All about what life is like living in Carova; the only place I know on the East Coast where you can live at the beach, away from commercialization, and among wild horses.
There are many things going on up in Carova that I don't always get around to blogging about right away.
If anyone would like more up to the minute reports of what is going on in the land of sand & horses. you can follow me at http://twitter.com/CarovaRealtor.
County Declares State of Emergency to Allow FEMA Inspection
Currituck County government declared earlier today a State of Emergency, which will allow federal inspectors to assess dune erosion and beach conditions following the nor’easter storm that affected Currituck on Nov. 11-13, 2009. This government inspection may allow Currituck County to qualify for recovery assistance funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
A State of Emergency is necessary to accommodate FEMA inspectors, who will not assess an area that is not currently under a State of Emergency. Currituck County’s State of Emergency was placed into effect at 12:01 a.m. this morning.
The FEMA officials are expected to visit Currituck County early next week, with an exact date and time to be determined. FEMA will assess damage and dune erosion resulting from the storm along the entire beach area of Currituck County, including the Carova Beach area in the four-wheel drive section.
A specific date and time of the FEMA inspection will be announced upon finalization of details. For more information, contact Currituck Emergency Management at 252-232-2115.
Currituck County gets ready to make changes to the UDO
Nov. 17, 2009
Here is a copy of an email That I received about the Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) which the county will be meeting to discuss tonight. This public session will be held at the Cooperative Extension Center, from 6:00 – 7:30 p.m.
Below is one page of several web pages of information that can be accessed through the county website (www.currituckgovernment.com). For additional information on the UDO rewrite process, go to www.currituckgovernment.com, , click on Departments, Planning, the scroll down to UDO Rewrite page.
Lynne
FAQ
What Is the Unified Development Ordinance (UDO)?
The UDO is the county’s official document that regulates growth and development. It includes zoning, subdivision, and environmental regulations that govern the location, size, and appearance of new development and redevelopment projects in Currituck County. The UDO includes such provisions as zoning district regulations, development review procedures, and development standards such as those covering parking, landscaping, building setbacks, size, and appearance. The link to the county’s current UDO can be found in the Available Downloads tab of this site.
Why Is The County Revising The UDO?
The last comprehensive revision of the UDO was in 1989. It has been amended a number of times since then to address development issues. These piecemeal amendments have made the UDO more complicated and more difficult to use. Moreover, the UDO has not been comprehensively revised to ensure it is consistent with and implements the county’s recent plans. All of the county’s recent plans recommend changes to the UDO.
Will The UDO Update Change The Zoning On My Property?
The update will concentrate on revising the text of the UDO, not the county’s official zoning map, which addresses the permissible uses on individual properties within the county. At the completion of the project, it is contemplated there might be some changes to the official zoning map. In addition, adjustments to development standards for properties in the county may be necessary. Projects already in the pipeline and for which completed applications have been submitted will not be subject to the new UDO provisions unless the applicant voluntarily chooses to apply them.
Who Is In Charge Of The Project?
Clarion Associates is the consulting firm retained by the county to assist the Planning Department staff with the revisions to the UDO. They will be working directly with the Board of County Commissioners, and the Advisory Committee, as well as receiving input from all interested stakeholders within the county.
Clarion Associates is a national growth management and zoning consulting firm with offices in North Carolina, Florida, Denver, and Chicago. The firm has written numerous development codes and regulations for communities across North Carolina and the United States including Mooresville, Cary, Fayetteville, and Morrisville, N.C.; Portsmouth, VA.; Rock Hill and Folly Beach, SC.; Pompano Beach and Daytona Beach, FL.; Franklin, TN.; Biloxi, MS.; and Philadelphia, PA. More information on the firm can be found at www.clarionassociates.com.
Clarion will be assisted by Moffatt & Nichol, an environmental and engineering firm based in Raleigh. They will assist with stormwater and water quality standards. Moffatt & Nichol is currently working on stormwater management projects for the county.
What Is The Schedule For The Project?
