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By Summer Stevens

On February 1, the Currituck County Board of Commissioners began their regular meeting with an update on the COVID vaccine clinic held in Corolla earlier in the day, followed by motions to approve a zoning reassignment and a development ordinance text amendment. The board unanimously approved withdrawing the county’s stormwater text amendment, citing a need to adopt a more comprehensive solution to manage the watershed.

Albemarle Regional Health Services partnered with Currituck County to administer over 1000 shots of the first dose of the Moderna COVID vaccine Monday. Priority was given to healthcare workers and individuals over 65 years of age. The second dose clinic for those participating in Monday’s clinic is yet to be scheduled. Residents are encouraged to visit https://www.arhs-nc.org/information/COVID-19/vaccines/ for more information.

Commissioner Kevin E. McCord thanked county staff for their long hours and hard work at the clinic. “I give them a ten plus,” McCord said. “The county staff is doing a phenomenal job.” The county is also looking to hire temporary part-time workers to serve in the vaccine clinics for non-medical jobs including data entry and traffic control.

McCord then honored Currituck resident Brooke Sparks with a plaque for nine years of volunteer service and leadership with Wounded Warriors in Action, a foundation that seeks to offer world-class sporting events to Purple Heart recipients.

The board also confirmed the unexplained death of several horses in the same general area, and though they stated no one was to blame, the commissioners plan to look into the issue further.

The public hearings began with a request from Miller Homes and Builders, LLC, requesting a zoning amendment from conditional to general business for the 1.05-acre property at 155 Survey Road in Moyock. The motion was approved.

Next, commissioners approved Bissell Professional Group’s request for an amendment to the Currituck County Unified Development Ordinance to simplify the approval process for non-residential subdivisions with three or fewer lots.

The next item on the agenda was PB-20-25 Stormwater BMP Text Amendment, which would revise current stormwater infrastructure standards, particularly in areas experiencing growth with new subdivisions. The text amendment proposed a solution to the stormwater and drainage problems the county is experiencing by more than doubling the stormwater pond; from accommodating six inches of rain to accommodating 12 inches of rain over a 24-hour period.

At a January 12 meeting, the Planning Board voted to deny the amendment after hearing expert testimony in an August 25 meeting stating that the proposed amendment will not solve the problem.

“There is a much broader conversation that needs to take place,” said Bob White, board chairman, at Monday’s meeting. “We need to understand the entire picture.”

The board discussed the drainage issues upstream and downstream, as well as heard testimony from Andy Deel from Deel Engineering explaining the potential risks of expanding the ponds. The ponds already require five to seven days to move the water into the ditches. “If we get another storm right away, there’s not enough space in the ditch,” Deel said. A move to a much larger pond could extend drainage to up to two weeks. “There are diminishing returns if we keep going bigger.”

“The county needs to come up with a comprehensive plan to manage the watershed,” said David Klebitz of the Bissell Development Group. “I hope that you do it right, not piecemeal.”

Commissioner J. Owen Etheridge concurred. “It’s a Band-Aid approach to a problem that’s much bigger.”

The board moved to withdraw the application for amendment. The motion passed unanimously. The board expressed plans to discuss the watershed issues at the upcoming planning retreat.

The final item of new business was the consideration of the lease of county property held for economic development purposes to Truck Accessory Center in Moyock. The board approved the motion for a two-year term with abilities to renew seven times for a total of sixteen years. The lease is currently $18,000 per year.

In old business, the board approved 6-1 an amended sketch plan/use permit application for Corolla Light Planned Unit Development (PUD) submitted by Outer Banks Ventures to allocate eight residential units to Phase 11, located at on the corner of Ocean Trail and Shad Street. The property is currently designated commercial. The amendment proposes mixed-use development, with two upper-story dwelling units and commercial use on the ground level, as well as two buildings that house three dwellings each, for a total of eight residential units.

The meeting concluded with approval of board appointments and consent agenda. The full meeting can be accessed at co.currituck.nc.us.

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