heard the people and like one person said, not one person stood up for this.”

The development agreement shows a maximum of 2,750 total residential units and commercial and institutional spaces to be built on the land. Primary concerns from the community center around what this will do to the town’s infrastructure and nearby schools.

“There are a lot of scare tactics and misinformation out there, such as we’re going to have houses there in a year,” Developer Michael Rokoski said. “We can’t even get all our permits inside a year, let alone start infrastructure.”

In a statement, Onslow Water and Sewer Authority says they are actively investing in additional capacity to support anticipated development with expanded treatment capacity at the Summerhouse Wastewater Treatment Plant and an expansion of the Dixon Water Treatment Plant.

“We are also entering into a joint venture with the Town of Holly Ridge to seek EDA funds to construct a new elevated storage tank in Holly Ridge. This will help with both Fire Flows and water pressure,” ONWASA CEO Franky Howard said in a statement. “The plan is to construct a 750,000-gallon tank or larger along with increasing the size of the water main from Dixon to Old Folkstone Road. The Town has offered up the land for the site and has been helpful in developing the application to EDA which is due in early March.”

The development agreement also states that they will cooperate with the town to dedicate two acres of land for a public safety or emergency response building. Land is also dedicated for a possible new school with overcrowding becoming an issue for the district. Onslow County Schools is already working to build a new Southern Elementary school, though there is no indication where it will be located.

People also echoed worries about possible contamination on the land from 1940’s Camp Davis.

“I’ve been living in this town for almost ten years on Camp Davis which is part of the property that’s on the question,” Ken Bradshaw said.” I mean my nose has been running since the day I moved in.”

Two known areas that raise red flags for some are Site 111 and a pre-regulatory landfill, which are both not far from the proposed development. Site 111 is currently under a PFAs remedial investigation by Camp Lejeune’s Remedial Advisory Board (RAB) after PFOs and PFOA above 70 ppt were found in shallow groundwater.

ONWASA said the following:

“We are very aware of what the Base has discovered on what they call site 111 adjacent to Hwy 50 and across from our newest wells that feed the Dixon Water Treatment Plant. In fact, we have been partnering with the Base to share information related to our pumping schedule and their monitoring wells. We have been testing our wells on a regular basis for PFAS and they have been monitoring wells between our production wells and the known contamination site to see if there has been any movement.

The data shows that the contamination has been contained in the surficial aquifer which is much shallower than the aquifer that we pull water from which is the Lower Castle Hayne (LCH) aquifer. It also suggests that the water in the surficial aquifer is moving away from our closest well sites. Because of this information and based on the recommendations of our contracted hydrologist we are pumping both wells at roughly 75% of their designed production rates.

Our customers can be assured that we are doing everything we can to ensure our drinking water supply is safe and sustainable for future generations. In fact, as you can see in the developer’s drawings for Project AJAX we have asked for more than double what is required by the State for a controlled area around our wells.”

A Phase I environmental assessment was completed, which reviews existing conditions and operations at a property. A Phase II assessment, where samples would be collected, was not recommended

“What we put in the development agreement is that we have asked our Phase I environmental consultant to go back, relook at it, and if there’s any gray area whatsoever that they might should get a Phase II for that area,” Rokoski said. “We absolutely agree to ordering that Phase II environmental and doing more soils borings.”

Mayor Pete Parnian says he wants what is best for Holly Ridge

“Most of the time the oppositions are the people that come to the meeting,” Parnian said. “There is a silent majority that I’ve heard from that they like where we’re going.”

The town of Holly Ridge, which straddles the line between Pender and Onslow counties, could be getting a lot bigger -- literally. A proposed annexation that would double the size of the town recently moved forward. But not everyone is in support.

On Jan. 13, the Holly Ridge Town Council voted 3-2 in favor of moving forward with the proposed annexation of more than 1,500 acres of nearby land, which those associated with the process have called the Camp Davis area. About 300 of those acres are in Pender County, with the rest in Onslow.

The approved resolution "formally initiates the annexation process in accordance with North Carolina statutes governing voluntary satellite annexations," according to a statement provided during the meeting.

This annexation would allow Holly Ridge to incorporate the 1,500 acres into its municipal boundaries -- making those parcels a part of the town's tax base.

