By Miles Layton

ELIZABETH CITY — A long-neglected waterfront property known as Riverwind dominated public comment Monday night at a meeting of City Council, as residents urged city leaders to intervene after years of deterioration, vandalism and a growing feral cat problem.

Later in the meeting, council members also voted to delay action on a proposed annexation and rezoning tied to the Tanglewood Crossing development, citing questions about sewer capacity and the need for additional review.

If you read to the end of the story, one person spoke about the perils of Elizabeth City’s growth and its impact on children, schools and local services, while another resident was upset about a HUGE water leak.

The photo accompanying the story shows Speight Bunn talking about feral cats and other problems associated with Riverwind.

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Neighbors plead for action at Riverwind

Residents who live near the abandoned Riverwind property on Riverside Avenue used the public comment portion of the meeting to describe what they called a decade-long nuisance and a growing safety concern.

Speight Bunn, who lives adjacent to the property, told the council that the building has repeatedly fallen into disrepair despite changes in ownership.

“I’m here tonight to speak about two related issues affecting the property and the surrounding neighborhood,” he said. “Number one, the condition of the building itself. The number two, the feral cat infestation that has developed around it.”

Bunn said the property has troubled the Riverside neighborhood for years.

“For nearly ten years, this property has been an ongoing nuisance to my family and the Riverside neighborhood,” he said. “During that time, the property has had numerous owners, none of whom live in this city, this county or even this immediate region.”

According to Bunn, each owner has followed the same pattern of minimal repairs followed by neglect.

“Each owner has followed the same pattern: minimal compliance when pressured followed by neglect,” he said. “Boards are put up and quickly torn down. Doors and windows are repeatedly broken. Police and city staff are called again and again. This cycle has repeated itself for years.”

Bunn said he requested records from local dispatchers to quantify how often authorities have responded to the site.

“The number of calls and complaints connected to this property is 254,” he said. “That number shows clearly that this is not an occasional issue. It’s a longstanding and well documented pattern.”

While acknowledging that property owners have legal protections, Bunn argued the situation has gone on too long.

“I understand that the property owners are entitled to due process protections under state and federal law,” he said. “But those protections were never meant to allow a single structure to repeatedly endanger a neighborhood for over a decade under multiple absentee owners.”

“At some point,” he added, “the issue is not the owner, it’s the property itself.”

Bunn also raised concerns about a growing population of feral cats around the abandoned building.

“One of the many consequences of the ongoing neglect is the property has been the growing feral cat infestation in the surrounding neighborhood,” he said.

He told council members that feeding the animals without population control has worsened the problem.

“Feeding the cats may feel compassionate, but in this situation, it is sustaining a public nuisance,” Bunn said. “These are now unmanaged animals that infest a residential neighborhood.”

Bunn asked the council to consider banning the feeding of feral cats around the property while it remains in its current condition.

“After ten years of multiple owners and 254 calls for service, I respectfully ask that the council take the steps necessary to finally resolve this issue,” he said. “Not another decade.”

Property described as blight along riverfront

Other residents echoed Bunn’s concerns and said the building has become a prominent eyesore along the city’s waterfront.

Sarah Pugh of Riverside Avenue thanked council members for their work supporting economic development but said the neglected property undermines the city’s image.

“I want to thank the city council for supporting business development, tourism and the advancement of culture in Elizabeth City,” she said. “These three things go hand in hand when we try to expand the future of our community, especially when partnered with our waterfront.”

But visitors touring the city see a different picture, she said.

“When we give them a tour, they see the collapsed dilapidated shipyard with falling down buildings, abandoned boats and piles of junk,” Pugh said.

She said travelers heading toward the new bridge pass another blighted property.

“They see a falling down building with graffiti, broken windows, disposed furniture, overrun with feral cats and facing our beloved Pasquotank River,” she said.

Pugh said prospective residents frequently ask why the city has not addressed the problem.

“Some of these potential residents ask, ‘Why doesn’t the city do something about these conditions?’” she said. “And I can’t answer them because I don’t know the answer.”

Longtime resident calls for preservation and access

George Jackson told the council he hopes any eventual solution preserves public access to the site and potentially the building itself.

“I want to join my friends and neighbors in asking that the city exercise its police powers to address the deplorable conditions at the old Riverwind building,” he said.

Jackson said he hopes the property can still become part of a public-private redevelopment project.

“I hope the situation can be remedied in such a way that the current owners can accomplish their public-private development plan,” he said.

However, he also expressed disappointment that the building has again fallen into disrepair.

