Beach pathway to be fenced off Monday
On Wednesday, Nov. 28, the Wrightsville Beach Planning Department granted Alex Murchison a permit to build a fence, which would block off beach access No. 33 at the end of Seashore Street. The successful application of the permit by the Murchison-Gornto family closes the book on a 17-month saga that began when the New Hanover County Tax Office notified the property owners at 301 N. Lumina Ave. in July 2006 that they own the property where the beach access currently sits.
Fence construction is slated to begin Monday, Dec. 10, according to Seegars Fence Co.
“There was no basis for denying (the permit),” Wrightsville Beach town manager Bob Simpson said. “The town’s position is clear – it is private property right now, and they have the authority.”
Staff photo by Allison Breiner
Last week, the Wrightsville Beach Planning Department granted Alex Murchison a permit for a fence that would block off beach access No. 33, ending a controversy 45 years in the making.
In 1962, at the request of hotel developers to facilitate the purchase of the property from the Town of Wrightsville Beach, the town board closed Seashore Street and, in accordance with state law, ownership of the street end reverted to the adjoining property owners.
The East Coast Hotel Company, the predecessor of the Blockade Runner, developed its half of the property, while the neighboring Murchison family did not. Town records reveal attorney Wallace C. Murchison represented East Coast Hotel Company in the proceedings. Therefore, it appears likely the Murchison family was aware of the street closure and the deal to facilitate the sale.
A 2006 review of property records by the New Hanover County Tax Office revealed that the tax maps were incorrect, and the Murchisons were sent a tax bill for the additional property. Mary Gornto, vice chancellor for university advancement at UNCW and one of three Murchison siblings, notified the town at that time of her family’s intention to close the access by Oct. 1, 2006.
Last fall, following public outcry at its inaction, Wrightsville Beach officials engaged in negotiations with the Murchison family to try to keep the beach access open, but the two sides could not reach a compromise.
“The disappointing thing to me is that the Gorntos were not willing to set aside 5 feet of that 20, because in essence they have a 35-foot lot, and they gained the 20 feet that gave them a 55-foot lot,” Whalen said. “What I suggested was they leave the town 5 feet so we could still have an access, and everyone could walk away from this thing and feel good about it, but the Gorntos weren’t willing to do that.”
Mary Gornto said her family did not wish to comment publicly on the matter.
Sean Ahlum, chair of the Cape Fear Chapter of Surfrider Foundation, said the Murchisons’ decision to close off the access sets a dangerous precedent for future beach accesses in the state.
“I don’t think any people in Wrightsville Beach, or New Hanover County, which Wrightsville Beach is a public beach for, or the state of North Carolina would be very<