Wednesday, June 7, 2023
By Mark Jurkowitz | Outer Banks Voice on December 21, 2022
Woda Cooper official Denis Blackburn pitched the 54-unit housing proposal at the November commissioners meeting.
At their Dec. 21 meeting, the Nags Head Commissioners scheduled a Jan. 4 public hearing on a zoning change that would remove the multi-family dwelling as a permitted use within the town’s C-2 General Commercial Zoning District.
That move follows a unanimous Dec. 13 Nags Head Planning Board vote to adopt that change and comes after several months of discussion over zoning in the district — one generated in part by a proposal for a 54-unit affordable housing complex on the corner of Hollowell Street and U.S. 158 across from Jockey’s Ridge State Park.
It also follows an October decision by the Nags Head Commissioners to enact a 150-day moratorium on development other than single-family and duplex structures in the C-2 District, from Danube Street north to Hollowell Street, between US Highway 158 and NC 12.
That 54-unit project proposed by developer Woda Count is seen as part of their broader push by Dare County officials to build what they characterize as essential housing units. Woda Cooper has partnered with the county to build a total of 100 of such units, both in Nags Head and at the county-owned site on Bowsertown Road on Roanoke Island.
In addition, some historic district homeowners in Nags Head had launched complaints about the Nags Head Pizza Company, which relocated to the C-2 district in July. In that case, town officials have stated that the business is complying with town ordinances.
The community pushback to the Woda Cooper proposal has been vocal, and during the Oct. 19 meeting at which the 150-day moratorium was formally approved, the commissioners pointed to the need for a more thorough re-thinking of zoning in that area.
According to the terms of the moratorium, that 150-day window was intended to “provide for the necessary study and review of the type, intensity, and character of the uses allowed in the Historic Character Area and could result in new districts and/or standards being proposed.”
Those sentiments were also echoed at the Oct. 19 meeting by Commissioner Renee Cahoon added that, “We need to address the zoning map to make it fit more with the character of the district.”
Comments
Go to comments
Freenusa
Nags Head and Manteo need to stand strong against this type of project. There is enough land to accommodate the combined units with ample parking, just 10-13 minutes, of the straight shot to the beaches, where most of the need for “affordable housing” is needed. I am saddened that “The Powers” have chosen Roanoke Island, a a true small island, for this Unsustainable project. Move the whole project West, please.
Greg
The complaints about Nags Head Pizza are ridiculous. Commercial development is all along that stretch. It has been for many decades. I never heard of any complaints about the nightclub there. That was the Casino. The real eyesore is the very ugly strip mall there. The ugly backside of that cheaply built quick and dirty structure is visible from the street traveling both North and South. That is something the Town of Nags Head needs to address.
Billsnc
Agree with freenusa.
Managing affordable housing should NOT be something the county government gets involved in.
Build up the infrastructure on dare mainland to support new developments there. Offer an initial incentive to a developer to build there, where it’s naturally more affordable. Invest in shuttle/bus service between there and the beach.
Concerned local
This seems like a pretty major issue to be jammed through during a Holiday week for some reason.
Mark Jurkowitz | Outer Banks Voice
Concerned, they haven’t made the change yet. They have scheduled a public hearing on Jan. 4 and would likely take it up at a subsequent meeting.
Housing for out-of-state senior citizens
Mr Blackburne from Woda Cooper accidentally said the quiet part out loud when talking about their LIHTC Low Income Housing projects at the recent Nags Head commissions meeting.
He said; “I would also like to mention that seniors can also live in these properties. It’s referred to as general occupancy, in other words there is no age restriction, anyone can live there if they comply with the max income limits. We find a lot of seniors do move into our properties, even if it’s just for workforce, because they are moving from an income based salary to a fixed income and they often comply with the income limits and are able to live in our properties.”
Residents at LIHTC projects are limited only by maximum income. It is against the law to discriminate based on age or where the renter currently lives. That means that most retired seniors with their social security and medicare benefits often meet the sweet spot for this low income subsidized housing. While most seniors do meet the income limits, the Nags Head town manager has determined that most of our municipal workforce employees would not meet the LIHTC income limits.
There are thousands of retired people from VA, PA, WVA, OH, NY, and NJ who have vacationed on the Outer Banks and would love to retire here but they just cannot afford our resort housing costs. Here is their solution. Get on the Woda Cooper waiting list and then move into an affordable subsidized apartment at the beach. The first thing they will need is a family doctor, followed by all the other services that full time residents require.
These Low Income Housing projects being pushed by the Dare County Commissioners as “workforce” housing are not really workforce housing at all. In fact these Low Income Housing projects will make our workforce housing problems even worse.
Bo twiddy
Typical NIMBY. Typical OBX
Hank Wells
Can you say NIMBY?? Happy holidays to everyone
tim
54 affordable units just a block from the ocean and a beach access with parking and it will be affordable? It depends what you call affordable. $350,000 and up is what they will cost at a minimum. You can’t make anything really affordable east of Manteo and maybe not even there anymore. More needs to be on the mainland with shuttle service.
Lemonshirt
“Affordability” is relative. If you are a true capitalist, then you assume that eventually wages and prices will find an intersection.
Maybe businesses will have to start offering housing or long-distance transportation as a benefit.
It all eventually works out in the price of goods and services.
Steven
What y’all are saying is that residents and locals should move off their own land and find somewhere on the mainland to live, then can ride a bus to get around.
Seems most folks don’t realize that the outer banks are part of the mainland U.S.
A continuous shoreline from Rudee Inlet to Oregon Inlet. Outer banks is a geographical term, most states on the east coast have outer banks, a number of them also have barrier islands.