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Currituck commissioners held another lengthy public hearing January 17 to consider again a request for preliminary plat/special use permit for Phase 1 of the Corolla Boat Club located on Malia Drive in Corolla.

The board, though divided, eventually approved the request with conditions.

The overall development plan includes 36 residential units made up of five single family lots, 25 townhome lots and six units above three commercial retail buildings, plus 10 boat slips for use by residents and visitors. Phase 1 includes the construction of the five single family lots and one construction lot.

Applicant Richard Willis with Outer Banks Ventures, LLC has proposed a boardwalk connection from the retail buildings to a waterfront restaurant and outdoor deck, plus a paddle boat rental building next to the pond.

The board considered the request at the December 19 meeting, but ended up putting off the decision because Chairman Bob White, in whose district the property lies, was absent.

Commissioners reconvened for a public hearing, which means that the board sits as a quasi-judicial board and hears expert testimony presented upon which they make their decision.

There were several issues that needed resolution before the board approved the special use permit. Because the board had previously approved the sketch plan, which stated that the developer would have an approved CAMA permit for the extra-large boardwalk they planned to construct, they were stuck trying to figure out a way forward since the permit had not yet been approved.

Additionally, the sketch plan included two accesses to the development—from Malia Drive, as well through the NCDOT-owned property where Seaside Farm Market is located. DOT has not yet approved the access, and it’s unknown if they will approve it in the future.

The Unified Development Ordinance also requires connection across the pond to meet internal street connectivity requirements. The DOT delay makes connectivity impossible at this time.

The board concluded the discussion by approving the special use permit with the following conditions: Malia Drive will now be the one and only entrance in and out of the development; the requirement for interconnectivity will be bonded—giving developers up to three years to complete, and if incomplete, they must return to the board with a new sketch plan; and developers must obtain a CAMA permit to construct all the docks leading to multi-family homes the month before Phase 2, and construction of the townhomes and docks must be concurrent.

White made a motion to approve the request with the conditions. It passed, though commissioner Kevin McCord voted no, and commissioner Paul Beaumont did not vote because he was not present at the prior hearing on December 19 to hear the evidence presented.

Next, commissioners unanimously voted no to rezone 131 acres from Agriculture to Mixed Residential on Maple Road in Crawford Township. The applicant, Ashbrook Estates, was requesting conventional rather than conditional rezoning. Conditional rezoning gives commissioners more say in the types of developments that go into the county.

Commissioners did approve a conditional rezoning request from Porpoise, LLC for 1.29 acres from Single Family Mainland to Conditional-Light Industrial at 8778 Caratoke Highway in Harbinger for the purpose of adding another building to their expanding business.

The final public hearing was to amend the UDO in regard to campground regulations, allowing access to a campground to be on a separate parcel from the campground; though the campground still must abut a major street. The request was approved.

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