The Winds of Change may be Coming....

As we approach 2011 with a new all-Republican Board of Commissioners in Currituck County, they will (hopefully) be tackling a host of issues that will directly impact the 4x4 areas. For a preview, the Virginia-Pilot's Jeff Hampton wrote the following article:

Decision time: Currituck to tackle big issues in '11
By Jeff Hampton
The Virginian-Pilot
© December 12, 2010
CURRITUCK, N.C.

A new Currituck County Board of Commissioners sworn in Monday faces a tough slate of decisions, including highway corridor development, home sizes on the Outer Banks and congestion on the four-wheel-drive beaches.

For the first time, the Currituck County board is all Republican after a wave of straight-party voting in the November election.

Democratic incumbents Gene Gregory, Janet Taylor and Barry Nelms were replaced by Republicans Paul Martin, Marion Gilbert and Butch Petrey, who join the remaining four Republican incumbents.

Elected two years ago, Vance Aydlett of Knotts Island was voted in as the new chairman of the board Monday, with John Rorer as vice chairman.

"We're all Republican, yet we're probably as diverse as ever," Rorer said.

The new board has approaching deadlines to settle difficult issues, said Ben Woody, director of the Currituck County Planning Department.

"They are going to be really busy in early 2011," Woody said.



Mid-Currituck County Bridge: The North Carolina Turnpike Authority is expected to announce a decision early next year on whether to build a five- to seven-mile bridge from Aydlett to Corolla at a cost of about $1 billion.

Aydlett and Corolla residents oppose the project, but most officials support it.

The project is too far along to stop, they say. Commissioners will have to zone for development on the highway approaching the bridge, which is expected to attract 30 to 40 businesses, including a hotel on the mainland side, according to an economic development study done two years ago. That area south of Coinjock is rural now.

Home sizes, Currituck County is undergoing a rewrite of its development ordinance, the first in more than 20 years. Among other things it could set standards on home sizes on the Outer Banks. Begun late last year, the ordinance rewrite is expected to be completed by late next summer.

Outer Banks homes could be restricted to 5,000 square feet, a rule proposed in part after construction of a 23-bedroom mansion earlier this year. The home is an attraction for large wedding parties where dozens of people can stay. But it falls under residential law rather than commercial laws that require safety measures such as sprinkler systems, Aydlett said. He wants commissioners to consider home size restrictions.

"I'm looking at it from a public safety standpoint," said Aydlett, who is a retired fire fighter. "I don't want to be reading about a disaster in the newspaper."

Signs in Corolla: Last spring, commissioners allowed 3-foot-tall sandwich signs along N.C. 12 in Corolla during the summer season. It was a temporary experiment to see whether they would be effective or unsightly.

In 2007, commissioners passed a sign ordinance that prohibited sandwich boards from being used during the tourist season after a committee of residents and shop owners agreed to a compromise. Sandwich boards were allowed from Oct. 1 to April 30.

New commissioner Martin believes businesses benefited from the signs. Commissioners will decide on sandwich boards before the new tourist season begins.

"Maybe that's something that's going to have to stay," Martin said.

Congestion in the four-wheel-drive area: Traffic in the northern Currituck Outer Banks is getting worse, according to locals and officials. Over the years, citizen groups have proposed methods of restricting the number of vehicles to protect wild horse habitat and enhance safety for those using the beach. So far, commissioners have rejected limits.

In the middle of the summer, vehicles park on the beach almost nonstop from the entry point to the Virginia line 12 miles north. Families with children play close to the surf where traffic tends to run. Locals travel up and down daily. Construction trucks rumble within feet of children playing in the sand.

"That is a nightmare for the Sheriff's Office," Martin said. "It is really a problem, and we're going to look at that quickly."

Corridor development: Development along the 43-mile highway corridor has been debated for

more than 20 years. Rules have been put in place, but clutter and disjointed construction remains a problem. Commissioners plan to address corridor development as part of the new development ordinance.