MANTEO – Members of the Dare County Board of Commissioners vowed a fight Wednesday during a special meeting called to discuss the county’s interest in purchasing land in Wanchese, where residents remain vehemently opposed to a planned densely built residential development and where work has already begun.

Wanchese residents opposed to the cluster home development say it is incompatible with the village’s residential zoning district rules. The board voted unanimously to again attempt to negotiate purchasing the tract, this time making a more personal plea from the chairman.

Residents’ and commissioners’ anger erupted during the meeting over the landowner’s previously rising asking price, with one commissioner saying he wouldn’t rule out moves described by the county manager to condemn the property if negotiations remain at an impasse.

Bradford Alexander of Aria Construction Co. and Development of Cresswell, in Washington County, now seeks at least five times what he paid for the land last year.

“Mr. Alexander is now viewing this community response as a very, very good opportunity to extract an enormous amount of money for a piece of property purchased less than a year ago for a million dollars,” Commissioner Bob Ross said.

Commissioner Carson Creef, who lives in Wanchese, said he was “open to condemnation,” and added that if Alexander wants to fight, “he’ll get a fight. He is the one who needlessly raised the price every single time.”

Aria Construction had already started clearing land last week at the 10.5-acre cluster home site where the firm still plans to build as many as 48 homes, down from the 60 individual homes in the site plan when the county first approved it. Except for a thin buffer of remaining trees, the land has been clear cut.

Craig Parker lives immediately adjacent to the development site in Wanchese. He told the board the property was “really being trashed right now.”

During the meeting, County Manager Bobby Outten explained to commissioners and the roughly 60 others in attendance that Aria had purchased the property in July 2024 for $1 million. Outten recounted how commissioners, responding to Wanchese residents’ outrage over the project, authorized an offer of up to $3 million to buy the property.

“In the fall of 2024 I contacted Mr. Alexander at the board’s request to talk about a purchase, and at that time, he told us he wouldn’t take less than $5 million,” Outten said, adding that the amount was 16 times the assessed tax value. “And so those discussions ended.”

The special meeting was called, Chairman Bob Woodard said, because Commissioner Mike Burrus, who represents Wanchese on the board, indicated there was interest among village residents in creating a tax district to pay the difference between the $3 million the county offer and the $5 million Alexander had demanded.

The tax district would be similar to the county tax districts in place to pay for beach nourishment.

Outten had subsequently approached Alexander to propose that there may be a way to bridge the $2 million dollar gap between the county’s offer and Alexander’s price, but the developer then said $6 million was his firm price.

During the meeting Wednesday, Outten described how such a tax could be implemented and outlined the procedures for condemnation. Under eminent domain laws, the acquired land must be for public use. But, Outten said, if Alexander refused the county’s condemnation offer, a court would decide the fair price.

“Whatever a jury says after we have a trial is what we pay,” Outten said. “If it’s $6 million, we pay $6 million.”

Ross was said he was reluctant to enrich the developer at county expense.

Creef said he would not support the special use tax. He said the tract isn’t worth $6 million, and that he had campaigned on lowering taxes, not raising them.

Wanchese residents, when speaking during the meeting’s public comment period, were adamant that the cluster zoning was a mistake and that the county and therefore, commissioners, had a responsibility to correct it.

Parker, who lives next to the site, said he wants to be rid of the issue once and for all.

“A lot of times your best lesson learned is one that’s going to cost you the most,” he said, adding that he didn’t like the idea of paying off the developer, but, “if that’s what it costs to get rid of him once and forever, that’s what needs to be done.”

“Some mistakes cost more than others,” Mitchell Bateman of Wanchese said. “I don’t think the citizens and the residents of Wanchese should have to form their own special tax district to finance this. It’s not our responsibility to pay for this mistake. It’s yours.”

Bateman’s son, Justin Bateman, also spoke of his frustration.

“I don’t want to put money in that man’s pockets. Nobody in here does, but considering what we could do great with that piece of property is what we really need to focus on,” he said.

Woodard, the board chair, told his fellow commissioners that he was willing to meet with Alexander personally in the hope that, “he’s got a humane side to him that he might reconsider the value.”

Then, the board went into closed session to discuss terms of a potential deal.

In observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day and in recognition of the continued struggle for civil rights, Coastal Review will not publish on Monday, Jan. 20.

WANCHESE — Started as a small business 88 years ago by a native Outer Banks fisherman, the Wanchese Fish Co., now a global behemoth, is closing the doors of its production fish offloading and packing operations here.

