BAY POINT ISLAND — Beaufort County recently granted a zoning permit for a house on this island at the edge of the Atlantic, but the move has raised some concerns because a plan for an ecotourism resort on the undeveloped island was denied last year.

Timothy Pitcher, one of multiple partners that own Bay Point, said the permitted structure will be his private home and he has legal rights to build it. Zoning on the island allows for single-family homes; lots for houses on the island were subdivided decades ago.

“It’s always been my intention to build my home on the island and it’s why I purchased into the thing several years ago, with that intention,” Pitcher said.