N.C. county nixes development on wild horses' land

Currituck County commissioners have nixed plans for a commercial development, including a 50-room inn, on the northern Currituck Outer Banks, where wild horses roam.

Commissioners voted unanimously against the proposal Monday night, said County Manager Dan Scanlon.

Residents opposed to the project helped defeat it four years ago.

Developer Gerald Friedman of Norfolk had applied for an "off road historic village commercial overlay" district with plans to develop a 25.77-acre site on Ocean Pearl Road and Albatross Lane in Swan Beach into a commercial site. It would include a 50-room inn; a convenience store; county services such as a fire department; a church; professional offices; and apartments.

Residents living within the few communities there have long opposed any commercial development in Currituck County's four-wheel-drive area and have resisted efforts to get the roads paved.

A trip for shopping or work requires a long drive between the dunes and the surf, often through deep sand.

Even with massive four-wheel-drive vehicles, visitors unaccustomed to the hazards often get stuck and need help to get free.

A herd of about 100 wild horses roams the area north of Corolla, a strand about 12 miles long and a mile wide. Federal and state agencies own much of the land there.

The wild horses are among the biggest attractions on the Currituck County Outer Banks.

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