In many coastal areas and areas where environmentalists have a hand hold on planning boards we are starting to see so much opposition to pools that many times a permit has to go before many boards and take months to get. This can cost the builder and homeowner more money and frankly puts our business in jeopardy not to mention a home owners freedom.
I have fought and lost part of this battle in North Topsail Beach. It was a year long fight of which I won the argument that a pool is pervious, it can stay in the ground during an extreme storm (and if the storm is extreme I would be more worried about a house floating down the road than a pool!) and other nonsense. But I lost putting a pool in the CAMA ( 60' area from 1st line of vegetation on a beach) Zone due to the only reason of 2 board members..."A pool endangers the coastal environment". This ruling was at midnight during a Hurricane Watch of which I was at home preparing my home for the worst (in a 2 to 1 vote)! This has hurt my business deeply. CAMA in NC will let you build a pool within the 60' setback with certain engineering in place. There are crosswalks, decks in this area and they cause more of a problem with blowing sand than a pool does!
So now the county south of here is where I am fighting now.
The planning board does not have to prove of the danger to the environment a pool causes. They just simply deem it so with their opinion and I have to fight it.
What I need is information on how a pool is beneficial to the urban environment. I need anything on this from other planning boards, university studies etc. I heard of a case in Conyers GA but cannot find any evidence of this. I heard they likened pools to retention ponds. I am not a retention pond expert but if you know of one I need to talk to them.
Any help would be appreciated.
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