THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, March 23, 1995 TAG: 9503230594
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY BETTY MITCHELL GRAY, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: WILMINGTON LENGTH: Short : 47 lines
A yearlong review of rules governing the use of sandbags along the state's beaches could come to an end if the Coastal Resources Commission approves the latest version of rules to be presented to the panel today.
The proposed changes are intended to resolve an impasse among commission members over the number of times a sandbag wall can be built to protect an oceanfront home or business.
And the latest proposals also clarify when communities with active beach-renourishment projects would be granted extensions of the proposed two-year limit on sandbags.
The proposals were intended to strengthen restrictions on sandbag use by clarifying the length of time and conditions under which they could be used to protect beachfront homes, motels and other buildings.
While current rules say sandbags are intended to afford temporary protection to allow property owners to move endangered buildings, the rules fail to specify a length of time sandbags should remain in place.
Some oceanfront-property owners who have been prohibited from installing sandbags may be allowed to do so under a provision in the rule changes that would let oceanfront-property owners use sandbags to protect septic tanks.
One version of the rules would limit the use of sandbags to once per beachfront home or other building, but an option that will be considered by the panel today would allow sandbags to be used once each time the property changed ownership.
The rules also would expand the criteria to be used to determine if a community is eligible for an extension of the two-year proposed time limit for sandbag structures because of an active beach-renourishment project.
Most coastal residents and others who have written the Division of Coastal Management about the proposals have said sandbags should be allowed to stay in place along the coast to prevent homes from tumbling into the ocean.
Property owners at three oceanfront condominium developments in Dare County are among about three dozen people who have written the division opposing the rule change.
If the commission approves the changes, they would take effect April 1. The commission also could vote to hold more public hearings, and delay action. by CNB