THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, January 8, 1997 TAG: 9701080348
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY ANNE SAITA, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: MOYOCK LENGTH: 86 lines
Despite ongoing litigation, a large tract of land off Survey Road in Moyock apparently will be developed into a golf course community.
Currituck County officials announced Tuesday that they had reached an agreement with Tate Terrace Realty Investors Inc. that will bring to Moyock its first 18-hole golf course.
It also will provide the county with a 40-acre site that officials hope will be suitable for a public school and park.
By this time next year, 429 to 601 single-family houses could start sprouting up where there are now fields. The number of units will depend on a state appellate court.
``I think there's a good chance that we'll be in there this summer and have the first section coming on line with the construction of the golf course,'' said Alan Resh, a partner in the Tate Terrace venture, who sued the county after it rejected his plans for a 601-lot development called The Plantations.
``Whether it's the 429 units, or the 601, it's a win-win situation,'' said Resh, of Virginia Beach.
The county apparently also likes the deal.
The Board of Commissioners unanimously approved the agreement after an hourlong closed session late Monday night. The deal had been in the works for months, a county official said.
``I think this agreement does not jeopardize the county's position in the litigation, and it enables us to obtain 40 acres to be used for a school or future government facilities,'' said County Manager Bill Richardson.
``And it also, with the installation of a golf course, I think, upgrades the nature of the development from the original proposal,'' he said.
Such a development had been approved for the Moyock property before Tate Terrace bought the 520-acre parcel in a 1988 foreclosure sale.
A few years later, Resh came before commissioners to seek approval for a denser development, without a golf course, called The Plantations.
Commissioners rejected the proposal, saying the county could not adequately service that many new residents at once, particularly schoolchildren.
The outcome of this case is being closely watched by public officials and private citizens alike because of the impact it could have on future residential development here and across North Carolina.
Resh and Tate Terrace won in Superior Court a year ago, and the county last March reluctantly granted permission to build The Plantations.
But the county also appealed the court's decision. The North Carolina Court of Appeals is expected to hear the case in the next six to eight months, Resh said Tuesday.
Meanwhile, plans are under way for the new golf course, Mill Run Golf and Country Club - a first for the northern end of the county.
The project is being developed by locally owned Jernigan Enterprises Inc., which developed and operates the county's first golf course, Goose Creek Golf and Country Club in Grandy.
Goose Creek has been followed by other developers' courses - The Pointe and Holly Ridge in Lower Currituck and The Currituck Club near Corolla.
Nags Head attorney John Mauney, who represents Jernigan Enterprises, said Mill Run will help meet the demands of a growing number of golf lovers, particularly those living in nearby Hampton Roads.
``Virginia has been desperately in need of golf courses,'' Mauney said, explaining that increasing popularity has led to overcrowded courses in places like Chesapeake and Virginia Beach.
Moyock is considered part of Hampton Roads demographically because of its commuting patterns and close association with Chesapeake, the fastest-growing city in Virginia.
``So it's going to meet the needs of the explosion in Chesapeake. Of course, there's also an explosion going on in Moyock,'' he said.
Mill Run Golf, which is a separate entity of the Tate Terrace subdivision, will include a 5,000-square-foot clubhouse with a pro shop, banquet facilities and food bar. It also will have a driving range and offer a golf school with a certified PGA instructor.
A third component of the agreement between Tate Terrace and Currituck County is to allow the county to use Tate Terrace's sewer system after a school is built.
Should soils be unsuitable to build a new school, then the county has the option to use the land for recreation (other than golf) or other governmental uses, according to the agreement. ILLUSTRATION: GOLF GOURSE PLANS
Currituck County officials announced Tuesday that they had reached
an agreement with Tate Terrace Realty Investors Inc. that will bring
to Moyock its first 18-hole golf course.
The Board of Commissioners unanimously approved the agreement after
an hourlong closed session late Monday night. The deal had been in
the works for months, a county official said.