Off-Road Commercial Development plan meeting local and County opposition

Passions are being ignited as the Board of Commissioners meeting draws near to approve or deny a rezoning request for commercial development in Swan Beach. Below is an article in the Daily Advance by Cindy Beamon:

By Cindy Beamon
Staff Writer
Thursday, June 3, 2010
A plan to build an inn on one of Currituck’s most remote beaches has evoked stiff resistance from county officials and a citizen’s group that asserts the project will spoil the landscape, drain scarce resources and threaten plants and wildlife.

Swan Beach Corolla is seeking to rezone 37 acres in Swan Beach from residential to commercial for a 302-unit inn, recreational facilities, indoor pool and helicopter landing pad. The proposed project would be located near the Currituck National Wildlife Refuge, a Natural Heritage Area designed to protect plants and animals in environmentally sensitive areas.

The county Planning Board has recommended denial of the project after reviewing a long list of objections from the county’s planning staff. The Currituck Board of Commissioners is scheduled to consider the request on Monday.

County planners stated that the proposed plan would be incompatible with the off-road community’s surroundings, encouraging traffic and commercial services in an area designed to discourage both.

The developer argues that the project would have no greater impact than building “mega-homes” on the site, and that the project would generate more tax revenue for the county.

Another major concern of the county planning staff was the proposed project’s proximity to the National Wildlife Refuge that should be “preserved and protected” from outside disturbance, planners said in a case analysis report.

In addition, the project would be ineligible for federal flood insurance within the high hazard area. Concerns about erosion, availability of fresh water, traffic and septic system management were also cited.

Also objecting to the rezoning request is a group identifying itself as the “Currituck Off Road Community.” Lynne Wilson, speaking for the group, said opposition to the proposed rezoning is “enormous.”

“The Currituck Off Road Community is just that, a community of people who live here and own property here. It is not a formal organization,” Wilson said in an e-mail response to The Daily Advance.

“The Currituck Off Road consists of thousands of privately owned lots and properties,” Wilson said. “Of those thousands, those who have expressed their opinion on this request to bring commercial zoning to the Off Road, the majority are opposed.”

In an e-mail that Chip Friedman, owner of Swan Beach Corolla, said was against his attorney’s advice, Friedman said, “As it stands, if we accept the County’s position, we could construct 12 homes with a total of 288 bedrooms on these same lots. What we are proposing is a resort which will have 302 bedrooms that will give the County more tax revenue, more jobs, and less traffic because our guests will be shuttled to the resort.”

The e-mail further states, “If we build 12 mega-homes, like what is occurring right now, there will be a much higher intensive use of resources and far less conservation. Furthermore, we have removed the fishing pier from the project. If the County wants to support sprawling development, it will reject our project”

The rezoning request is not the first submitted by Swan Beach Corolla. In 2004, the developer requested that almost 19 acres be rezoned from residential to general business. The request was denied by commissioners. In 2008, another request that would have created an overlay district for the property was also denied.

“The repeated requests by the developer is to commercialize an area whose greatest value, both intrinsic and extrinsic, lies in its remote nature and its unique character, its rare beauty attributable to its noncommercial character,” Wilson said.

The rezoning request must be approved by commissioners because the property is currently zoned for residential use and is located within a Limited Service Area, which discourages commercial and road development.

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