Lifetime Citizen Portal Access — AI Briefings, Alerts & Unlimited Follows
Visitors Bureau, planners outline Soundside boardwalk plan and timeline
Loading...
Summary
The Outer Banks Visitors Bureau and Nags Head planning staff presented designs for a Soundside boardwalk, described funding and permitting, and said Millstone Marine will construct the project under a 150-day contract with a projected February ribbon-cutting. Residents raised safety and liability questions.
Lee Nettles, executive director of the Outer Banks Visitors Bureau, presented the visitors bureau's plan for a Soundside boardwalk to the Nags Head Planning Board on Tuesday, describing a raised walkway over marshland, observation decks and a nearly 2,000-square-foot gazebo as focal elements.
Nettles said the design includes an archway entrance and boardwalk sections that connect to existing boat slips and a proposed series of interpretive panels to highlight soundside ecology. "The contract says it needs to be done within 150 days," he said, adding that the tourism board has approved bids and the tourism board's restricted funds will pay construction costs pending Dare County Commissioners' consent, which staff said was granted on Sept. 3.
Town staff and the visitors bureau described technical specifics of the permitted design: walkways presented in the rendering are 8 feet wide with rails on either side; the land-side concrete approaches are approximately 10 feet wide; the permitted design includes three semicircular observation decks and additional boat slips attached to the existing structure. Nettles said Millstone Marine was issued a notice to proceed and that the schedule would likely place a ribbon-cutting in February.
Residents and business owners at the meeting supported the project but pressed staff on safety and use rules. Mary Kelly, who identified herself as a resident, asked whether railings and other protections would prevent small children from running into the marsh and who would hold liability for incidents. "Is it Nags Head? Is it the tourism board? Is it Dare County?" she asked. Planning staff said building-code requirements will determine when handrails are required and that the visitors bureau will carry insurance for the site.
Business owners said the connection would improve foot traffic and safety. Brian Wilson of Miller's Waterfront said the boardwalk would attract both locals and visitors and asked about lighting and access; Jamiana Tucker, on-site general manager for the Keith Corporation, said ownership supports a boardwalk connection to the event site and noted the center frequently provides overflow parking for events.
Planners and the visitors bureau also discussed potential commercial uses on the waterside slips, noting vessel-draft limitations will constrain what types of boats can use the slips. Nettles described an early-stage idea for a low-draft water shuttle connecting the boardwalk to Festival Park and Manteo Harbor as a way to reduce roadway congestion during events.
The presentations highlighted unresolved items for future work: precise rules for commercial operations on slips, final safety and handrail specifics, and policies to avoid conflicts with kiteboarders and other existing water users. Town staff said they would continue outreach to property owners and coordinate permitting, maintenance and enforcement arrangements.
The planning board took no formal vote on the boardwalk design at Tuesday's meeting; staff said they will return with additional details and continue public engagement.
