OUTER BANKS, N.C. — It's no secret that the housing industry in the Outer Banks has been challenging for the past four years.
"House values here in Dare County over the past four years have increased by 63%, which is a significant increase. The household incomes clearly haven't increased that much over the past four years, and so there's a big disconnect there," said Donna Creef, chair of the Dare County Housing Task Force.
The Dare County Housing Task Force was formed one year ago, and this month adopted its year-end report, highlighting the work it has done this year and what's in store for 2025. The report consists of research, collaboration with state and local agencies, and outreach.
Watch previous coverage: The impact that housing challenges are having on the Outer Banks workforce
“The main focus is going to be, I think, trying to establish the direction of where a nonprofit needs to be established, but not being a government-sponsored agency. Moving away and trying to be more of a nonprofit and function in that direction,” Creef said.
A nonprofit would be able to operate specifically to address housing needs, advocate for change, build programs, and more. Such an organization could operate independently, with the support of local governments in the Outer Banks. There's also a focus on working with state offices to examine legislation and models that might be a good fit for Dare County.
Creef feels the housing industry will level off from pre-COVID years, but even if that happens, challenges remain.
Watch previous coverage: A Dare County task force is taking a look at housing challenges in the Outer Banks
“I probably couldn't afford to buy the house that I have now just because of the increased values, and so we've got to try to address that.”
The potential for workforce housing continues to be a priority in 2025, but some locals only want it to be on a small scale. This fall, the Nags Head Board of Commissioners adopted a multi-family ordinance focusing on long-term leases and requiring at least one renter to be a resident of Dare County.
“There's not an appetite in Dare County for large-scale multifamily complexes, and we need to focus on those smaller-scale projects that fit the aesthetics of our established communities.”
The issue remains complicated, with no clear answer, especially in closing the gap between home values and the median income of residents.
Watch previous coverage: Dare County teachers' housing model could help solve workforce housing shortage on Outer Banks
“We've got to try to make that disconnect known to the general public so that they understand that there really is an issue here. It's not just something that's contrived.”
However, the feeling of the task force is that they have the momentum to carry them into 2025 and beyond.
“We've compiled it into a document that the general public can access to see those statistics and the research we’ve done that may shed light on how difficult the process is and why it's so difficult to advance something like this to a point where actual structures are being built.”
To read the full report, head to the link here.
