Ground breaks on apartment complex in Elizabeth city

Construction began this week on a complex of 180 apartments that would be the largest project of its kind in Elizabeth City.

Tanglewood Lake Apartments, going up on 16.3 acres behind the Super Wal-Mart next to U.S. 17, is expected to be finished by late next year.

A second phase on 28.5 acres is in the works, but no plans have been submitted, said June Brooks, planning director for Elizabeth City.

With a depressed real estate market, rental units remain in demand, said Jean Baker, a city councilwoman and a real estate agent. Three-bedroom apartments are renting for nearly $1,000 a month. Three-bedroom homes can rent for more than $1,300, she said.

"The rental market is hot," Baker said.

Emerald Lakes Apartments, a complex of 132 units north of Elizabeth City, is the next nearest in size, Baker said.

The first phase of Tanglewood Lake Apartments, developed by S.L. Nusbaum Realty of Norfolk, includes 10 buildings with 180 apartments ranging from one to three bedrooms, Brooks said.

Elizabeth City has seen a construction boom along U.S. 17 and Halstead Boulevard Extended, a road connecting the city to the bypass where large tracts of farmland were converted into prime development sites. In the past three years, the city has annexed 1,500 acres and added 2,000 lots in 10 major subdivisions, most near U.S. 17 and Halstead Boulevard.

Tanglewood Lake will be within sight of a proposed residential and commercial development of 427 lots that could add 2,000 people and be the largest subdivision in the town's history in spite of the housing market.

Development has been so brisk that City Council members are considering a moratorium on new subdivisions. A public hearing on a possible development moratorium is set for Dec. 8. Baker opposes a moratorium.

Flooding in some older neighborhoods, such as Oxford Heights, has raised concerns that new developments nearby have created drainage problems. Oxford Heights is close to Halstead Boulevard Extended.

A moratorium could buy time for a study on the issue.

Developments already in the permitting process would not be affected by a moratorium.

Jeff Hampton, (252) 338-0159, jeff.hampton@pilotonline.com