The fish operation on Mill Landing Road in this historic fishing village on the south end of Roanoke Island will be shuttered March 29, confirmed Vice President of Public Relations Joel Richardson at Suffolk, Virginia-based Cooke Inc. in an email Tuesday to Coastal Review.

Wanchese Fish Co., located along the wharf in Wanchese Marine Industrial Park, was purchased by Cooke Seafood USA in 2015, part of the Cooke family’s international aquaculture and seafood company. The Wanchese company had maintained its family-owned operation after the sale. 

Wanchese Trawl & Supply Co., a marine and fishing equipment retail store that Wanchese Fish Co. started in 1976, will remain open, Richardson said. Also, Shoreland Transport USA, an associated cargo and freight company based in Suffolk, will continue to operate its Outer Banks route.

“We will be providing support and services to our employees as part of our transition package,” Richardson said in the email.

Further information on the number of employees who will be affected and other details about the closure were unavailable Tuesday, but one employee who declined to be identified said it was about 10.

But the loss of jobs is much smaller than the implications of downsizing one of the most iconic and historically significant businesses on the Outer Banks.

From its start in 1936 as a fish processing plant established by W.R. Etheridge, a Wanchese fisherman from a centuries-old Outer Banks family, Wanchese Fish Co. was considered groundbreaking at the time, according to the company’s website.

In 1946, Etheridge’s new son-in-law, Malcolm Daniels, a member of another old Outer Banks family, was put in charge of the company. Daniels and his wife Maude had 15 children, all of whom contributed in different ways to building the company into an international seafood supply powerhouse.

For generations, the Etheridge and Daniels families were renowned not just for their reputation as innovators in the fish production, packing and shipping business but also for their dominance in the seafood industry culture on the Outer Banks.

The already successful business really took off in the late 1990s, when it developed scallop “medallions” by binding small sea scallops with natural protein into larger scallop shapes, the website said. The new product proved to be extremely popular and profitable.

The company subsequently opened a 300,000-square-foot facility in Suffolk with a processing plant, cold storage and corporate offices. Fishing operations and offices were also opened in Europe and South America.

Describing itself as a “vertically integrated seafood harvester, processor, and distributor,” Wanchese Fish Co. said it has harvested more than “4,000 tons of wild scallops, shrimp, oysters, southern king crab, and other seafood products each year.”

Cooke Inc., headquartered in New Brunswick, Canada, is a “family-owned, vertically integrated sea farming and wild fishery corporation” that ships its products to 65 countries, according to its website. It operates salmon farming operations in Atlantic Canada, Maine, Washington, Chile and Scotland.

Discover more coastal celebrations and programs at Earth Day 2023.

An estuarine shoreline and roadside cleanup is set for 9-11:30 a.m. Friday, April 21, in the Roanoke Island community of Wanchese.

Organized by the North Carolina Coastal Federation Wanchese office to kick off Earth Day weekend, the effort is a part of the nonprofit’s commitment to reducing marine debris in coastal shorelines and waterways.

To join the cleanup, register on the Coastal Federation’s website.

Participants should check in with staff and pick up trash bags, gloves and other materials at Vista Creek event venue at 1789 N.C. 345, Manteo.

Volunteers will divide up and work in small groups during the cleanup.

Bring water, snacks and any necessary medications, organizers said. Dressing for the weather and wearing sturdy shoes for walking in wet areas are also recommended.

The Coastal Federation publishes Coastal Review.

Correction: This report originally misidentified Justin Bateman of Wanchese.

Wanchese residents and others in Dare County say a proposed 60-unit cluster development at the intersection of Old Wharf Road and Brinkley Drive would forever change the coastal village’s tight-knit community character.

Turnout was heavy Monday for the lengthy Dare County Board of Commissioners meeting in Manteo, where many spoke out during the public hearing against the requested special use permit for the development.

The board delayed its decision until next month to allow time for gathering more information, particularly regarding updates to a traffic study that had been conducted when there are far fewer vehicles than during vacation season.

In addition to traffic worries, those in attendance expressed concerns about whether the 10.5-acre site was suitable for the proposed density and about the adequacy of sewage treatment and stormwater management plans.

Issuance of a special use permit requires a quasi-judicial hearing in North Carolina and a vote to approve by, in this case, Dare County commissioners. But after five and half hours of discussion, commissioners voted instead to table the decision until the May 1 meeting.

Developer Brad Alexander of Aria Construction & Development Inc. of Creswell was present for the hearing. His company has been active in Outer Banks construction for almost 20 years. During that time, Aria has built numerous single-family dwellings in residential areas of Dare County and rental properties as large as 7,000 square feet. But that history didn’t allay Wanchese residents’ concerns.

Several speakers addressed Alexander directly in their comments.

