TOWN REPORT

REAL ESTATE town report

What’s happening in your town? Here’s a report from all over the Outer Banks. Kill Devil Hills

COMPILED BY CATHERINE KOZAK

Currituck County

A long-debated conditional rezoning request for Flora Farm, a proposed subdivision in Moyock, was approved in March by the Currituck Board of Commissioners, authorizing the designation on the 202-acre property to change from agricultural to mixed commercial residential. In a smaller version of the original proposal, North South Development, LLC has plans for 277 single-family units and 7,500 feet of commercial space. The project will be built in fi ve phases, and will include additional stormwater protections, according to the developer. With those conditions, a 5-2 majority of the board voted to approve with the assurance that it would include adequate drainage capacity and that work would coincide with the anticipated expansion of the Moyock schools. The fi rst phase will begin no sooner than June 1, 2022, and will be limited to 55 lots.

Duck

A new rain garden at the northern entrance of the Town of Duck Park near the playground was added in late April in order to address issues with standing water. Acting as a type of constructed wetland, the rain garden is a natural stormwater management tactic that’s engineered to improve drainage and infi ltration and to attract natural pollinators such as bees and butterfl ies. The project’s construction was awarded to Emerald Forest, LLC.

Southern Shores

On April 13, the Southern Shores Town Council approved an ordinance establishing two Municipal Service Districts to help fund the proposed 2022 beach nourishment project, and a required second vote approval was issued at a follow-up meeting on May 4. The ordinance is a separate issue from approval of the town-wide tax which would be required to pay for the project.

According to language in the ordinance, District 1 encompasses all properties along the ocean with an eastern boundary that’s equal to or greater than 25 feet, while District 2 adds all properties located east of Ocean Blvd/N.C. 12 and Duck Road/N.C. 12, properties located west of Ocean Boulevard from the southern town line to 137 Ocean Boulevard, and properties abutting Duck Road beginning at 139 Duck Road, north to 149 Duck Road. In March, the Kill Devil Hills Board of Commissioners approved three zoning amendments in an eff ort to start encouraging more aff ordable housing and to provide more fl exibility for parking areas.

One ordinance added Accessory Dwelling Units in certain districts that allows residents to add one single-family dwelling unit to their property that can be attached or detached from the main dwelling – including restrictions stating that it can be no larger than 800 square feet, or 50% of the size of the main unit, whichever is smaller. Another amendment reduces the lot size for duplex dwellings from 20,000 square feet to 15,000 square feet, allowing for more housing options. The third amendment reduces the size requirement for some parking spaces and reduces specifi c parking requirements for certain uses.

Kitty Hawk

Work on the Kitty Hawk Park to Birch Lane Trail connecter path is expected to be complete by June 2021, according to the town’s offi cial website. With grants from the N.C. Division of Parks and Recreation trails program and the Dare County Tourism Board providing 100% of project costs, LSI Marine Construction, LLC submitted a bid of $129,912.

The project plan calls for 490 linear feet of elevated boardwalk to connect to the 1.8-mile Birch Lane Trail located in the Kitty Hawk Reserve. Pedestrians, mountain bikers and horseback riders who have registered horses with the Town of Kitty Hawk will be welcome to enjoy the trail.

The town has worked cooperatively with the N.C. Coastal Reserve on the planning and construction of the trail, and will continue to ensure that the reserve’s natural resources are protected. Guidelines and other trail signage will be provided for all visitors to follow.

Nags Head

The town of Nags Head is one of 11 communities that has been chosen to participate in the U.S. Department of Energy’s nationwide Energy Transitions Initiative Partnership Program (ETIPP). The project will harness the data, knowledge and expertise of partners at the Coastal Studies Institute and others – in addition to tapping on the local community in order to seek practical and eff ective solutions for recovering from power disruptions and various impacts from storms, intense weather and other disasters. By incorporating more effi cient and renewable energy measures into the town infrastructure, the goal is to expand Nags Head’s ability to withstand and respond to disruptions, and also to rapidly recover without prolonged damage to the economic and environmental health of the wider community.

The ETIPP is expected to last 12 to 18 months.

Manteo

The town’s nearly 80-year-old pump station near the downtown Manteo waterfront is slated to be replaced by a new facility. In April, the town’s planning and zoning board approved plans for the Shallowbag Bay sewer pump, which will have its own generator and be designed to be fl ood resistant. The $1.1 million project is expected to be under contract by this November, and the new pump station could be operating by late summer 2022.

Dare County

On March 31, the new $6.6 million Outer Banks SPCA animal shelter offi cially opened on Roanoke Island’s Airport Road. The 8,700-square-foot building replaces the former facility on Driftwood Drive that lacked adequate space and was subject to frequent fl ooding. The new shelter, located across from the N.C. Aquarium on Roanoke Island and the county’s regional airport, features playrooms off the lobby for the public to view a selection of adoptable dogs and cats, while a new fenced-in dog park is located in front of the shelter.

In other news, Dare County Board of Commissioners Chairman Bob Woodard also recently announced that representatives of local, state and federal entities have formed the N.C. 12 Task Force to collaborate on the development of a long-term plan to address transportation issues on Hatteras and Ocracoke islands’ only highway. In response to continued challenges from changing climate impacts, the task force will include members from Dare County, Hyde County, the National Park Service, the National Wildlife Service and the N.C. Department of Transportation, as well as stakeholders from the community and other nonprofi t organizations.