
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: TUESDAY, July 10, 1990                   TAG: 9007100282
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: B3   EDITION: STATE 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: CEDAR ISLAND                                LENGTH: Medium

REGULATIONS IRRITATE ISLAND LANDOWNERS

The Virginia Marine Resources Commission is trying to decide whether landowners on this barrier island have the right to develop their property, or whether the public has a stake in leaving the island somewhat untouched.

The commission's proposed development regulations would severely limit growth on the 7-mile-long island of sand. Many of the island landowners say the proposed regulations would hurt the value of their land.

Ray and Sandy Agnello of Fallston, Md., have written the commission - which is halfway through a two-month public comment period on the regulations - that the commission's actions would deny them "our hard-earned part of the American dream."

Under the proposed regulations, new houses must be built back from the dunes at least 50 times the long-term shoreline erosion rate. If the shoreline erodes 10 feet a year over 100 years, for example, a house could be built no closer than 500 feet from the top of a dune.

That would be difficult in places were the island is just barely 100 yards wide. Current regulations require only that the houses be built on the back side of dunes nearest the surf.

The regulations also would ban washing machines, garbage disposals and second bathrooms, and regulate the size of the new houses.

In the past, the ocean has washed away several expensive homes. Over the past several years, more than 400 feet of land has been washed away from the northern end of the island.

Cedar Island is one of 18 barrier islands strung along the Virginia coast. The barriers were heralded by the United Nations in 1979 as an international treasure, one of the world's last remaining pristine coastal areas.

"Virginia's barrier islands belong to the world - not just to a few landowners and developers," Gail Pigeon of Hopewell told the commission in a recent letter.

All the barrier islands but Cedar Island are either owned by the federal and state government or The Nature Conservancy, a private, non-profit group that buys up land threatened by development.

There are about 30 houses on Cedar Island. Twelve are simple cabins; others are roomy, custom beach houses built since 1986.

Most of those new houses have been built on the 69 lots sold for between $80,000 and $100,000 apiece four years ago when a large tract was subdivided.

So far, public comment on the proposed regulations is evenly split, commission staff members said. A final decision is not expected until September.

by CNB