Carolina Cape Fear Corporation. 

 That was the start of a 10-year battle 

 with government agencies and en- 

 vironmental groups. 



As a peace offering, Carolina 

 Cape Fear gave Bluff Island and 

 about six miles of oceanfront beach 

 to the state. But by then, the com- 

 pany was drained. Mortgagors 

 foreclosed, and Tar Heel native and 

 Texas millionaire Walter Davis 

 bought the island. 



Davis continued the development, 

 building a marina and Bald Head 

 villas. 



In 1983, Kent Mitchell and his 

 brother visited the island. They con- 

 vinced their father, another wealthy 

 Texan, to buy the island. At the time, 

 the senior Mitchell was described as 

 one of the ten wealthiest men in the 

 country. 



Kent Mitchell, a Harvard architec- 

 ture graduate, found himself caught 

 almost immediately between his 

 belief that the island should have 

 been preserved and his desire to 

 turn it into a model resort. 



"We fell in love with the island 

 before we bought it. We still love the 

 island, and that's the tough battle," 

 Mitchell says. "It's a tough com- 

 promise between making money 

 and maintaining the balance with 

 the environment." 



The result has been Mitchell's own 

 version of a beach community. 



Bald Head lacks the characteristic 

 bright lights, neon signs and high- 

 rise condominiums of a typical 

 resort. 



Aside from the glow of two 

 streetlights, the only night light on 

 the island comes from the moon 

 and stars. Neon is taboo, and height 

 is scorned. 



Visitors drive electric golf carts 

 because gasoline-powered vehicles 

 are forbidden. And the roads are 

 narrow asphalt paths that wind 

 through the lush canopy of live oaks. 



Before Carolina Power & Light 

 Company brought electricity to the 

 island in 1981, homeowners relied 

 on individual generators for their 

 power, prompting early residents to 

 form a Generator Society. 



Until recently, the only contact 



with the mainland was by CB radio. 

 Phone service should be available 

 by 1988, but some residents plan to 

 do without the convenience. The 

 idea, they say, is to get away from it 

 all. 



And that's not hard to do on an 

 island whose only connection to the 

 mainland is by private boat or a 

 ferry from Southport run by the 

 developer. 



This is Mitchell's first big project, 

 but such developments are nothing 

 new for his family. In addition to 

 building a planned city of 200,000 

 people outside of Houston, the 

 Mitchells have been active in a push 

 to restore a historic area of 

 Galveston. 



When Mitchell took over opera- 

 tions at Bald Head, much of the first 

 stage of development was complete. 

 He inherited an inn, a restaurant, an 

 18-hole golf course and 40 to 60 

 townhouses and villas. Some private 

 homes had also been built. 



With that stage nearly complete, 

 Mitchell is ready to begin a 

 second stage that will include 600 

 acres of the eastern portion of the 

 island. 



By the time the Bald Head project 

 is complete in 15 years, about 1,600 

 acres of the 3,000-acre private tract 

 will have been developed. 



Although about a third of the first 

 stage was condominiums, about 90 

 percent of the second stage will be 

 single-family homes. And no high 

 rises, Mitchell says. 



"I have a personal aversion to 

 high-rise garbage," he says. 



"North Carolina and South 

 Carolina have a tradition of nice 

 beach communities. But in the last 

 10 to 20 years, you have seen the 

 worst form of Florida, cheap high- 

 rise development. I'm not sure if we 

 can succeed, but I hope we can im- 

 part some of the character of a tradi- 

 tional beach community here," 

 Mitchell says. 



Strict guidelines mandate not only 

 the size of a house, but also its ap- 

 pearance. Most homes are stained 

 with a natural wood color, and all 

 plans must be drawn by an ar- 

 chitect. 



Building On Bald Head IS Photo by Nancy Davis 



strictly regulated 



Bulldozing lots is forbidden. Many 

 homes are tucked between the 

 trees, and residents are encouraged 

 to landscape with native plants. 

 Manicured grass lawns are frowned 

 upon. 



It isn't easy for the average North 

 Carolinian to appreciate Bald Head. 



The residents are one indication 

 of the costs of living there, Mitchell 

 says. He estimates that 25 percent 

 are doctors and 25 percent are 

 lawyers. 



Land isn't cheap. Lots average 

 half an acre, but range from quarter- 

 acre parcels to two-acre lots, Mit- 

 chell says. And the costs start at 

 $30,000 and go up to $200,000 for a 

 beachfront lot. 



And once you buy a lot, you have 

 to consider the cost of building. It is 

 considerably higher than elsewhere 

 on the Tar Heel coast because 

 residents must absorb the cost of 

 transporting materials from the 

 mainland by barge. 



Except for the occasional incon- 

 venience of living on a remote 

 island (see story, page 6), property 

 owners are happy with their piece of 

 paradise. 



"For those who have found Bald 

 Head, they can't go anywhere else. 

 Nowhere compares to it. It's for a 

 special breed of person," Mitchell 

 says. ■ 



