Residents and visitors to Kill Devil Hills, NC, have been dismayed to see mini-hotels—“homes” with more than 10 bedrooms (some as big as 28 bedrooms!) —be approved as “single family residences” by the town of Kill Devil Hills and the state. Developers have found and exploited a loophole in the town’s lax building requirements, and it’s threatening to ruin what we and others love about KDH.

These mini-hotels threaten the safety of our town, as they don’t allow access for emergency vehicles and they don’t have fire sprinkler systems. They threaten the character of our town, as they don’t fit in with the homes and lots already in place around them. And they threaten the future of our town, as they are changing the relaxed, family feel of this beach, and will make it less attractive to future vacationers and residents.

We are working with the KDH Planning & Zoning Department and have attended several open-forum Town Hall Meetings to voice our concerns and ask for changes.  Local authorities suggested we take our arguments to the State, so we are meeting with Chief Consultants of Building and Fire Codes at the DOI in Raleigh to ask for their guidance in righting this wrongful over-building.  We are asking for these code changes:

   - Restrict the square footage of single-family homes to 6,000 sq. ft.*

   - Redefine “homes” over 6,000 sq. ft. as commercial (not single-family residential), and thus subject to commercial zoning ordinances.

Furthermore, for future projects as well as those projects already approved and/or under construction, we are asking for these changes to protect our city:

   - Require an open, marked lane for fire and emergency vehicles (restricted now due to parking congestion)

   - Require sprinkler systems

Please be a voice to save the town that residents and millions of visitors have loved for generations.

*Currently, Nags Head limits homes to 5,000, and Southern Shores to 6,000 square feet.