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A large part of the April 15 Dare County Tourism Board meeting focused on a request from Nags Head for updated conditional use permits for all the properties linked to the Soundside Event Site.

After purchasing the former Windmill Point Restaurant site overlooking the Roanoke Sound at 6906 South Croatan Highway in Nags Head for large outdoor gatherings, the Tourism Board in separate acquisitions has since purchased the nearby Dairy Queen, South Beach Grille and Pamlico Jack’s Soundfront Restaurant properties.

According to Dare County Tourism Board executive director Lee Nettles, Nags Head planning staff have asked that all those properties be combined into one conditional use permit.

During a lengthy discussion on the topic, it was pointed out that any future uses of those sites has not yet been determined and there is a Tourism Board committee looking at that now.

At the end of discussion, board members voted to have their attorney, W. Jay Wheless, to obtain a rough draft of the conditional use permit for review.

After a brief review of contract details, Tourism Board members then voted to approve a proposal from Albemarle and Associates, Ltd. to provide engineering and design services for a soundside boardwalk. The $85,550 project will run along the western edge of the Soundside Event Site property.

During a budget and finance report, it appears occupancy figures have been through the roof and the area is beginning to see positive numbers in meals. According to Ervin Bateman, March receipts of February meals and occupancy tax collections were higher than budgeted, with calendar year receipts up 126.6 percent for occupancy and prepared meals up 8 percent over 2020 numbers. Then, following a first look at a fiscal year 2021-22 proposed budget, board members voted to schedule a public hearing on the budget for the May 20 meeting.

Other business for the day included board members’ approval of an amendment to a grant awarded to Chicamacomico Life-Saving Station on Hatteras Island, a report that Nags Head is reviewing a contact for the Tourism Board to purchase Nags Head’s interest in the original event site location and a park overview presentation by National Park Service Superintendent Dave Hallac.

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