The UDO update will be carried out in three phases. Phase 1 is planned to begin in November 2009, and be completed by January 2010. During the task, county staff and the Clarion team will conduct a series of interviews with stakeholders and a public forum to discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the current UDO, goals for the project, and potential UDO revisions. The stakeholders will include groups such as neighborhood associations, advisory boards, developers, and business owners. The county is soliciting comments from the public about the UDO through a Questionnaire accessed by the link on the right side of the website. In January 2010, Clarion and county staff will hold several public meetings to conduct a Citizens’ Preference Survey to get public input about desired development forms and patterns in the county. The Citizens’ Preference Survey will also be placed on this website in January, 2010, and can be accessed at that time by a link on the right of the homepage. Any interested persons can respond. Responses to both the Questionnaire and Citizens’ Preference Survey can be made through February, 2010.
Phase 2 is planned to be completed by May 2010, and will involve preparation of a code assessment by the Clarion team that identifies ways the UDO needs to be amended to implement county plans and policies, reflect modern best practices, and respond to citizen comments expressed in the questionnaire and Citizens’ Preference Survey. It will also draw on the the Phase 1 interviews and meetings, as well as the Clarion team’s experience with zoning and subdivision ordinances in North Carolina and nationally. The code assessment will be presented to the Advisory Committee, Board of County Commissioners, and public at workshops and a public forum.
Based on the code assessment, public input, and Board of Commissioners direction, Clarion Associates will develop a draft of the revised UDO in Phase 3. Drafting will take 8-10 months. The draft code will be reviewed by the Advisory Committee, and Board of County Commissioners in a series of workshops and public meetings, at which time a revised UDO will be prepared for public hearings.
Where Can I Get Copies Of The County Planning Documents That Will Guide The UDO Update?
The Work Products page of this website will be updated regularly to include links to all planning documents and supporting information relevant to the UDO update.
Virginia Off Road groups come to help clean Carova
Oct. 25, 2009
Yesterday on my way into town to meet some clients I had the strangest site. First I passed a group of about 6 jeeps all parked and the people doing something that I could quite make out.
another 1/4 mile down I passed 3 more Jeeps and people walking aling the dune line with trash bags.
another mile and another group. finally as I neared the end of the beach I saw what looked like a sign-in booth set up so I stopped to ask.
There are a lot of locals that are of the opinion that the "Day Trippers" that come here show no respect for our beaches & communities, and It is good to see that in reality that is a few bad apples making a bad image for all the rest. you don't have to live or own in Carova to love and care for carova.
Nest #3 (CNWR in the 4WD area) surprised us with an early (or rather late) morning emergence. At 8 o'clock on Friday morning we had just over 40 hatchlings march their way to the rough ocean. The entire beach was getting over wash so there was concern that we would see any activity at all on the nest but sure enough, they found their way through. Five more came out that night and then no activity the following two nights. We excavated last night and found 17 live hatchlings trying to work their way through the sand. All were released after dark and are on their way today.
This is a copy of an email that I received regarding the "Beach Plan". You may all draw you own conclusions.
Thank you for your email regarding House Bill 1305. House Bill 1305 made sweeping changes to the NC Coastal Insurance Plan. These changes will not only protect the integrity of the plan, they will also protect all NC rate payers in the future. The changes made include the following:
Reduces the residential property value that is insurable from $1.5 million to $1 million.
Reduces personal contents coverage under the Beach Plan from 70% to 40% and mandates that premiums reflect the reduction in contents coverage.
Mandates that mitigation credits be given to homeowners who make the effort to build or renovate their homes to withstand strong winds. (storm shutters, special windows, etc.) These building methods will reduce the loss of property.
Requires the beach plan to provide to anyone in the general public information on its operations and activities.
Maintains current surcharges in the beach plan to 5% & 15%.
Protects the surplus in the fund from being raided.
These changes, as well as many others in the bill, will protect the members of the beach plan from the unfair increases in premiums experienced in recent years, while also taking steps to increase the number of companies writing policies in NC, which should lead to lower rates for the entire state.
Again, thank you for your email. If there is anything I can do to assist you, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Chris Dillon Director of Special Projects President Pro Tempore's Office North Carolina Senate chrisd@ncleg.net
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