“After all this uproar and pushback from the community, why do you still continue to want to do this?” Asked Justin Bateman, the first speaker of the evening, who described himself as an “eighth-generation Wancheser.”  

Residential cluster developments are seen as a way to maximize the number of homes possible in a limited space. Lot sizes are small, theoretically allowing for shared infrastructure and more efficient use of emergency services.

Often in suburban and rural communities, cluster developments have their own green space requirements. However, the Dare County cluster development ordinance includes no such requirement.

Alexander said his firm would retain a thin buffer of trees.

The proposed Villages at Old Wharf Road cluster home development features 36 two- bedroom homes at 960 square feet and 24 three-bedroom homes of 1,120 square feet.

Alexander said during the hearing that the two-bedroom homes would be tentatively offered at $299,000 and the three-bedroom homes at $399,000.  However, he noted, prices could change due to market conditions.

Windsor attorney Lloyd C. Smith III, who represented Aria Construction, called a number of witnesses to the stand including the site engineer and the owner of the septic system that would be installed.

During the legal proceedings, Alexander was asked about the homes themselves and he pushed back on a recurring complaint that they were mobile homes on stilts.

Asked by Commission Chair Bob Woodard if the construction was to be “…just like other beach boxes…” Alexander was emphatic in his reply.

“They will all be stick-built houses,” he said.

In 2006, Dare County approved the Wanchese Village Residential Zoning District as a way to preserve the village feel of the unincorporated community. At that time, residents believed zoning would protect the village from overdevelopment.

Cluster development was added as a special use in the Wanchese district in 2018. Residents and representatives of the Wanchese Preservation Alliance claim the zoning change was put into place without the knowledge of the residents of the village.

Several at the meeting were worried that the proposed development site, which is now undeveloped, has poor drainage. Some voiced concern about stormwater runoff from the site and whether the on-site sewage system would pollute groundwater.

Smith, the attorney, asked site engineer Rick House to the podium to testify during the hearing about stormwater management and sewage treatment.

House said the planned stormwater collection system for the development would collect twice the amount of stormwater required by state regulations.

House also pointed out that the sewage system to be used for the development was a TS2 system that produced significantly cleaner effluent than a typical system used for a single home. The TS2 system uses drainfields more efficiently, he said.

Coastal Advocate and Environmental Economist Alyson Flynn based at the North Carolina Coastal Federation’s Wanchese office said during the public comment portion of the meeting that the state’s stormwater rules did not adequately address Wanchese residents’ flooding concerns.

“The North Carolina coastal stormwater program only regulates water quality impacts from stormwater runoff. The state program is not designed to protect people our property from being flooded … by this or any or future projects,” she said.

The Coastal Federation publishes Coastal Review.

Commissioners themselves did not raise specific concerns about the project until Jody Lewis, senior project manager at engineering firm VHB, presented his traffic analysis.

Chairman Woodard wanted to know how frequently and when the traffic counts for the study were done. When told that the counts included two days in February and another, March 1, Woodard and other commissioners expressed dismay about the timing.

“I would seem to think that we would have a lot different findings in May, June, July, August and September,” said Woodard.

Lewis agreed the timing would likely change the numbers.

The North Carolina Coastal Federation is calling for volunteers to join in a debris cleanup from 9 to 11:30 a.m. Saturday, May 8, in Wanchese.

Meet at Peele Family Dentistry, 2038 N.C. 345, to check in with organizers and collect supplies such as trash bags, gloves and other cleanup materials.

Federation staff will direct staff small groups of volunteers where to work and to maintain safe distances while conducting the cleanup. It will be required that volunteers wear a mask or face covering.

Organizers recommend volunteers dress appropriately for the weather because this cleanup will take place outdoors. Sturdy shoes for walking in wet areas are also recommended, especially boots, and bring water, a snack and any medications.

The debris cleanup of the estuarine shoreline and roadsides is part of a districtwide spring cleaning initiative.

Because capacity is limited, organizers ask volunteers to register ahead of the cleanup  you plan to attend.

Contact Sara Hallas, federation coastal education coordinator, at 252-473-1607 or sarajh@nccoast.org.

Construction of the last of five living shoreline sills, each built using a different technique, should wrap up this month at the North Carolina Coastal Federation’s Wanchese office.

As part of the federation’s effort to promote living shorelines as effective, environmentally-friendly solutions to reduce soundside erosion and provide coastal habitat, the 500-foot living shoreline sills in Wanchese Industrial Park will serve several purposes, including combating erosion, improving water quality and providing an outdoor living laboratory for visitors, according to the federation.

