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HomeMy WebLinkAboutSW8070912_COMPLIANCE_20190717STORMWATER DIVISION CODING SHEET POST -CONSTRUCTION PERMITS PERMIT NO. SW8 07 0 q 12 DOC TYPE ❑ CURRENT PERMIT ❑ APPROVED PLANS ❑ HISTORICAL FILE COMPLIANCE EVALUATION INSPECTION DOC DATE 20(q O% 17 YYYYMMDD ROY COOPER Governor MICHAEL S. REGAN Secretary S. DANIEL SMITH Director July 17, 2019 Reserve Development Company, LLC Tri-Brunswick, LLC (dissolved) St James Plantation, LLC St James Development Co., LLC Attn: John A. Atkinson, Manager PO Box 10879 Southport, NC 28461 NORTH CAROLINA EnYumunenfal Quality First St James, Inc. (former legal Homer E. Wright Jr., Inc.) Brunswick Harbor, Inc. Attn: Kenan C. Wright, President PO Box 610 Eden, NC 27289 Subject: Notice of File Review Inspection (not compliant) And Permit Transfer Process St James Plantation - Various State Stormwater Permits (see attached list) Brunswick County Dear Messrs. Atkinson and Wright Effective August 1, 2013, the State Stormwater program was transferred from the Division of Water Quality (DWQ) to the Division of Energy, Mineral and Land Resources (DEMLR). All previous references to DWQ will remain in older stormwater permits issued prior to August 1, 2013 until they are modified. Please note that this letter references DEMLR as the Division responsible for issuance of the state stormwater permits for SG James Plantation. The Wilmington Regional Office of DEMLR has recently fielded several calls regarding flooding and the state of compliance with the permitted low density swale conveyance system throughout St James. As has been relayed in the past to the complainants and to the HOA, flooding is not the purview of the Division. A swale or ditch that holds water or floods is not a violation of the permit. The permittee is responsible for restoring the swales to design condition in the event that flooding or the normal wear and tear over time cause erosion, deposition of sediment, or slope failure. This letter is being sent to the main development companies noted above, since they hold the lion's share of all currently issued stormwater permits in St. James. It has come to the attention of DEMLR that the development will allegedly be turned over to the HOA by the end of 2020. Prior to that turnover date, all of the permits as listed on the attached, need to be transferred to the HOA. In recent years, a process to transfer and consolidate the permits was agreed to between the developers, the consultants, and the Division. However, the Division has received applications to consolidate or transfer a total of 9 permits in the last 5 years. The slowness of the process can be mainly attributed to a lack of a timely response on the part of the consultant, and the submission of incomplete information, necessitating a couple of rounds of requests for additional information. Other factors include expired permits that have not been renewed, a lack of routine maintenance, unapproved changes in the number of lots, or in the lot or road layout, missing curb outlet swales, piping of swales, overbuilding on the lot, or adding sidewalks where none were approved. D_E North Carolina Department of Envim=enml Quality I Division of Energy. Mineral and land Resources Wilmington Regional Office 1 127 Cardinal Drive Extension I Wilmington. North Carolina 28405 T/� ]AL TM1S St. James Plantation Page 2 of 3 In addition to these more common compliance issues, it has come to our attention that the golf course fairways were purchased by Troon St. James, LLC early last year. If any of these fairways are part of the project area covered by the low density permits issued for St. James, their sale would be a compliance issue that would need to be addressed prior to transfer. The Division can accept a signed agreement from Troon St. James, LLC stating that the golf course fairways will not be developed with additional built -upon area or developed for any use other than a golf course. If Troon St. James, LLC does not agree to this, then any of the permits held by the corporate entities above for St. James that depend on those fairway areas to maintain density, cannot be considered for transfer as currently permitted. If the project(s) covered by an existing permit can demonstrate and sustain low density without including the fairway areas, then modified permits can be issued, consolidated and transferred to the HOA, following the process described below: 1. No more than 5 active permits can be proposed for transfer and consolidation at any one time. The permittee or consultant should pick one of the 5 permit numbers as the "surviving" permit number going forward. 2. The permittee's consultant should schedule a file review appointment to familiarize himself or herself with the approved plans and details. 3. The consultant should conduct their own inspection of the 5 sites and address any obvious compliance issues based on how the as -built project may vary from the permitted/recorded condition. 4. If there are major differences that only a permit modification will resolve, then the permittee shall either restore the project to compliance with the approved plans or submit an application to modify the individual permit. 5. Upon the issuance of any required permit modifications, and the consultant's satisfactory inspection, an application to consolidate the 5 selected permits can be submitted. The Division will not conduct a compliance inspection prior to consolidation. 6. Upon issuance of the consolidated permit, the permittee shall submit an application to transfer the consolidated permit to the HOA. The application must be accompanied by all the required supporting documentation such as certifications, recorded deed restrictions and plats for all projects covered by the consolidated permit. 7. The projects covered by the consolidated permit will be inspected by the Division for compliance. If the inspection indicates that the project is in compliance, the Division will approve the transfer and issue the permit to the HOA. 8. If the project is not in compliance, then an inspection report will be sent to the permittee and to the HOA, listing all the items to be addressed. When the necessary actions to restore compliance have been completed and/or when the requested information is received and reviewed and found to be complete, the permit will be transferred. 9. If a follow-up inspection is required, it can be completed either by the permittee providing dated pictures of the finished product (minor issues), or another inspection can be scheduled (major issues). This is where the process can bog down. It is imperative that the permittee complete any necessary actions to restore compliance in a timely manner and it is imperative that the Division reinspect in a timely manner to keep things moving forward. Please contact the Division by August 17, 2019to discuss this process and to designate a point person within each respective organization through which all correspondence, pictures, questions, scheduling of inspections and follow-up inspections, modifications, consolidations and transfers will go through. The permit application form (to modify or consolidate) and the permit transfer application form are available on our website at: httns•//deo nc.gov/about/divisions/energy-mineral-land- Please note that any individual or entity found to be in noncompliance with the provisions of a stormwater management permit or the stormwater rules is subject to enforcement procedures as set forth in NCGS 143 Article 21. Failure to follow the process described above, or to deal with the impact to a low density project due to the sale of the fairway area, may initiate enforcement action including the assessment of civil penalties. St. James Plantation Page 3 of 3 If you have any questions, please contact me in the Wilmington Regional Office, at telephone number (910) 796-7215 or via email at linda lewisPricdenr.gov. Sincerely, Linda Lewis, E.I. Environmental Engineer III ^1-�GDS/arL G:\\\Stormwater\Linda Lewis\St James Plantation\2019 07 CEI_deRcient St James Attachment - Project Owner List CC: St James Plantation Property Owners Association Inc. Jay M. McGrath, President Troon St. James, LLC (15044 N Scottsdale Rd. Ste. 300 Scottsdale, AZ 85254)