New subdivision approved in Currituck County

CURRITUCK, N.C.

A proposed 160-lot subdivision on N.C. 168 is one of the largest approved in Currituck County in the past 10 years.

Located on 157 acres just north of Bells Island Road, Laurel Woods Estates would offer 160 half-acre lots with homes ranging from 1,600 to 2,800 square feet.

"We've seen an uptick in affordable housing," said developer Sam Miller of Chesapeake. "We've seen some opportunity in the Hampton Roads area and the Currituck area."

The size of Laurel Woods Estates harkens back to the housing boom of the 1990s and early 2000s in Currituck County, when developers were regularly proposing large subdivisions. But when the market fell, so did applications to build new neighborhoods.

Building permits for new single-family homes issued in Currituck County fell to 123 last year after peaking at 565 in 2003, according to records from the county inspections department. With two weeks to go in 2011, only 99 building permits have been issued.

"We've got a long way to go," said Maxine Rossman, executive officer of the Outer Banks Home Builders Association.

Kilmarlic Club in Powells Point, approved in 2001, was the last subdivision of more than 100 lots that went to construction in Currituck County. Currituck Reserve, with nearly 300 home sites, was approved in 2007 but the development foundered largely because of the slow housing market. Shingle Landing, an 82-lot development in Moyock, has sold well since starting in 2005. Plans are in the works for a second phase of 25 lots.

Laurel Woods Estates would be minutes from the Chesapeake border. Amenities are to include ponds and walking trails, Miller said. Lots could be for sale by March, he said.

"I wish them well," said John Rorer, chairman of the Currituck County Board of Commissioners. "I have concerns that lots will sell well in this economic market."

Lots have sold in Moyock developments close to the border, but construction has nearly stopped at the south end of Currituck County, Rorer said.

In 2006, Laurel Woods Estates received sketch plan approval, the first step in the permitting process, but the county limited the number of lots that could be sold to 10 per year. At the time, officials were concerned with school capacity and county water availability.

Miller put the project on hold. Since then, the county has built new schools and a new water plant. On Dec. 5, county officials approved the preliminary plat, the second stage of permitting, allowing up to 49 lots in the first year.

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