Friday, December 1, 2023
By Michelle Wagner | Outer Banks Voice on June 27, 2022
The disc golf course would likely move or be altered to make room for new housing.
A 44-acre tract of Kill Devil Hills property located just south of Bermuda Bay and north of the Run Hill State Natural Area is one of a number of sites being eyed for essential housing as part of Dare County’s efforts to address the housing crisis here.
The parcel, owned by the Town of Kill Devil Hills, is the last remaining undeveloped portion of the 322-acre Baum Tract partially donated and sold to the town in 1983 by one-time Mayor Diane Baum St. Clair. It includes at least a portion of the Casey Logan Disc Golf Course that is located just off of Veterans Drive. At this early point in the process, there has been no estimate of the number of housing units that would be proposed there.
Earlier this month, at their June 13 meeting, the Kill Devil Hills Commissioners gave town staff the green light tafforabelo begin investigating the feasibility of such a project, which has been identified by Coastal Affordable Housing, LLC. The Raleigh-based consortium was selected by Dare County in February to oversee its affordable housing efforts using a $35 million pot of money the state allocated to the county last year. Since then, it has been searching for possible locations for such housing.
At the June 13 meeting, Kill Devil Hills Mayor Ben Sproul made the motion to have staff explore the possibility of such a project as well as initiate discussions with county leaders, set up public meetings to get citizen input and research the technical and zoning details related to the site. The motion passed unanimously.
“I know there is a lot of history there, I know that there is a lot of opportunity there,” Sproul said during the meeting. “But before we went down the path of really getting into the details of what the scope for design, size or scale, I just wanted to ask the members of this board if [we] are interested in looking at what the possibilities are on the tract when it comes to housing.”
“There’s nothing set in stone, this is just the early days of this,” he added. “But I wanted to take everybody’s temperature.”
As for other commissioners who spoke on the issue at the June 13 meeting, Commissioner Terry Gray said he was in favor of staff investigating what possibilities may exist. “Kill Devil Hills has always stepped up to the plate and done what it could do for housing…but that doesn’t mean you can’t do more,” he said.
While Commissioner John Windley said he was “somewhat hesitant, somewhat reluctant to develop the Baum Tract,” he stated that he was okay with advising staff to look at what the options are.
“I do have a real appreciation for how, over the years, the town has used [the tract] for community, government resources,” he noted. The original 322-acre tract is now home to a number of community facilities including the First Flight schools, the Kill Devil Hills Municipal Complex, the Dare County Recreation Park, a library and a senior center.
Sproul told the Voice in a later interview that it’s too early in the process to know whether the site would be a good location for such a project. He added that his hope is staff will come to the commissioners with a report in the coming months regarding the pros and cons of housing units at the site, as well as the obstacles and opportunities.
“It’s not exactly a perfect fit,” Sproul said. “But if we can do something, I’m cautiously optimistic we can make something work. But it’s way too early to tell.”
Speaking to the disc golf course currently there, Sproul said its footprint falls on both the upland buildable area of that tract as well as some unbuildable portion. That would likely require the course to either be altered or moved if the project moved forward.
But the mayor said if that was the case, the board would make it a high priority to keep the disc golf course.
“There are other sites in town that we’re looking at…basically building a new disc golf course somewhere else,” he said. “Our top priority is to make sure we don’t lose disc golf, that we find a way to keep it in some form, hopefully in a bigger and better form.”
Sproul, who said the site is just one of a few in Kill Devil Hills identified by Coastal Affordable Housing, added that once commissioners get more details about the technical aspects of such a project, a next step would be to hold a public meeting where all stakeholders can be brought into the conversation.
“We have a moment to decide as a county what we want to do and how Kill Devil Hills fits into that equation,” the mayor concluded.
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Comments
Go to comments
Jeff Walker
Really says a lot that a frisbee park and affordable housing are considered equal priorities by the folks in charge.
Brandon
It would be a tragedy to lose such a beloved amenity. Both locals and visitors alike frequent this beautiful tract of old growth forrest. I’m sure as resourceful as my Sproul is he can come up with a solution that wouldn’t break the hearts of hundreds.
Chris Smith
You jackasses have sold your soul to the devil. Yall have just about taken everything away from this beach. There’s nothing left ,oh I’m sorry I think the only thing left is the cavileir hotel and the sea foam. This place doesn’t have 1 ounce left in it that used to make it special. Some rime there’s more things more important then the ALMIGHTY DOLLAR!!!!. yall should be ashamed of yourselves. Nothing makes this place special anymore because it’s nothing more than a rat race now like a big city. This comes from the people that knew the magic and mystery of this place. Thanks ass@!$#$
Observer
Heaven forbid anyone other than KDH and Manteo step up on affordable housing.
Billsnc
Here’s a temperature: what a dumb idea! Not every square foot needs housing or buildings on it!
Lechelle Williams
I am disabled am in need of some type of housing. I just hope something happens soon on this beach. I have lived here all my life and have seen many changes. I know there are many people who also need help. I know it is hard for people to understand if you aren’t the one Please considering making something happen soon for people are forced to live on the streets or have to leave the area.
