Planning board approves UDO change to allow aerial tour operators in AG zoned land

The Currituck County Planning Board on May 14 voted to approve a text amendment to the county’s Unified Development Ordinance to add "outdoor tour operator aviation" — including hang gliding, paragliding, powered paragliding, powered parachutes, trikes, light sport aircraft and ultralights — as a principal use in the agricultural (AG) zoning district subject to a use permit and specified conditions.

Planning Department staff told the board the amendment narrows allowable aviation tourism to lower-impact operations and adds use-specific standards aimed at limiting impacts on nearby residences. "This is a text amendment for outdoor tour operator aviation," a planning staff member said during the presentation, describing proposed standards that would require compliance with FAA rules and specify flight-pattern limits. Staff’s draft language also calls for flight patterns that limit flights below 500 feet altitude over single-family residential zoning or existing single-family residential uses.

The staff presentation listed several AG-specific standards: the operation must be at least 500 feet from single-family residential zoning districts, have direct access to a major arterial or collector street, be located on a lot of at least two acres, and involve minimal physical alteration to the site. The code changes would also require operators to provide public restrooms and adequate parking; the Board of Commissioners could set hours of operation and permit duration as part of the use-permit process.

Representatives of Kitty Hawk Kites and local operators urged the board to approve the amendment so existing hang-gliding and light-sport activities could continue in Currituck County. "Our company has been conducting hang gliding in Currituck County since the eighties," John Harris of Nags Head said, describing the business’s move to the Cotton Gin site after airport taxiway changes eliminated a grass strip the operator had used. Applicant Bruce Weaver said the amendment would allow the business to broaden offerings, including tandem or "pair" gliders, at existing locations. An additional supporter said the activity could help draw visitors off the beach and support mainland farms and stores.

After public comment, a board member moved to approve the amendment as presented, subject to staff recommendations and the suggested statement of consistency and reasonableness in the staff memo. The motion was seconded; the chair called for a voice vote and announced the motion passed. The transcript does not record a numerical vote tally or any recorded dissent.

The planning staff recommended approval, citing consistency with the county’s 2006 land use plan policies that aim to protect agricultural resources while encouraging compatible economic development. The board held a brief discussion to confirm the amendment’s scope — that it applies specifically to outdoor tour operator aviation in the AG district and does not add other outdoor recreation uses removed from AG in 2013.

The meeting continued with an announcement about scheduling a stakeholder meeting to discuss related topics; the board then moved to adjourn.