Residents protest proposed go-kart park in Outer Banks

COROLLA

A  park with a go-kart track proposed for Corolla has drawn opposition from residents there who say it would bring a Myrtle Beach-type atmosphere.

Developer Israel Golasa, who also owns Wings stores and Beach Mart Inc., plans to build a fun park on 3.3 acres that would include an arcade, a 36-hole miniature golf course and a go-kart track.

The site sits across N.C. 12 from the Food Lion complex and lies just north of the TimBuck II commercial area.

Plans are to open by next summer.

After a public hearing, Golasa must get a special-use permit from commissioners. A public hearing has not been scheduled, but opposition is expected.

"We have this already in TimBuck II," said Corolla resident Bob Schultz. "I don't think we need more of it."

Corolla has a unique residential character that is not found in other tourist destinations, Schultz said. Commercial developments like this could make Corolla more like Myrtle Beach, he said.

Officials with TimBuck II, a commercial district that includes a go-kart track and miniature golf, oppose the fun park, said Tim Rary, an executive board member on TimBuck II's business association and manager of Corolla Raceway, a go-kart track.

"No one over here is happy," Rary said.

Parking would be insufficient, wetlands would be negatively affected and the drainage pond there could not handle additional flow, Rary said.

Corolla residents have often opposed new commercial developments. Community objections have led to strict ordinances that keep businesses small and require unobtrusive outdoor lighting.

The project has most of its permits, meets county development requirements and will have a low profile that blends in, said John DeLucia of Albemarle & Associates, engineer for the project.

"It really is a special place up there," DeLucia said. "But it still needs things for the family and kids to do."

Getting a special-use permit requires a quasi-judicial hearing before the Board of Commissioners. If a developer meets all requirements, the law requires commissioners to issue the permit, said Ben Woody, director of the Currituck County Planning Department.

Opponents must present evidence or testimony from an expert that a development would harm the community, such as lower property values, he said.

"They can't just say no because people don't like it," he said.

The project still has obstacles, including parts that may sit within a wastewater spray disposal area for Monteray Shores treatment plant and some facilities that could disturb wetlands, said Donna Voliva, a county planner.

The 3.3-acre fun park would sit within 38.25 acres, including a drainage pond, open space and wetlands.

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