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COROLLA, N.C.
A massive house looms above the dunes in the northernmost developed part of the Outer Banks. The structure dwarfs the 5,000-square-foot home nearby in a place where big-wheeled buggies rumble over unpaved roads and wild horses graze in yards.
With 24 bedrooms, it is one of four similarly sized structures in the county raising questions about how big a single-family dwelling can be.
"We think the definition is very clear. This house should not be allowed as a single-family dwelling," said Marie Long, owner of the house next door on Ocean Pearl Road.
Long has protested the home's 20,000-square-foot size and planned use for events such as weddings where roughly 50 people can stay overnight. She has taken her fight to the court system.
She argues that the volunteer fire department is 7 miles away and emergency trucks would have to navigate narrow sandy roads to respond. As a single-family home, it is not required to meet commercial standards for sprinklers, marked exits, floor loads or handicapped access.
Weeklong stays with weddings can cost between $20,000 and $30,000 in the peak season. The house is primarily for commercial purposes rather than family gatherings, she said.
But a local board ruled in 2013 that the house falls within the county's development ordinance as a single-family dwelling. After Long appealed, the Superior Court upheld the county's decision. Long is waiting for a decision from the North Carolina Court of Appeals. Her chances don't look good.
The state passed a law earlier this year that prohibits local governments from limiting the number of bedrooms in homes.
"If a large residential structure is not a single-family dwelling, then it would likely have to be considered a hotel," Currituck County planning director Ben Woody said.
The county's development ordinance does not address a building that is a mix between a house and a hotel, he said.
The debate pits old adversaries of personal property rights against government regulations intended to protect the community. Locals in the four-wheel drive area north of Corolla have successfully opposed business districts and major road improvements over the years. Isolation and less control is part of the attraction.
This rental home should be no different than others, said Bernie Mancuso, builder of the large house on Ocean Pearl Road.
"Just because it gets bigger does not mean its rights should change," he said.
Currituck County lists 247 homes of 5,000 or more square feet built since 2005. Most are rentals.
Fears of mansion-like homes going up all over the beach are unfounded, Mancuso said. Few lots can handle the size. The county imposes setbacks and a height limit of 35 feet.
In the more urban Currituck Club subdivision in Corolla, another 24-bedroom home named The Black Stallion is open for rentals at nearly $28,000 a week in peak season. The pool house is more than 2,000 square feet. The Twiddy & Co. Realtors website lists amenities such as a spiral staircase three stories tall and a dining room that seats 50. A life-size statue of a rearing black stallion stands out front.
Most homes in the neighborhood are about 5,000 square feet.
Former real estate agent and neighbor Dave Knoch has protested the home's frequent use for big parties. He has been awakened by gatherings held there. Knoch has filed a request to amend county ordinances to say that any house over 5,000 square feet that hosts more than two events a year must get commercial zoning and building permits.
The county planning board is expected to consider the proposed amendment next month.
"Every weekend there is a church party or wedding party or whatever," Knoch said. "I'm not against large houses. I'm against how they're being used."
Jeff Hampton, 252-338-0159, jeff.hampton@pilotonline.com
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