THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, January 10, 1995 TAG: 9501100324
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY ANNE SAITA, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CURRITUCK LENGTH: Medium: 75 lines
During the next decade, Currituck County's population is expected to top 20,000, but during the peak tourist season the county could hold three times that number.
County officials learned of the population projections at a work session Monday afternoon. The figures were calculated by a Maryland consulting firm hired by the largely bucolic county to provide data for a growth-financing plan.
``The good news is you will continue to grow, and the challenge is being able to cope with it,'' said Linda E. Hollis, a consultant with Tischler & Associates Inc., of Bethesda, Md.
Currituck's permanent population is expected to increase from 15,804 in 1994 to up to 22,707 by the year 2005. That's a 65 percent increase from the 1990 U.S. Census figure of 13,736.
Peak populations during the summer tourist season could add another 40,000, according to a two-hour presentation at the Currituck Senior Center.
``That's a lot of people on the roads. That's a lot of people needing fire and rescue services,'' Hollis said.
County staff members, commissioners and planners will use these population projections to create a master plan for providing county services and facilities into the 21st century.
``Yours is somewhat unique, as far as jurisdictions go,'' consultant Paul Tischler told the group ofmore than a dozen men and women.
Unlike a lot of other growing communities, Currituck is experiencing population swells from two very different types of people, he said.
Working class Hampton Roads residents are moving to the northern end of the county for a quieter and less expensive way of life. An estimated 2,200 people commute from Currituck to Virginia for jobs, a study indicated.
Upper-income tourists are buying up property on the Outer Banks at the southeastern end of the county. During the past 10 years, almost half of the county's the new residential permits have been for Currituck beach areas, according to the Tischler report.
Both groups of new property owners will pressure local officials for more services, Tischler said.
``You'll get conflicts not only between the old and the new, but between demands of service and how you're going to pay for them.''
Currituck officials are working to find a way to provide enough services for its burgeoning communities while maintaining the rural feel of the county.
``I don't think we have ever, in the history of the county, looked at levels of services and decided what we can provide,'' County Manager Bill Richardson said.
Others conceded developers have had free rein in recent years.
``The past eight years, we were not looking ahead. Every development that came in was approved with no questions,'' Planning Board Member LaRee Lynn said.
One possible solution given considerable discussion was impact fees, a one-time payment by new development to help pay for new facilities.
Impact fees are restricted to expansion projects and cannot be used to operate these new facilities, such as schools, roads, fire and rescue stations or expanded water systems.
Another option is increasing the county's 1 percent land-transfer tax, levied on landowners when property changes hands. The tax currently raises about $750,000 annually for the county, Richardson said.
The next step for both the county and its consultants is to determine the level of services Currituck can afford and how officials will finance the capital improvements.
A final report is expected by June.
Tischler & Associates has provided economic financing plans for other neighboring localities, including Nags Head and Raleigh in North Carolina and Norfolk, Chesapeake, Virginia Beach and Isle of Wight County in Virginia.
KEYWORDS: POPULATION GROWTH by CNB