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Kill Devil Hills planning staff suggested five options for large single-family homes to limit density and development in the oceanfront area at the September 9 Board of Commissioners meeting.

Back in 2020, the board adopted regulations for large single-family dwellings to address issues relating to stormwater, parking and landscaping. Since then, several homes have been built that follow the new regulations, yet community complaints and concerns have persisted.

Planning staff were directed by commissioners to research additional regulations for board consideration.

Planning director Meredith Guns summarized the suggestions as follows: (1) Limit stacked parking to six vehicles. Long lines of cars prohibit emergency vehicles from accessing the home. (2) Remove the exception and require one access aisle to the home. Currently, an exception exists whereby builders can exchange the access aisle for two addition feet of setback. (3) Require 10% of the total parking area to include interior landscaping aisles. This is for aesthetics and prevents the parking area from looking like one solid concrete pad. (4) Increase setbacks for a dwelling above a designated square footage. (5) Designate large single-family dwellings as a special use. Single family dwellings would be distinct from large single-family dwellings. Guns suggested 6,000 square feet or more for a large single-family dwelling because the town already has different stormwater and landscaping requirements for homes that size or larger.

Regarding option number 5, Guns clarified that these regulations would not allow the town to deny requests for large developments.

“It doesn’t allow you to make up rules – it allows you to add additional regulations or special use regulations to minimize the effects at specific sites. [Applicants would] have to have a public hearing if it’s special use. [The request would have] to go through a public hearing process for every single house.”

Commissioners expressed appreciation for the options but requested that staff return at a later meeting with additional information and specifics regarding how these regulations would be implemented.

“There are a couple questions that have come up that I think are going to take a little bit more time and a little bit more thought,” said Mayor Pro Tem Ivy Ingram. “My suggestion would be to do that. Not that we’re dragging our feet but just to make sure we’re doing our homework. This is a big deal. We want to get it right.”

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