Mark
I am amazed at how folks that want affordable housing, which is desperately needed, don’t fully understand that it requires developing property. This is a great idea and out of the box thinking by KDH. Hopefully the design will aesthetically fit in. The property is close to all three First Flight schools which will make it convenient for the workforce that have kids.
Surf123
They will be in the rental program (AirBNB, VRBO, or other) before completed. Best use of any housing is tourist rentals. Need to get off the beaches for affordable and/or subsidized housing.
Joan mcminn
So there will be affordable cheap homes in KDH and hey, haven’t dared mentioned Nags Head yet. It’s sad look at the wedding venue down at nags head, I don’t think I have ever seen anyone in those houses in past 3 years!
Louis
What a terrible idea! Why is it necessary to build on every square inch of land? Housing crisis? I would call it a population crisis and that’s exactly what’s going to happen to our schools, roads, resources and peace!
Stop the madness! Stop the overpopulation! Stop cutting down trees! Move somewhere where there is more land! Stop ruining this beach!
Are You Kidding Me?
@Observer… Along with KDH and Manteo, Nags Head is slated to get “affordable housing”,
but the location is “super secret”; the developers apparently won’t tell anyone where they
plan to put it. Wonder why?
Are You Kidding Me?
I grew up near “affordable housing” that ultimately became a blight on the community and
was torn down as a result of rampant crime and drug use. “Affordable housing” isn’t always
the utopia well-intended people think it will be.
Travis
I don’t know what a “tafforabelo” is but it sounds like a good word to describe this absolutely horrible idea.
What in the world do they plan to do about the congestion issues this would create? And I agree with the others like Louis, Chris and Brandon say about sacrificing more green space. I don’t recall the exact geography, but it seems I recall this land is very close to the Nature Conservancy property. I’d rather see it joined with the Conservancy land than become a housing project.
OBX will Not Be The Same
This is a Pandora’s Box that these towns and clowns will never get out from under. Its a bad idea now, and even worse in 5 years if they ever force this through. Again – government subsidized living for those that can’t afford to live here doesn’t solve their problem, they just get to stay in a nicer place for next to nothing! It will get exploited, like every other Section 8, and then you got nothing but a Government Owned scourge on the community – like EVERYWHERE else! Show me a case study where subsidized housing actually worked to help the community or the people your building it for….. I’ll wait!
Also, when I say Government owned, that means you, us, the taxpayer, are paying them to live for next to nothing… yours and my tax dollars used to build a building to house people to live nearly rent free, when you worked your whole life to afford to live here – now you need to fund living quarters who does just the bare minimum to survive, but it’s my responsibility to make sure they have a nice place to live?!?!?! No thanks. I earned that living and earned where I live – they should do the same if they want to be here.
Mark Jurkowitz | Outer Banks Voice
OBX, I do not believe anyone is talking about Section 8 housing. The state is not subsidizing the rents in these units, it gave OBX a $35 million pot of money to spend in order to build the housing. You can be opposed to the idea, but I think you are talking about a different kind of housing.
Are You Kidding Me?
And property owners near “affordable housing” may see their home values decline
by 2.5% (See, Holder, 2022, “What Does Affordable Housing Do To Nearby Property
Values?”, Bloomberg, May 2, 2022).
Laura
As an educator in Dare County, would love to live where I teach. There is nothing available. The teacher housing units in KDH have a four year occupancy limit. I’m paying $2,200 for a 3 bedroom house in Currituck. This site is perfect for teachers.
Ben Weber
UPZone the land and reduce your footprint, but understand that you will also loose your delicate Starbucks and favorite bar as they will not have employees to serve you. Folks, you can’t have it both ways. For those who say, “I have lived here my whole life….” Well, when the time comes to sell your family home, you will be happy with the gain in value of your home and you will make money…..meanwhile your neighbors will crucify you for “selling out”
Lastly, if you have been here your entire life….what have you done to stop it…..you demanded a WalMart, grocery stores and even marketing and promotion of OBX. You are what has made the OBX what it is today….you just forgot.
WindyBill
There is nothing wrong with relocating the Disc Golf Course. It would be community spirited if any of the following chose to help work it out: Dominion Power, Nature Conservacy, US Park Service. Refusal could make Really entetaining reading and publicity. Helping would earn considerable praise.
DD
There is still so much here we do not know. The Town would be selling its property to a private investor and then a private investor would manage the apartments. The investor has not determined if they will abide by HUD affordable housing rules or just “affordable” meaning a little less than what people are currently paying. Huge difference! Personally, I thi k they need to leave the disc golf course alone and fi d a more con e ient site. Leave this green and a connection to the maritime forrest. They are talking about building betwern 350-450 apartments. Thats a ton of congestion duribg school and school events back there on those fields. What ptger location options are they neglecting to come up with?
Mike
This site is one of the few undisturbed areas left in town. Many locals and visitors enjoy this space for its natural beauty and the amazing course the OBX Disc Golf Club has created. It would be an incredible loss for so many if the project continues. Surely some of these other sites they have in mind as alternate course locations would also make suitable housing projects. KDH has already wrecked the beachfront with these obnoxiously large homes, please don’t eliminate the little green space left.