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With Mayor John Windley unable to attend, Mayor Pro Tem Ivy Ingram led the February 10 Kill Devil Hills Board of Commissioners meeting.

Taking up a large portion of the evening’s meeting time, Donna Creef and Malcolm Fearing gave a summary of the Dare County Housing Task Force December 2024 report.

With statistics and graph charts, Creef demonstrated that housing is more than the construction of new structures. A complex issue, Creef explained that a number of different factors are involved in the housing market that affects many community aspects including more than just workforce and education. Overall, it needs to be available, attainable, sustainable and acceptable.

And, Fearing added, this is not a new issue. It is one that impacts all Dare County residents, business owners and the local workforce, as well the aging population, with short-term seasonal housing currently leading in the competition with permanent long-term residential units.

Creef pointed out that while the North Carolina Constitution limits what governments can do, there does appear to be a trend for some owners to transition from short term to longer term rentals.

Recommendations included in the group’s report include:
– Investigate development of housing units on government-owned land.
– Investigate expansion/revision of the 2004 legislation to allow local governments to develop housing programs for their employees with incomes that exceed 80% AMI.
– Contract with the UNC School of Government (or other qualified agency) to assist task force members with the establishment of a housing non-profit agency.
– Start-up funding of a full-time non-profit agency or department that focuses on housing.
– Work with the Outer Banks Association of REALTORS^® and other stakeholder groups to develop outreach programs about NCHFA first-time purchaser programs.
– Encourage local governments in Dare County to consider the adoption of land use regulations for their jurisdictions to allow ADUs, duplex lot sizes consistent with single-family lot sizes, small-scale multifamily structures by right, and other employee workforce housing standards.

It was also noted that a small part of the 28-member team have been invited to participate in an 18-month UNC sponsored study of housing in North Carolina. The aim is to connect communities with resources and tools needed to assess and make decisions on how to respond to local housing needs.

The December Dare County Housing Task Force report is available on the county website at bit.ly/3EFcWs6.

During committee reports, Sue Kelly, chairperson of the Community Appearance Commission, advised that the next Trash Attack clean-up day is set for 9 a.m. until noon on Saturday, April 5, with April 6 the rain date. Volunteers are to gather at Aviation Park where food and drink such as ham biscuits, pizza and coffee will be available.

“This has always been a great thing for the town,” said Kelly, who added that the poster art contest for school students K through 12 will run until March 7.

She concluded her report with a comment that the commission’s main purpose is the keep the town as attractive as possible and improve it where possible. The January meeting was snowed out, so the next meeting is March 27 and members are always open to new ideas.

The first action item for the night was adoption of the Outer Banks Regional Hazard Mitigation Plan. Developed in cooperation with representatives from Dare and Currituck counties, town departments, as well as federal and state agencies, the 694 page document covers responses to all type natural and human-caused hazards.

Also approved were four resolutions expressing support for the restoration of local zoning authority retroactively to December 11, 2024, an update to the 2016 Beach and Inlet Management Plan, support for the General Assembly’s creation of a permanent Abandoned and Derelict Vessel Program, and one for the continued appreciation and support for the N.C. Department of Transportation for the undertaking and accomplishing of multiple projects within the Town of Kill Devil Hills that promotes safety throughout the community.

The final item for the night was approval of a consent agenda with January 13 meeting minutes, December 2024 monthly report, budget amendments and transfers for the engineering and design portion of West Martin Street and Sidewalk project, a public buildings for political meetings and consolidated fee schedule, and a fiscal year 2024/2025 reimbursement resolution declaring the intention to reimburse the cost of certain expenditures.

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