Sunday, December 11, 2005

Gift from the Sea to Topsail Island Resident

In August, the North Carolina Coastal Land Trust teamed up with a group of residents on Topsail Island to buy the island's southern top and designate it as a development free nature preserve. We had heard that they were working on gathering the funds needed to purchase the land, but we hadn't heard the history of the land until we read an great article on the planned purchase this weekend. If you own land on the North Carolina coast and erosion destroys part of your lot, you are out of luck. On the other hand, if sand is deposited on your land and your lot grows, you own the new land. Our coastline is constantly shifting and a little ebb and flow in acreage is normal. Apparently a 62-year-old elementary-school librarian was looking into rezoning her land this summer to sell some lots and this sparked the public desire to purchase the land and create the preserve. What is amazingly interesting about this whole scenario is that storms over the last few decades have been shifting Topsail Island more than usual. Since 1980 the librarian's lot has grown more than 125 acres with more than a mile of new beach front. Real estate agents have estimated the potential value of the land at more than 30 million dollars. While we most certainly understand the owner's desire to get full market value, NC Coastal Land Trust is a great organization and were hoping that they can pick up the land for a little less.

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