Carolina coast revels in real estate growth

By William R. Toler

The waters that surround eastern North Carolina’s coastal region are reflecting more than cypress trees.

Condominiums and single-family homes are rising on the inland waterfronts of tiny towns throughout the Inner Banks. The coastal hamlets, once home to family fisheries, are giving way to condo communities and modern marinas.

In the past, these areas have been relying on commercial fishing — one of the state’s oldest industries — for the stability of the economy. But with that way of life threatened by what the N.C. Fisheries Association calls “increasingly stringent, unrealistic and ineffective regulations,” county and town leaders see the boom as a boon.

“We have tremendous growth opportunities,” Bob Spivey, mayor of Windsor, told Carolina Business. “I expect our waterfront areas to explode in the next four to five years. That will expand our tax base and create new business opportunities.”

Real estate developers discover inland waterways

Real estate developers are using the historic charm along with the waterfront and other natural wonders of the region to lure in prospective homebuyers. Inland creeks meander through the state’s coastal area providing waterfront alternatives, yet access, to the rivers, sounds and the Intracoastal Waterway.

“We’re seeing a trend in North Carolina toward inland waterway development,” says Dave Wood of Boomer Advertising, a real estate marketing firm. “People are looking for the waterfront American dream, and the Inner Banks and inland waterways offer an affordable alternative to the beachfront.”

PrivateCommunities.com, a real estate Web site, lists 27 new communities along North Carolina’s coast. In addition to those listed on the site, there are numerous others catering to boaters, nature lovers and those just looking for a slower, quieter pace and a warmer climate.

One of those communities is Swan Quarter Landing. Not yet built, the 45-home condominium community is a first-timer for developer Don Faulkner. He told the magazine NCboatinglifestyle that those interested have been attracted by the small-town atmosphere.

“I was talking with a guy from California recently, and he said that one of the major attractions of Swan Quarter Landing is the ambiance of the village at Swan Quarter,” he said. Swan Quarter is a working fishing village with fewer than 1,000 residents located in Hyde County.

The community’s location is also a big draw, according to Faulkner. Four national wildlife refuges, including Lake Mattamuskeet National Wildlife refuge, occupy the surrounding county. Less than a mile away from the community is a ferry that traverses the Pamlico Sound to Ocracoke, the number one beach in America, according to the 2007 list from Dr. Beach.

“There are a lot of people who ride their bikes to the ferry, spend the day at Ocracoke and then ride their bikes back home,” Faulkner told the magazine. “It’s sort of like having Outer Banks access without the high price tag of waterfront property.”

Baby boomers have Carolina on their mind

The National Active Retirement Association announced in August that North Carolina will “become the number one retirement state over the next 10 or so years,” according to Dan Owens, president of NARA.

The projection comes from a study commissioned by Del Webb, the national leader in developing communities for 55-plus consumers. It showed that the Tar Heel State ranked third, behind Florida and Arizona, as a top retirement destination of baby boomers between the ages of 41 and 69.

Owens added that with huge numbers of people turning 50 each year, the survey results portend a dramatic expansion in the number of older adults living in the state. “This trend is the ‘silent growth engine’ in the Southeast and will continue over the next 25 years. Certainly, North Carolina is in the catbird seat...the trends will increasingly favor the state and help fuel the real estate market.”

With the forecast of a bevy of baby boomers beckoning, the number of projects along the state’s inner banks continues to grow. The News & Observer reported, “Nearly 100 subdivisions and condominium projects with more than 34,000 homes are planned or have just begun to be built... Others are certain to follow as baby boomers retire and head for the water.”


Sources:
Many see urgency of saving state's 'inner coast'
Forum brings foes together
http://www.newsobserver.com/news/growth/inner_coast/story/447538.html
Jay Price
June 6, 2007 News & Observer

Don Faulkner Creates a Waterfront Paradise in Swan Quarter
Cindy Hodnett
July 2007 Volume 5, Issue 7
NCboatinglifestyle


A New Face on the South
Retiree In-Migration Is Becoming an Economic Sweepstakes
http://www.retirementlivingnews.com/rankings.html

www.privatecommunities.com

Bertie County Creates A Healthy Economic Future
A Proactive Approach To Economic Adversity
http://www.carolinabusiness.net/index.php?articles=6
Kay Hubbard Carolina Business

Is this any way to run a business?
Reprinted with permission from Fishnet USA
By Nils Stolpe - 10/1/2007
http://www.ncfish.org/article.asp?id=194

Instructors should be limited on conferences

This may seem a bit personal, but it affects others as well.

College instructors should be limited on the amount of conferences they are allowed to attend per semester.

