Coastal boom moves inland

The new waterfront: North Carolina's beaches have been heavily developed for years. But along the state's 3,000-plus miles of mainland waterfront, a second land rush is on, with sleepy river towns awakening to dense development. What will it mea

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CORRECTION

A front-page photo caption Sunday with an article about coastal development transposed the identifications of painters Mike Griffin and Johnny Parrish.

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North Carolina's broad river mouths and sprawling sounds were once the last tranquil stretches of scenery on the way to the beach. Now they're the destination.

The equivalent of a long, narrow city is about to rise on the fragile waterfront inside the barrier islands. Tens of thousands of retiring baby boomers -- many from out of state and ready to cash out of expensive housing markets -- are expected to migrate to the mainland shore, a 20-county area stretching from Currituck in the northeast to Brunswick on the state's southern coast.

More than 34,000 homes in nearly 100 subdivisions and condominium projects are planned or are now going up, a News & Observer tally shows. Other projects are further along or completed. More are expected.

North Carolina has more than 3,000 winding miles of inner coast waterfront property, but much consists of wetlands or preserves that can't be developed. For people attracted by the water, that places a premium on what is available.

Lots listing for $400,000 or more are common, and condominiums are selling for up to $1.2 million. Shopping centers and medical complexes to serve those homeowners are sprouting from the sandy soil.

"We've been discovered," said Ann Holton, a Pamlico County commissioner. "It's happening almost too fast. I've lived here all my life, and it just amazes me how much people will pay to put a little house on the creek."

The land rush represents promise for the region's economy and a threat to the lifestyle that makes coastal living attractive.

The region's charms are endangered by the crowds they are luring. The small towns along the water include some of the state's historic gems; the vast estuary system is the heart of its seafood industry and home to its best recreational boating.

In places with little experience with major development, officials are rushing to enact basic regulations, such as zoning and subdivision ordinances. They worry about pollution, crowding and traffic.

Meanwhile, marinas, commercial docks and fish houses are being gobbled so quickly that legislators introduced a bill last month to study what can be done. Fisheries experts warn that the commercial fishing industry is at risk, along with affordable public access to the water.

But the boom also offers help for some of the state's poorest communities, places that for decades held little hope of building their economies. These areas could be transformed by new jobs, retiree spending and billions in real estate and construction transactions.

Bertie, one of the state's poorest counties, expects to double its tax base in just a few years.

"In the past, there was a lot of focus on recruiting industry," said Elizabeth Bryant, director of the Edenton-Chowan County Planning and Inspection Department. "Retirees may become our biggest industry."

A blockbuster deal

That new industry is suddenly bringing some unusual visitors to the impoverished northeastern corner of the state.

Last November at a tiny airport in Chowan County, a Boeing 737 settled heavily on the runway and screamed to a stop. It was hard for gawking locals to miss the Miami Dolphins helmet painted on the tail.

A private airliner wasn't the kind of transportation people see often in Chowan, which ranks 74th among the state's 100 counties in median household income. The businessman who stepped off it wasn't the kind they were used to, either: Wayne Huizenga, the former owner of Blockbuster Video, current owner of the Dolphins and, now, 930 acres of Chowan farmland that commands more than a mile and a half of Albemarle Sound shoreline.