BY NICOLE BOWMAN-LAYTON

EDENTON – Edenton Town Council rejected a proposed ordinance Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025, to give nearly a quarter-acre of waterfront property to the owners of two adjacent properties, choosing instead to keep a street open to the public while working toward a compromise on view disputes.

For information regarding Sheriff Basnight and Councilman Sellers praising Police Chief David LaFon for his help in capturing an escaped inmate, click here. More information about the council meeting will appear in future stories.

The unanimous vote against closing the 400 block of South Moseley Street came during the public hearing during the council meeting. Many residents had no objection to the property’s ownership remaining with either the town or the adjacent property owners, Jim and Sally Blount and George and Erica Taylor, who sought to acquire the 66-foot-wide by 164-foot-long parcel. They mostly expressed concern about the loss of a scenic vista of Edenton Bay that has over the years been obscured by a fence, trees, bushes and a trampoline.

The controversy centers on a section of South Moseley Street that has long served as a shared driveway between the two properties, though it remains town property. Both the Blounts and Taylors already have more than 100 feet of waterfront access.

Several South Moseley Street residents complained that vegetation planted at the street’s end has been replaced with trees that block the view. Susan Rice said the water view was the sole reason her husband insisted on buying their home several years ago.

“This summer, it’s been a whole different story. The view has been totally destroyed,” she said.

John Sams warned the council about the risk of losing riparian rights — legal privileges that accompany waterfront property ownership.

“If you sell this property, your rights will go away,” Sams said. “If you want to build a fishing pier, if you want to have something for your kayak launch, you can’t do it once these rights are gone.”

Resident Joe Wach defended the property owners as community pillars who contribute to the town rather than complain. He praised the Blounts’ independent pharmacy where Jim Blount has opened after hours to help residents in emergencies, and the Taylors’ successful McDonald’s franchise.

“These two families contribute a great deal to this community,” Wach said. “I would ask that you ask yourselves, are we appeasing the complainers or are we supporting the contributors?”

Larry Mulderig, a South Moseley Street resident, suggested a middle ground. “I think that a lease option of the property from the town to both residents, split in half,” would address concerns while preserving public ownership.

Town Manager Corey Gooden said the town recommended against the closure and proposed instead a memorandum of understanding or lease that would address landscaping, view preservation, and potential public improvements.

After deliberation, Councilman Aaron Coston (3rd Ward) moved to reject the closure ordinance, with Councilman Patrick Sellers (at-large) seconding. The motion passed unanimously.

Sellers, who grew up nearby, said neighborhood children always knew the driveway was public but respected the property owners through common sense.

“I am confident they would work with the town, they would work with the residents of Moseley Street, and they would find a compromise,” he said of the Blounts and Taylors.

High weighed in on the issue, as Councilman Sambo Dixon (2nd Ward) was not present. He emphasized that the street should remain a street, not be transformed into something new.

“I’m not in favor of abandoning it as a street, but I’m also not in favor of turning it into something that it’s never been in terms of a park or kayaking,” he said, adding that protecting the viewshed remains essential.

The council also voted to withdraw a previous resolution expressing intent to close the street. Gooden will now explore legal agreements with the property owners to balance their needs with residents’ concerns and public interests.