There are beach rentals, and then there are beach rentals. At 20,000 square feet, a home under construction in the Outer Banks hamlet of Corrola, North Carolina, isn't pleasing the neighbors.
"We think the definition is very clear. This house should not be allowed as a single-family dwelling," Marie Long, owner of the house next door on Ocean Pearl Road, told the Virginian-Pilot (see: "Outer Banks mansion raises questions about how big a single-family home can be," by Jeff Hampton).
"Long has protested the home's 20,000-square-foot size and planned use for events such as weddings where roughly 50 people can stay overnight. She has taken her fight to the court system," the paper reports. "She argues that the volunteer fire department is 7 miles away and emergency trucks would have to navigate narrow sandy roads to respond. As a single-family home, it is not required to meet commercial standards for sprinklers, marked exits, floor loads or handicapped access."
Long is suing to block construction of the mega-structure, but has already lost at the trial court level. "The state passed a law earlier this year that prohibits local governments from limiting the number of bedrooms in homes," the Virginian-Pilot notes.
The new home's owner, developer and builder Bernie Mancuso, says the law is on his side. Mancuso already owns another 24-bedroom home in town, nicknamed the "Black Stallion," that rents for close to $28,000 a week during tourist season. That home has 21 full baths and 10 powder rooms.