BATH - North Carolina's oldest town is a historic hamlet tucked up Bath Creek off the Pamlico River, a popular area for boating. But its undeveloped banks now place it where the waves of coastal development are crashing.

Last month, Bath town leaders called a timeout, approving a six-month moratorium on new subdivisions.

"These subdivisions were just coming at us rapid fire," Mayor Jimmy Latham said. "We just wanted to make sure what we are doing is right for the area. When that development train leaves the station, it's not coming back."

The rapid growth has spurred intense debate about changes to the state's inner coastline and sparked efforts in some counties to slow the pace.

On Monday, Pamlico County commissioners approved an ordinance that limits the density and height of developments such as condominiums, apartments and row houses along the water. Earlier this month, Carteret County leaders rejected a moratorium on major new development in the eastern part of the county but pledged to pursue limits on height and the amount of paved surface allowed. Camden County, one of the nation's fastest-growing, in March extended a ban on new subdivisions through next spring until it can build a new school. Its three schools are crowded.

On the inland coast in Beaufort County, Bath, population 285, has only one full-time employee, and a local school principal doubles as a part-time town administrator. But it is experiencing growth around its borders.

Latham, the mayor, said the town had approved about 140 new houses in recent months and more subdivisions were planned.

"We're not Raleigh, Charlotte or Winston-Salem," Latham said. "We don't have the infrastructure in place to handle 250 or 300 new homes."

During the moratorium, the town has hired the Mid-East Commission, based in Washington, N.C., to review its ordinances and fees.

John Baldwin, a Raleigh developer, said the moratorium was intended to stop him. Two of his waterfront subdivisions -- Bridgewater North and Bridgewater South on Bath Creek, with a total of 103 lots -- received the town's approval about three months ago and are being reviewed by the state. Two more developments are pending.

"They inflicted the moratorium on us the same day they were supposed to be approving our subdivisions," said Baldwin, who said the delays will cost him $137,000 in interest.

Baldwin plans to build a couple of 4,000-square-foot houses with price tags of $1 million to $2 million and market the subdivisions in the Triangle and nationally as vacation homes.

Baldwin dismissed concerns about stormwater runoff affecting the creek. He said the subdivisions will have grassy ditches to prevent runoff and will replace 300 acres of farmland that produced pollution from tilled soil, pesticides and fertilizers.

"When you have stormwater runoff dumping right into Bath Creek, what difference does it make?" Baldwin said. "Stormwater runoff is not an issue in Bath Creek."

In Pamlico County, new condominiums in the rural Dawson Creek area prompted county leaders to require lots of at least one acre within 400 feet of the water and to limit building heights to 45 feet.

"The water in the county has kind of been discovered," said Tim Buck, Pamlico County's interim manager. "We had a couple of condominium projects in areas where we didn't have any paved streets."

County officials were concerned about access by fire trucks. The condominium projects didn't require subdividing the land, so they didn't trigger the kind of review or requirements for paved streets that a typical subdivision would get.

"It was a loophole," Buck said. "We'd like to basically manage the growth and protect our waterfront. If you ride by it by boat, it's beautiful."