The five, 100-foot sills have been constructed using different materials to showcase different techniques available to shoreline property owners.

The wood sill and granite sill were completed in early June by area contractor Total Marine Services and the oyster castle sill is expected to be completed mid-month. These three sills were funded by the Honda Marine Science Foundation.

In 2018, a 100-foot sill was is constructed with oyster shell bags and another 100-foot sill was made with oyster domes, funded by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

“We’re excited to have the opportunity to showcase a variety of living shoreline techniques that will protect the Wanchese marsh complex and provide an opportunity for shoreline property owners to see these techniques in person,” said Erin Fleckenstein a coastal scientist and regional manager for the federation.

With the completion of the demonstration area, soundfront property owners can see their options for a living shoreline techniques in action.

“When we are able to host in-person trainings again, I look forward to using the Wanchese Demonstration site to train real estate professionals and contractors on the variety of techniques that qualify as living shorelines,” said Whitney Jenkins, training coordinator for the Division of Coastal Management. “Having five techniques on display in one easy to access area will provide a practical learning opportunity for these professionals that attend our trainings.”

East Carolina University’s Integrated Coastal Programs and the Coastal Studies Institute are hosting an open house Feb. 29 at the ECU Outer Banks Campus location in Wanchese.

The 1-4 p.m. event at 850 N.C. 345 is free of charge. Attendees will be able to tour the campus, grounds and facilities, learn about current research and education programs, take part in family friendly activities and interact with faculty and staff from ECU, CSI and partners including North Carolina Sea Grant, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Monitor National Marine Sanctuary and the Outer Banks Center for Dolphin Research.

The Coastal Studies Institute is a multi-institutional research partnership led by East Carolina University, in association with North Carolina State University, the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, UNC Wilmington and Elizabeth City State University. CSI focuses on integrated coastal research and education programming centered on responding to the needs, issues and topics of concern of the residents of eastern North Carolina.

Research and education initiatives span a variety of coastal topics from nearshore coastal estuaries to the offshore waters along the continental shelf, including the following:

• Coastal geoscientists are researching the processes that drive coastal change, their effect on communities and ways to become more resilient in the face of increasing hazards that threaten the coast.
• Ecologists are studying estuarine systems, their inputs and how to ensure healthy coastal ecosystems.
• Oceanographers and coastal engineers are exploring ways to harness the power of the Gulf Stream, waves and other renewable ocean energy sources, using new technologies to broaden North Carolina’s energy portfolio.
• Social scientists are working with coastal residents, visitors and relevant social statistics to better understand the impacts coastal change has on communities, while working to develop new and prosperous economies.
• Maritime archaeologists are researching and discovering new shipwrecks using advanced technologies while celebrating the maritime heritage of eastern North Carolina.
• Faculty and staff are engaging the local community and the next generation of scientists and decision makers in education programming that fosters student interest in the fields of technology, engineering, art, math and science.

Officials with the Corps’ Wilmington district issued a public notice Thursday seeking comment on the application received from Richard V. Scarborough. The Corps had previously issued Scarborough a notice of violation for filling 0.29 acres of wetlands on the property without a permit last September.

Scarborough in his application proposes to restore 0.15 acres of the previously filled wetlands, which was a violation of Section 301 of the Clean Water Act, as well as additional filling of 0.1 acres of wetlands, resulting in a total of 0.25 acres of permanent wetland impacts, according to the Corps.

The Corps said it had suspended legal action on the violation pending the outcome on the application. The Corps’ said its final decision will be based on public comments on the proposed project. The decision could be to issue the permit with or without conditions or deny the proposed work.

“The decision whether to issue a permit will be based on an evaluation of the probable impacts including cumulative impacts of the proposed activity on the public interest. That decision will reflect the national concern for both protection and utilization of important resources,” according to the Corps.

Scarborough could not be reached for comment for this report.

The site, 437 and 455 The Lane in Wanchese, includes 0.65 total acres of wetlands and 0.12 acres of high ground. The 0.29 acres already filled was for a gravel parking lot. The proposed expansion includes construction of a new building, wastewater system, parking and drive aisles for large trucks delivering materials.

The project would be within the service area of an existing mitigation bank. The wetland fill would be mitigated by a purchase of 0.5 wetland mitigation credits at a ratio of 2:1 from Great Dismal Swamp Restoration Bank LLC, according to Corps documents.

The public notice triggers essential fish habitat consultation requirements under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. The Corps’ initial determination is that the proposed project will have no effect on essential fish habitat or associated fisheries.

No historic properties or endangered species would be affected, according to documents, but the Corps will request an opinion from the state Division of Coastal Management on whether the proposed work would comply with the North Carolina Coastal Zone Management Program.