Sure they pick up ideas, learn new techniques and learn about developments in the ever-changing world of education...but these conferences shouldn't interfere with the education of the students.I have heard students complain before about this problem, and recently I too have become victim to a wandering instructor...the same one I might add.

Nothing personal about the instructor, I think he/she is a great person. But by being gone -- what seems like every other week -- how is the instructor expected to instruct?

One thing I'm not clear on:
Is it the instructors' choice to attend so many conferences, or is the institution requiring professors to leave their students for a week...several times in one semester?

My soloution:
Limit instructors to one conference per semester.

The value of the information brought back cannot equal the success of a student trying to improve their own life.

Image storage

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Newspaper theft deprives students, staff of August edition

More than 500 copies of the Campus Communicator's August edition have been stolen from newsracks on Craven's New Bern and Havelock campuses.

William and I have filed joint reports with Campus Security and I have spoken to the college's executive vice president and vice president for student affairs about confronting the suspect.

While I ask that posters refrain from naming names on this blog, suffice it to say that we are reasonably certain of the identity of the individual who thoughtlessly pilfered hundreds of dollars in newspapers -- which represent countless hours of effort on the part of our excellent, all-volunteer student staff.

Make no mistake, theft of a free distribution newspaper is a crime. And we will prosecute it to the fullest extent of the law.

This college, its students and staff and the hardworking students who produce the Commie deserve nothing less.

Web editorial -- feedback encouraged

We're trying something a little different at the Campus Communicator. So far, editorials have been the exclusive domain of our monthly print edition, but news moves too fast, and some commentary has only a small window of time before it reaches its relevance expiration date.

So, here is our first ever online editorial. If this experiment proves succesful, we may begin posting additional editorials on our Web site, freecraven.com, at regular intervals. Please feel free to post a comment and let us know what you think.

A commissioner's conscience
Harper demonstrates willingness to observe constituents’ wishes

A Campus Communicator editorial

When his constituents let him know that they weren’t thrilled with Craven County commissioners skipping off to Hawaii on the public’s dime, District Seven Commissioner Bill Harper changed his travel plans.

The outspoken taxpayers’ advocate returned his Honolulu plane ticket to the Craven County Manager’s office June 16, after being inundated with complaints from county residents who felt the subsidized trip to Hawaii to attend the National Association of Counties’ annual conference was frivolous in light of a 5-cent tax increase.

While we disagree with those who impugned commissioners’ motives — the annual NAC conference is a legitimate training exercise for local governments, and its exotic location should not hinder Craven County’s representation — we applaud Harper for his receptivity to the citizens he represents.

Few politicians demonstrate such willingness to act on public feedback. Charged with the responsibility of representing the citizens of their cities, counties and states, most elected officials push their own ideological and political agendas.

While Harper probably had no qualms with packing his bags for a necessary and worthwhile conference that Craven County commissioners customarily attended, citizens’ discomfort with what they ostensibly viewed as an extravagance trumped his desire to attend.The citizens who scolded and harangued commissioners for attending the conference were out of touch and out of line. But by taking their message — however misguided — to heart, Harper embodied the spirit of public servanthood upon which American government is founded.

Update from PBLer Commies in Fla-la-land

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- Eric plays far too damn much PlayStation II.

"We miss the female race," he said today. "There's a lot of fine-looking girls who are smart."

"I wish Crystal was here," he added, which elicited some communal chuckles.

Put four guys in a deluxe hotel room with more caffeine than common sense between them, and you're certain to have some interesting conversations. (We're here for Phi Beta Lambda's National Leadership Conference.)

Chris Carrabba from Dashboard Confessional is crooning about defrosters. And if I hear one more thing about stupid PlayStation, I just may ralph.

FIRE fighters credit Commies with First Amendment victory

The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education declared a resounding victory for student press rights at Craven Community College in this triumphant news release: http://www.thefire.org/index.php/article/5818.html .

The release includes links to downloadable .PDFs to several key source documents, including FIRE's letter to college President Scott Ralls and Dr. Ralls' reply, which pledges full respect to First Amendment rights on campus.

“The staff of The Communicator should be proud that it refused to buckle when the pressure was on,” FIRE director of legal and public advocacy Greg Lukianoff said in the release. “With the help of FIRE and the SPLC, the students won an important victory for press freedom.”

Other recent Commie press:

Inside Higher Ed: http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2005/06/20/ccjournalism
Student Press Law Center: http://www.splc.org/newsflash.asp?id=1022&year
Editor & Publisher (on University Business' site): http://www.universitybusiness.com/page.cfm?p=810&news_date=2005-04-28&news_id=4024&q=communicator
Trends in College Media: http://www.studentpress.org/acp/trends/~craven.html