“I’m disappointed that after securing the property and policing its grounds, they have let it fall back into disrepair,” Jackson said.

Residents cite vandalism, safety concerns

Other speakers said conditions at the site have worsened in recent months.

Jeff Terry thanked Police Chief Eddie Graham for efforts to reduce trespassing and vandalism but said the building’s decline has accelerated.

“The decaying property is affecting all of our homes,” Terry said. “Personal safety is also a time-consuming distraction for our scarce police patrol officers, who must respond frequently to calls regarding illegal activity.”

Terry said the building has been heavily vandalized.

“Almost all the exterior glass has now been broken out of the building,” he said. “Vandals now frequently have easy access and are seen just in broad daylight.”

Erich Dix, who lives on Riverside Avenue, said he regularly walks past the site with his children.

“I’m here tonight because the Riverwinds facility has transitioned from a neighborhood eyesore into an active dangerous public hazard that requires immediate intervention,” he said.

Dix said a recent video circulating among neighbors showed teenagers breaking windows inside the building.

“A video that circulated among neighbors four weeks ago showed teenagers smashing the windows from the inside out in broad daylight,” he said. “They fled only when they realized they were being filmed.”

“Inaction is no longer an option,” Dix added. “My request to this council is simple: take action now.”

Council requests update on Riverwind situation

During the regular agenda, Mayor Kirk Rivers asked that the Riverwind issue be formally discussed at a future work session so the public can better understand the city’s legal options.

He said residents deserve a clearer explanation of what steps the city can take with problem properties.

“I wanted to add this to the agenda tonight to ask that we have staff come back at the work session and discuss where we are on this property,” he said.

He also requested that the city attorney explain the legal process governing nuisance properties.

“We unfortunately have a lot of these properties in the city,” he said. “Sometimes issues outweigh the time that the staff has to get to all of them.”

Council members agreed to place the matter on the agenda for the March 23 work session.

During the discussion, the council noted the growing feral cat problem raised by residents.

City officials noted that feeding feral cats may already be prohibited under local ordinances and said the issue could also be addressed during the upcoming work session.

Tanglewood Crossing annexation delayed

Following public comments, the council turned its attention to a proposed annexation and rezoning connected to the Tanglewood Crossing development — see our story here.

During a public hearing on the matter, Randy Keaton raised concerns about whether the city’s sewer system has enough capacity to support new housing.

“A city has four main streams of revenue from residential property: property taxes, sewer charges, water charges and electric charges,” he said.

Because the project would rely on county water and outside electric service, Keaton argued the city would lose potential revenue while still taking on infrastructure demands.

He also cited a recent state law affecting sewer capacity calculations.

“Once the city reaches 80 percent sewer capacity, the city has to start planning expansion,” Keaton said. “Once the city reaches 90 percent of capacity, it has to have expansion permits.”

Based on current approvals and projects in development, he estimated the city could soon approach that threshold.

“By my calculation, this project will add approximately 840,000 gallons of sewer to a system that is currently at 71 percent capacity,” Keaton said.

He urged council members to delay the project until more information is available.

“Nothing requires the city to approve this annexation at this time,” he said. “You can table this project.”

Another resident spoke about a long-standing right-of-way across the property used by farm equipment, saying the easement must remain unobstructed.

Others raised broader concerns about the impact of new development on schools, infrastructure and recreational opportunities for children.

Developers outline proposal

Representatives for the development team said the project would include a mix of housing types and amenities.

Melissa Venable, Principal Planner and Founder of LPS, said the plan would transition between existing neighborhoods and commercial areas along Halstead Boulevard.

“What we’re proposing is a mix of houses,” she said. “It’s very similar in density and very similar in zoning type to the adjacent property.”

The project would include townhomes, single-family houses and sections targeted toward older residents.

“We’re also looking at a section that would be targeted toward active adults,” Venable said.

She said the community would feature open space and recreational amenities.

“We have a central area on that plan that has a large open space area for maybe tennis or pickleball, open space green areas for running around and playing,” she said. “It also has a pool and clubhouse that would serve the community.”

Engineer Scott Stamm said the site has long been part of the city’s development plans and could improve water infrastructure in the area.

“The place has been master planned for some time,” he said, noting plans to connect water lines to improve pressure and fire protection.

Council tables decision

After hearing public input and the developer’s presentation, City Attorney William Morgan recommended delaying a decision to verify information related to sewer capacity and annexation boundaries.

Council members voted to table both the annexation and rezoning requests until April 13 to allow additional review.