And while the land sits mostly undeveloped for now, thousands of homes and commercial development could be coming.

Why annex?

On Aug. 6, Pete Parnian, the mayor of Holly Ridge, released a message focusing on the move to annex.

Parnian said that through annexation, Holly Ridge "will gain opportunities for increasedrevenues and greater oversight over land use and development patterns in the area."

And Parnian said he is committed to raising revenue without raising the tax rate. The only way to do so, he said, would be to expand the town's boundaries.

The land being looked at for annexation is also currently slated for a huge development project called Project Ajax. This development would bring 1,950 residential units to Onslow County and another 800 units to the Pender County land. It would also involve a commercial site with grocery stores and restaurants, parks and even a possible school site.

Concerns raised

The move to annex this land hasn't been without pushback. A Change.org petition titled "Reject Holly Ridge Development Annexation Request" had garnered 929 signatures as of Feb. 3.

Josh Patti, a councilman for Holly Ridge, said he is against the annexation, and specifically the development that is "absolutely" tied to it.

"This is going to double the size of Holly Ridge," Patti said. "And to me, that's very scary."

Patti, who is currently running for the N.C. House District 16 seat, said he believes the annexation has to happen for the development to proceed.

"I think it's easier for the developer to develop in Holly Ridge than to deal with the county," Patti said. "I think plot sizes are smaller in Holly Ridge so you can build more homes. And I think rules are less strict as far as environmental rules and things like that."

Patti said this means the developer will have an easier time proceeding if the development is in Holly Ridge, rather than the county. He also said that he didn't believe the potential revenue generated by the development would offset the increased cost of town services needed to support it.

In his message, Parnian claimed that commercial and residential development in the Camp Davis area will continue regardless of annexation.

Who's involved in the annexation?

According to town council documents, the petition for annexation was executed by three parties: RoyceBennett, chair of the ONWASA Board; Melissa Anderson, chair of the JOED Board; and Mike Rokoski with Holly Ridge Development Group, LLC

All four parcels of land involved are owned currently by Onslow Water and Sewer Authority.

What comes next?

The resolution approved on Jan. 13 directed Holly Ridge's town clerk to certify the sufficiency of the petition.

Two community meetings surrounding the project are now scheduled.

The first, on Feb. 11, is an information and discussion meeting with the developer and town representatives. This will take place at 6 p.m. in the Holly Ridge Community Center.

The second meeting is for the required public hearings. Scheduled for Feb. 19, the meeting will include four public hearings:

Charlie Kingree is the Pender County reporter for the StarNews. He can be reached at [email protected].

HOLLY RIDGE, N.C. (WITN) - The Holly Ridge City Council voted Thursday to annex more than 1,000 acres of land, with the measure passing 3-2.

The vote followed more than an hour of public comment at the meeting.

Councilman Joshua Patti, who is also a District 16 candidate, voted against the annexation. He said the town is not equipped to handle its current population and that adding more residents would be detrimental.

“Within five years, the town will double, and I’m still not sure if we can catch up with necessary improvements,” Patti said.

Patti also raised concerns about the financial impact on current residents, saying the annexation could lead to higher taxes. He said he believes revenue was the primary motivation for those who voted in favor.

“What I’m hearing is mostly for the revenue. If it’s left in the county, then Holly Ridge will not receive the revenue on the tax base. And I understand that, but everything I’ve looked into is that the revenue will not be enough, and inevitably, if it’s not enough, the only way to get more revenue is to tax the current residents as it stands, and I don’t want to see that happen,” Patti said.

Patti said he believes that if only residents had been allowed to vote on the annexation, the result would have been overwhelmingly against it. He noted that everyone who spoke at the meeting opposed the measure.

Holly Ridge Mayor Pete Parnian said he does not expect taxes to increase as a result of the annexation.

“We don’t anticipate the taxes to go up, actually, we are trying to keep the taxes the same or lower the taxes, based on the additional revenue that’s going to come in,” Parnian said.

Plans for the annexed land include homes, townhomes, a park, and a potential elementary school, according to Parnian. The mayor described the project as a 3 to 10-year effort.

“There are a number of positive areas managing growth, and we are going to have a bigger tax base so we can do more for the citizens,” Parnian said.