Local News - March 2003

Space, scenery grab attention of prospective landowners

By ALICE SMITH,  LTN Staff Writer

March 28, 2003 - In western Lincoln County, they love their land.

It’s one of the characteristics that attracts new residents to the area, said Debbie Willis, real estate broker with Century 21 Town & Country Realty.

“The west Lincoln area is so much more open,” Willis said. “There’s a friendliness, togetherness in west Lincoln.”

Willis lives in west Lincoln and cherishes those attributes.

The large plots of land, trees and mountain views grab the attention of those who are tired of the hustle and bustle of busier areas.

The difference in the number of building permits issued over the years for west Lincoln and east Lincoln tells its own story.

Last year alone, 401 permits were issued in Catawba Springs Township; 222 in Ironton, according to figures from the Building and Land Development office.

In Howards Creek, 105 people were issued permits, and in North Brook, the number drops to 80.

The total number of permits for the two east townships from 1997 to 2002 was 4,088. In the west, there were 1,285.

“We have noticed the number of permits pulled in the west has remained fairly consistent over the past several years,” said Kelly Atkins, BALD director. “However, that number is likely to change as new subdivisions are created.

“The number of subdivisions created has increased over the past two years in the west.”

And that’s something that concerns Willis.

“It’s growing so fast,” she said. “I’ve seen development come up on acreage I never thought was possible.”

But at the same time, Willis is  happy to see development taking place on larger lots.

“Developers are getting the idea,” she said. “People want to have a little bit of breathing room.”

Single-family homes make up more than half of North Brook’s population. The same goes for Howards Creek.

BALD records show North Brook Township’s population to be 5,799. There are 2,416 residences.

·  3,384 people live in a total of 1,410 single-family homes.

·  886 people reside in 369 manufactured homes.

·  Mobile homes make up  about one-quarter of North Brook’s residences. There are 630 single, double- or triple-wide mobile homes housing 1,512 people.

·  There are only seven apartments or townhomes in North Brook. Seventeen people live in these homes.

In Howards Creek, the numbers are similar. Howards Creek’s population is 8,069, and there are 3,362 residences.

·  1,999 single-family homes house 4,798 people.

·  There are 541 manufactured homes, accounting for 1,298 people in the township.

·  Mobile homes make up more than one-quarter of Howards Creek’s residences and account for 1,953 people.

·  20 people live in eight apartments or townhomes.

There are several limitations to development in the west.

Watershed areas, which also limit commercial and industrial development, restrict the number of houses per acre, Atkins said.

Also, waterlines are only along a few roads, and there is no sewer system in the west.

But Willis believes that despite these limitations, more and more people will be drawn to the west.

“I think they’re more and more interested, simply because east Lincoln is growing so fast,” Willis said. “If you can just get them here, they love it.”

© 2001 Lincoln Times-News  

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