THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, February 20, 1996 TAG: 9602200380
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY CATHERINE KOZAK, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: MANTEO LENGTH: Medium: 87 lines
Duck Station cleared its last bureaucratic hurdle Monday when the Dare County Board of Commissioners gave unanimous approval of the controversial project, which had fomented local frustrations about increased development in the tiny north beach community.
In backing the Planning Board's recent recommendation to approve a conditional use permit for the combined gas station, convenience store and restaurant, the commission agreed the facility meets the standards of permitted use under the commercial zoning ordinance of Duck Village.
``Some sort of commercial development would eventually happen on this piece of property,'' Commissioner Geneva Perry said. ``In my opinion, it conforms and that's what I feel this board needs to go with.''
Developers promise the approximate 3,000-square-foot building on Highway 12 across from Duck United Methodist Church will be attractive, painted in earth tones and cedar-sided.
``I commit to make it even nicer than what we had portrayed to the Planning Board and the commission,'' said Whitt Sessoms, a Virginia Beach developer. ``I really look forward to being a corporate citizen of the community.''
Sessoms said construction is expected to begin within 30 days and should take 90 days to complete at a cost of about $2 million.
Bullets Restaurant, a Richmond-based fast-food franchise, will lease the 40-seat restaurant facility from Sessoms and his partner, James Braithwaite. The menu will include typical fast-food fare: chicken, hamburgers, barbecue and hot dogs, said Al Donovan, consultant for Melvin L. Davis Oil Co., Inc. of Stony Creek, Va. Davis Oil will run the franchise, Donovan said.
Operating hours have not been determined, he added, but will be comparable to the hours of the convenience store and gas station.
Opponents of the project, who had earlier collected 400 signatures in a petition against Duck Station, said runoff from the gas station could affect water purity and the facility would add to congestion in the area.
``We ask that you listen not only to the residents and businessman, but to the shoppers in Duck,'' resident George McKeon told the board during the public comment portion of the session. ``We feel approval would result in further deterioration of the quality of life in Duck and would be a detriment to the business community.''
But Ray Sturza, director of the county Planning Department, said Duck Station, despite protests to the contrary from nearby residents and landowners, is clearly permissible under the local zoning law.
``I have an obligation to the ordinance and the rules,'' he said. ``Since 1975, no board has ever denied a conditional use permit. As unpopular as they may be from time to time, as a staff member I have to endeavor to enforce the ordinance.''
Sturza said state law will require that a retention base be installed on-site to monitor storm runoff. He also said developers will use low-profile lighting and that ``all due caution'' will be used to preserve a century-old oak tree on the 1.1-acre property.
At Commissioner Douglas Langford's request, a condition requiring developers to maintain and protect the ``natural vegetation,'' including the tree, was added shortly before the panel approved the plan.
A conditional use permit is automatically required in a restaurant or gas station application. If conditions are not met by the developer, the application can be revoked, Sturza said.
``Let's see what they do,'' said opponent Martha McKeon after the board's vote. ``I guess we never thought we could win, but we just kept trying. It's so sad.''
In another matter, the commission again showed its reluctance to pursue delinquent ambulance bills if debtors cannot afford to pay, but supported the county's pursuing insurance payment through a new billing approach.
Approximately $621,000 in ambulance fees over the last five years remain unpaid, but much of it may be because the county does not bill insurance companies directly.
Public safety director Harry Seymour said county emergency medical services bills its patients, and patients must file the bill with their insurance providers.
``That's probably why we got so much delinquency,'' Seymour said. ``The people would get the checks, and then, goodbye. . . ''
By next month, county EMS providers will be registered with insurance companies and the county can bill them directly, Seymour said. The county hopes to collect $150,000 for the remainder of the year, he said, and up to $500,000 next year.
Dare County EMS charges $125 to $250 per trip within the county, depending on emergency procedures required. Ambulance transportation outside county limits costs an additional $3 a mile, Seymour said. by CNB