Urban Approach to Coastal Living

September 26, 2009

I recently read an article about recycling suburbia. An interesting concept based on the fact that demand for a house with a yard in a suburb has dwindled. Households want more compact living places (think the “Not So Big House”) and walkable blocks and public spaces with mixed-use town centers.

The Town of Manteo understands this concept. In approving the master plan for Marshes Light, they wanted the community to be a seamless extension of the downtown historic neighborhood. A boardwalk was built skirting Shallowbag Bay and connecting to Manteo’s boardwalk and Marina.

At build-out Marshes Light will incorporate a mix of retail and residences, condominiums, single family homes, an inn, and a marina. Next door is the new downtown campus for the College of the Albemarle. Everything is within walking distance with a beautiful soundside backdrop.

I explored this concept of coastal small town living in a previous post at http://www.beachroadtomanteo.com/2009/08/finding-meaning-in-making-of-mayberry.html.

Manteo has a wonderful variety of shops, great restaurants and many attractions including The Elizabethan Gardens, The Lost Colony, NC Aquarium, Roanoke Island Festival Park and Outdoor Pavilion. And, of course, is its location, 10 minutes from the beaches at Nags Head and the Outer Banks and an alternate route on the Intracoastal Waterway.

For more information about the Town of Manteo, visit their website at http://www.townofmanteo.com/. For more information about Marshes Light, visit http://www.marsheslight.com/.

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