The meeting also included approval of several routine items, including contracts and festival-related street closures, before the council moved on to other agenda items.

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Speaker voices concerns about children, schools and growth

A speaker during the public comment period at a recent Elizabeth City City Council meeting delivered an emotional appeal about the city’s growth and its impact on children, schools and local services, remarks that drew attention from those in attendance.

The woman, who did not give her name before speaking, told council members she has lived in the city for more than five decades and has watched the community change.

“I’ve lived here since 1973,” she said. “So I’ve seen a lot of changes in the city.”

Her primary concern, she said, is whether the city is doing enough to support children as more housing developments bring additional families into the area.

“The thing that concerns me is our children,” she said. “I know we all talk about what we need, what we don’t need, but our schools are severely overcrowded.”

She said new housing developments could add further strain to the school system if supporting infrastructure and resources are not addressed.

“Now you’re talking about adding more homes, adding more families,” she said. “You’ve got that large apartment complex going in there on Ehringhus Street. I don’t know how many people are going in there. We’ve got a lot of housing coming in.”

At the same time, she said, the city has fewer recreational opportunities for young people than it once did.

“But we don’t have anything for our children,” she said. “There’s nothing for our children to do in Elizabeth City unless they want to go bowling. There’s nothing for our kids.”

She urged city leaders to consider youth opportunities as the city continues to grow.

“We need to think more about our children here in Elizabeth City, what they have available to them, and there’s nothing for them anymore,” she said.

She recalled activities and facilities that once existed in the community but are no longer available.

“We used to have a mini golf course; we don’t have that anymore,” she said. “We’ve lost a lot of stuff. We had a skating rink, we don’t have that anymore.”

As new housing is constructed, she said the city should ensure that services and amenities keep pace.

“You want to bring houses in here, well, you’ve got to have youth with the houses,” she said.

The speaker also described the strain she believes large class sizes are placing on students and teachers.

“Our schools are severely overcrowded,” she said. “Could you teach a class of kids with 30 children in them? And that’s about what our classes are running, 30 kids in a classroom.”

She said the issue extends across grade levels.

“You can’t teach that many young children at a time,” she said. “Even at high school level they’re having the large classes.”

She also warned that teacher retention is becoming more difficult.

“We’re losing teachers to Virginia,” she said. “Because they say the conditions are better up there than they are down here.”

She added that smaller class sizes and better support are factors drawing educators away.

“They take care of it,” she said. “They reduce the classes and everything.”

Beyond schools and recreation, the speaker also raised concerns about healthcare capacity and infrastructure as the population grows.

“How many of you have been to the hospital lately?” she asked. “The hospital is so dag nabbit small.”

She said limited capacity can affect patients.

“We’ve had people have cesarean births that are dismissed the next day because there’s no room,” she said. “That’s ridiculous.”

She also referenced recent infrastructure problems.

“We’ve had two major sewer storage spills in the last month,” she said. “That means our storage system is severely in problems.”

The city, she said, should address those issues before pursuing additional development.

“That needs to be fixed before we think of even adding something else,” she said.

In closing, the speaker said she hopes city leaders will prioritize the needs of young residents.

“I’d like to see my granddaughter grow up in a place where at least somebody thinks of her,” she said.

“We’ve got to stop and think about the children and what’s going on.”

Resident questions reported water leak

A Pleasant Drive resident asked city officials to explain a reported water leak at his home during the public comment period of a recent Elizabeth City City Council meeting.

Robert Martin told council members he received a report from the city’s utility department indicating a large amount of water usage during the Feb. 3 snowstorm. According to the report he received, Martin said his meter recorded unusually high water usage during that time.

“They said the meter said I had a water leak,” he said. “They used 717.4 gallons of water in one hour when I wasn’t home.”

Martin said the city had previously reported low water pressure during the snowstorm and turned off some customers’ water service after detecting possible leaks.

“They detected low water pressure in the city and went and turned off people’s water lines that had a leak detected,” he said. “They turned off my water.”

However, Martin said he has not found evidence of a leak at his home.

“I crawled under the crawlspace of my house every square foot; it was completely dry,” he said.

He also conducted his own test to estimate how much water his line could deliver.

“It took 52 seconds to fill a gallon jug,” Martin said. “Roughly 70 gallons per hour if I left my water faucet on.”

Based on that test, he questioned the report showing more than 700 gallons in one hour.

“There is no way my water line can deliver 700 gallons per hour,” Martin said.

He said he has contacted the city several times but has not yet received an explanation.

“I have never received a response of why how a water leak can use 717 gallons in an hour,” he said.