With limitations lifted, Belville is annexing again. Here's why Leland says not so fast
Belville’s attempt to annex property for the first time in two decades might have hit a snag.
In early February, the town considered and voted to approve its first voluntary annexation request in 20 years. Now its neighbor says a state law prevents Belville from incorporating the parcels.
Annexation is the process of adding new land into a town’s limits. For the last two decades, Leland and Belville have been in an agreement that limited the towns’ boundaries and annexation power. The agreement, reached following years of fighting over property in northern Brunswick County, stripped Belville of its power to annex land, Belville Mayor Mike Allen said.
Leland, on the other hand, has grown by approximately 20 square miles in the last 20 years, mostly thanks to voluntary annexations of land previously in unincorporated Brunswick County.
The agreement came to an end in December, and Belville began receiving voluntary annexation requests from property owners. In early February, a quorum of the town’s board of commissioners unanimously approved a petition for the voluntary annexation of two parcels of land on Chappell Loop Road.
Before and after the vote, Leland officials raised questions regarding Belville’s ability to annex these parcels. The land is noncontiguous to Belville’s corporate limits – meaning no point of its boundaries are connected to current Belville property.
State law permits the annexation of noncontiguous land within three miles of a town’s corporate limits. However, Leland officials said the annexation of a noncontiguous area must also meet other standards.
Citing N.C. General Statute 160A‑58.1, Leland said it would be unlawful for Belville to annex these parcels, as that law states the noncontiguous area may not be closer to the primary corporate limits of another city. The parcels touch Leland’s corporate limits.
Leland Town Manager David Hollis brought this concern to Belville Town Manager Athina Williams in a letter dated Feb. 7, 2024, the day the board voted to annex the parcels.
“These parcels do not meet this standard as they are closer to the town of Leland’s primary corporate limits than they are to the town of Belville’s corporate limits,” Hollis wrote. “Accordingly, Belville cannot lawfully annex these parcels absent an annexation agreement with Leland. No such annexation agreement exists.”
However, that night, the public hearing and vote proceeded as planned.
Williams directed the StarNews to the town’s attorney, Norwood Blanchard. Blanchard did not respond to StarNews' requests for an interview by the time of publication.
Leland is currently under an annexation moratorium. State lawmakers passed a bill in July stripping annexation power from the town. The bill, called in part the “Leland Annexation Moratorium,” does not indicate when the power to annex land would be restored to the town.
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Together, the two parcels total just over three acres of land. The land was previously zoned for industrial use in Brunswick County and would remain zoned for industrial use following an initial zoning in Belville. The land at 9971 and 9981 Chappell Loop Road was located in unincorporated Brunswick County.
Jessica Jewell, communications manager for the town of Leland, said town officials are evaluating potential next steps.
Jamey Cross covers Brunswick County for the StarNews. Reach her at jbcross@gannett.com or message her on Twitter/X @jameybcross.
This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Could this state law stop Belville, NC from growing?
