Development on the Coast

There isn't an easy answer! These Hatteras folks screwed themselves by not having zoning laws prohibiting this sort of thing, but the reason they didn't have the zoning laws was to help out the local fishermen! Elitism?... I must have missed that part? These people just never dreamed someone would want to come in and bulldoze the live oaks and the marsh to build condos and vacation homes. So what if this guy built a fieldhouse for Myrtle Beach High School and donated a firetruck to Atlantic Beach? What good is that sort of thing going to do Hatteras Island if the whole place is under water?!! This isn't the same situation. The state of NC has got to make some rules about developing this fragile land and as the original article states, it isn't just areas on the Outer Banks that are in jeopardy. Topsail Island is almost gone.

And yes, these folks are about as native as you can get to the Outer Banks without being Croatan.

I love the Outer Banks. I love to vacation there. And I realize that by declaring a large part of the coast National Seashore, my options for accommodations will be limited. But we've got to make a hard choice: do we continue to build or do we preserve the land so that future generations will have someplace to go? The banks are designed to fluctuate. Man-made structures are interrupting that natural flow of sand and water. Btw, I'm not suggesting we do anything about what's already there; just suggesting that we control any future development.