THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, November 21, 1994 TAG: 9411210050
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: STAFF REPORT
DATELINE: MANTEO LENGTH: Short : 37 lines
A large crowd is expected tonight at a hearing on a request to rezone 45 acres of forest on the north end of Roanoke Island so a campground can be built there.
The hearing, called by Dare County commissioners who will make the final decision, starts at 7 p.m. in the board's chambers.
The land is on the west side of Highway 64 near the bridge across the Croatan Sound to the mainland.
Dare County planning officials have approved the request by Dr. W.W. Harvey and his family, who own the land, to rezone it from residential to a new classification, Conservation Public Recreation.
Opponents contend it would lead to spot zoning for other uses that would ruin the charm of the island, where the first English settlers put down roots in 1587 not far from the site of the proposed campground.
Among the objectors is the island's most famous homeowner, television actor Andy Griffith, who has owned a waterfront home on the island since 1956.
Griffith plays a lawyer in the long-running television series ``Matlock'' and was a national favorite for years as the beloved sheriff in the ``Andy Griffith Show.''
He said last week he cannot be at the hearing but plans to have a letter read there, stating his objections that the development would lead to other zoning changes that would hurt the island.
Griffith's home on Roanoke Sound is a couple of miles from the proposed campground, and on the other side of Highway 64. by CNB