New Arbor Lyn plan seeks 202 units on 35 acres
The developer of a proposed housing development along Warrington Road near Rehoboth Beach has refiled the application withdrawing a plan for high-density zoning that would have allowed as many as 12 units to an acre.
Instead, Lockwood Design and Construction Inc. is seeking a rezoning from agricultural-residential, AR-1, to medium-density residential, MR, and a conditional-use for multifamily housing for a 35-acre parcel near the Route 24 intersection.
The preliminary site plan for Arbor Lyn includes 60 single-family homes, 82 townhomes and 60 apartment-style condominiums for a total of 202 units for a gross density of 5.7 units per acre. The wooded parcel, owned by Lands of Hood Woods LLC and Robert Hood, has been in the Hood family since the 1700s.
A public hearing on the applications is scheduled during the Sussex County Planning and Zoning Commission's Thursday, March 24 meeting, which gets underway at 6 p.m. in the county administration building, 2 The Circle, in Georgetown.
At its Sept. 24 meeting, the county's planning and zoning commission voted 4-0 to recommend denial of the applications.
Commissioners said high-density zoning was not appropriate for the parcel. They said MR zoning would be more in line with the surrounding area.
“The dilemma is that if this application expires, the zoning stays with the property,” said Commissioner Marty Ross.
Ross said that HR zoning not only allows for high-density development but also allows for other uses including hotels and motels.
He said the developer could get the density he wants with MR zoning and a conditional use. “This way we don't run a risk,” Ross said. “And we don't open up other lands to HR zoning on Warrington Road. It could become a domino effect.”
Following council's Sept. 22 public hearing, the developer withdrew the applications in November before a vote was taken by county council.
The public record on the applications is available in the county's planning and zoning office from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday to Friday.
A date for county council's public hearing has not been posted.
NEARBY PARCELS
35 acres, zoned CR-1, Beebe Healthcare campus
Redden Ridge, AR-1 with cluster option, 2.45 units per acre, approved in 2014
Estates of Sea Chase, single-family homes, 4 units per acre, approved in 2001
Estates of Sea Chase condos, zoned HR, 6.5 units per acre, approved 1996
Sterling Crossing, conditional use, 6.2 units per acre, approved 2004
