Commissioners backed off an ordinance that would have allowed homes with up to 12 bedrooms in certain areas of town after a crowd of about 100 turned out to oppose the proposal.
Some people wore stickers that read “8 is enough,” and that was the maximum number of bedrooms the Board of Commissioners settled on before returning the ordinance to the town staff for more work.
Meanwhile, the board, after listening to more than a dozen speakers, took steps to extend a moratorium on houses with more than eight bedrooms for another six months.
The current freeze expires next month. The proposed ordinance would have created an overlay district, a concept largely opposed by a group of residents in South Nags Head.
Homes with up to 12 bedrooms would have been allowed in the district as long as they met architectural and safety standards.
But one by one, residents at the hearing told commissioners that a home with 12 bedrooms was too big and that construction of large houses is destroying the thing they love about Nags Head.
In response, commissioners sent the ordinance back to the town staff for reworking. The board agreed to use a limit of eight bedrooms rather than 12 and eliminate the overlay district.
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This summer, Commissioner Anna Sadler had proposed the moratorium to allow the town to explore options for controlling the construction of big beach rental houses, sometimes called mini-hotels.
A 16-bedroom house being built particularly got the attention of the board.
Commissioner Doug Remaley said, “I’ve listened and I’ve heard you,” he said. “I believe eight is enough.”
South Nags Head resident Harry Thompson called the proposal “government intrusion of the worst kind.”
“I have in my hand eight pages of new law that, if passed by this board, would have a significant impact on the future of our town,” Thompson said.
He played a key role in organizing a campaign among South Nags Head residents to oppose the plan.
“This proposal divides our town in half, with residents on one side and rentals on the other,” he said. “The fact that many permanent residents live in the rental district was clearly overlooked by the committee.
“We don’t appreciate being perceived as somehow less important citizens than our friends on the west side.”
Others voiced frustration with the rapid development in Nags Head and the impact of large homes.
“Don’t be blinded by a blizzard of green or an ocean of entrepreneurs who want to come into our beautiful, pristine area, rape it and then leave,” said Nags Head resident Alvin Hibbs.
Town resident Dave Masters told commissioners he wasn’t sure he made the right decision to retire to Nags Head.
“I’m starting to share the opinion of others that we should take the profit from our houses and get . . . out of here,” he said. “I love Nags Head, and I love the people. But I don’t love what is happening here right now.”
Local builders also urged commissioners to take more time developing the ordinance.
Mark Martin, president of the Outer Banks Home Builders Association, said the ordinance was confusing to builders.
“The people building these homes should be able to understand it,” he said.
One resident, Bob Edwards, said he supported the ordinance. Edwards was also a member of the committee assigned to develop it.
“I think it is the first step in keeping Nags Head the place we all love,” he said.
Commissioner George Farah, said there are 70 homes in Nags Head with eight bedrooms, nine with nine bedrooms, 12 with 10 bedrooms, three with 11 bedrooms, five with 12 bedrooms, one with 14 bedrooms and one with 16 bedrooms.
Mayor Bob Muller directed the staff to look at the possibility of reducing lot sizes to discourage the construction of large homes but said it was important to maintain architectural standards in the revised ordinance.
“Limiting the number of bedrooms is simply not the answer,” Muller said. “I promise you that the square, vinyl-sided rental boxes you see are not eight bedrooms — they are probably six. So we have to address appearance and impact across the board.”
Nags Head is among several towns struggling with how to handle the proliferation of large homes. The Kitty Hawk Town Council also held a public hearing recently on two proposed options for controlling the large structures.
Under a less restrictive option, homes with seven bedrooms or more would be conditionally allowed in any of Kitty Hawk’s residential districts.
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