How to comment

The Corps will accept written comments on the proposed work until 5 p.m., Sept. 16. Comments should be submitted to Billy Standridge, Washington Regulatory Field Office, 2407 West Fifth St., Washington, North Carolina 27889.

The public notice and all attached plans are available on the Wilmington District’s website.

WANCHESE — Those curious about what goes on inside the East Carolina University Outer Banks Campus, which houses ECU’s Integrated Coastal Programs, or ECU ICP, and the Coastal Studies Institute, or CSI, can visit the facility from 1-4 p.m. Saturday, April 13, during the 2019 open house.

CSI is a multi-institutional research partnership led by ECU, with North Carolina State University, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, University of North Carolina Wilmington and Elizabeth City State University. CSI focuses on integrated coastal research and education programming centered on responding to the needs, issues and topics of concern of the residents of eastern North Carolina.

During the open house, visitors can learn about research initiatives from faculty and staff, tour the campus, grounds and facilities, learn about ongoing research and education programs and engage in family-friendly activities.

Visitors will also have the opportunity to interact with faculty and staff from hosts ECU and CSI, which focuses on a range of coastal topics from nearshore coastal estuaries to the offshore waters along the continental shelf, as well as meet partners from North Carolina Sea Grant, NOAA’s Monitor National Marine Sanctuary and the Outer Banks Center for Dolphin Research.

The ECU Outer Banks Campus is at 850 N.C. 345 , about a mile from where U.S. 64 and N.C. 345 intersect.

Learn More

• ECU Outer Banks Campus
• Coastal Studies Institute

WANCHESE — Missing U-boats from World War II are being discovered right off the coast of North Carolina.

Joe Hoyt, acting national maritime heritage coordinator and maritime archaeologist at NOAA’s Monitor National Marine Sanctuary, will give a talk about World War II battles of the coast at 6 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 21, as part of the Science on the Sound lecture series.

Hosted by East Carolina University’s Integrated Coastal Programs and the Coastal Studies Institute at the ECU Outer Banks Campus, 850 N.C. 345 in Wanchese, the monthly programs highlight coastal topics and issues in northeast North Carolina.

Hoyt’s presentation, “War Offshore! Honoring and Protecting a WWII Battlefield off the Carolina Coast” will focus on the Battle of the Atlantic as well the archaeological research projects undertaken by NOAA’s Monitor National Marine Sanctuary.

The presentation is free and the public is encouraged to attend.

“When many people think of WWII they conjure images of faraway places like Normandy, Dunkirk, or Iwo Jima. Few realize that there was a WWII battlefield just a few miles off the coast of North Carolina where NOAA has been exploring for more than a decade,” according to the news release.

This program will be streamed live and the online viewing audience will be able to ask the presenter questions via an online chat room.

WANCHESE — Baby oysters have a new habitat here along the shoreline near the North Carolina Coastal Federation’s northeast office.

Around two dozen concrete oyster reef balls weighing in at 1,300 pounds each, were deployed last week along 100 feet of shoreline, giving baby oysters plenty of space to attach and grow, the federation announced Wednesday. Over the next two years, the oyster reef balls will recruit oysters, helping to improve water quality in Broad Creek. These oyster reef balls will help create more habitat around the shoreline that can provide foraging and refuge areas for important fish species.

Area contractor, Total Marine Services, deployed the 25 oyster reef balls measuring at 3 feet by 4 feet apiece near the federation’s office in Wanchese Marine Industrial Park.

The reef balls are adjacent to a 100-foot sill built by volunteers out of recycled oyster shell and show two different ways oysters can be used to create habitat and protect the natural shoreline, according to the release.

“These reef balls help to demonstrate the variety of ways that oysters can be restored to our waters,” said Erin Fleckenstein, coastal scientist and regional manager for the federation’s Wanchese office, in a statement. “The reef balls and nearby oyster shell bags will provide a surface for baby oysters to naturally attach to and develop into an oyster reef along the shoreline.”

One of many projects being built at the federation’s offices, the staff continuously works to demonstrate techniques for building oyster reefs, protecting natural shorelines and limiting stormwater runoff from entering nearby coastal waters.

“We look forward to educating everyone about these techniques. Already we’ve been using the oyster bags along the shoreline in our summer programming,” said Sara Hallas, coastal education coordinator, in a statement.

The project is supported by Camp Younts Foundation and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Community-based Restoration Program.

Oyster restoration is one of the federation’s major initiatives. By 2020, the organization plans to restore 50 acres of oyster reef through its 50 Million Oyster Initiative.

Learn More

• 50 Million Oyster Initiative