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The Monday, August 5, regular Kitty Hawk Town Council meeting opened with the introduction of a new town staff member.

According to Kitty Hawk Police Chief Michael E. Palkovics, Amy Corle is the new police department administrative records technician. A transplant from Virginia with experience in the commonwealth’s attorney office and sheriff’s office, Corle has been on the job since early July.

Moving on to action items, in one of three scheduled public hearings, council members approved changes to a dozen or more sections of code related to lot coverage and permeable paving materials.

According to planning and inspections director Rob Testerman, the recommendations reviewed were part of an effort to simplify existing definitions and to be in line with current standards.

Testerman said also that part of the idea is to encourage additional permeable material use by property owners so that in times such as during recent heavy rainfall events it would allow more water infiltration.

Adding to some of the guidelines already in place, council approved an exemption from lot coverage calculations for loose stone walkways and patios along with some materials such as artificial turf and uncovered open-slatted decks provided any permeable paving systems used comply with the North Carolina Division of Water Quality Stormwater Best Management Practices Manual criteria.

Returning to an accessory dwelling unit guideline tabled in July to allow for additional research, council approved 4-1 a requirement that a primary residence with an accessory dwelling unit on site must have a long term resident for 31 days or more in one of them.

The change, aimed at prohibiting using both as short term vacation rentals, applies only to the Low Density Village Residential District and passed with one nay vote from Mayor Craig Garriss.

Also approved was a Capital Project Fund budget amendment setting aside $212,400 in contingency for the remodeling of the new police station building at 5200 North Croatan Highway. Council then authorized the town manager with appropriate town staff to approve change orders or amendments to construction contracts in amounts up to $50,000 from the project contingency funds.

Following an earlier public hearing, a request to amend the maximum mini-warehouse building size in a planned commercial district to a 40,000 square foot footprint failed to gain enough support and was voted down 4-1.

The text amendment, aimed at 6100 North Croatan Highway near the 7-Eleven store, could have affected three other large parcels within town limits: 6400 North Croatan Highway at the foot of the bridge to Currituck, the Home Depot property at 5300 North Croatan Highway, and the Hilton Vacation Club Beachwoods Kitty Hawk property on Cypress Knee Trail.

During council discussion, the primary concerns quickly surfaced that the structure would be too large for the property and was not compatible with the Land Use Plan.

Mayor Garriss also asked about previous plans to put houses there.

Real estate agent Eddie Goodrich said he tried, but interest rates and the economy dampened any interest in building houses on the property.

“I did everything I could to build some houses there,” offered Goodrich. “And quite frankly given the real estate market today, the cost of construction, 6 percent interest rate, I think we will be pressed to get anything to come to Dare County. We are in no man’s land right now.”

According to the applicant, Gordon Cobb Jr., the warehouse would be a $17 million project with a number of additional jobs, and Goodrich later added that he thought a warehouse was the best use for the property.

But it wasn’t enough to sway council and a motion to deny the request as inconsistent with the Land Use Plan garnered a 4-1 vote with David Hines the lone objection.

That vote left a special use permit and site plan approval request for a mini-warehouse facility at 6100 North Croatan non conforming and was not acted upon.

Also approved was a consent agenda with July 1 regular session council minutes, a proclamation declaring October 2024 as Life-Saving Service Commemoration month, and for the daily deposit threshold to be increased from $250 to $500 to optimize daily time spent going to the bank.

Other business for the evening included a preliminary fiscal year 2023-24 financial review by finance director Liliana Noble, with a more detailed report after an audit, and approval for a $300,000 grant application to construct about 400 feet of boardwalk and bridge to connect Sandy Run Park and Birch Lane Trail.

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