One zoning change to allow the owner of Osprey Point to build the maximum amount of homes bordering on little Arnell Creek in Rehoboth wasn’t enough. The attorney for the owner requested at the Aug. 11 Sussex County Planning & Zoning meeting that for the convenience and necessity of area residents, they would like another zoning change to build a resort there.
Here is what the owner proposed for our convenience and necessity on a creek that is at the most 18 inches deep at low tide and on the wetlands Sussex County required a 50-foot buffer from the homes:
1. A 25-slip public marina built on an 18-inch-deep creek
2. A boardwalk built over protected wetlands to access the docks and marina built over an 18-inch creek
3. A sand beach on the 18-inch-deep creek
4. A 3,000-plus-square-foot restaurant, bar, bandstand and public swimming pool in the middle of quiet suburban neighborhoods that already have community pools
5. A harbormaster maintenance facility and personnel to manage traffic in the creek and man a waste pump-out cart
6. A small-craft and kayak launch
7. A large (84 spaces) parking lot bordering two existing homes on Arnell Road and Arnell Creek.
Sussex County should not allow this massive zoning change. We need to protect and preserve this delicate tributary to Rehoboth Bay and the wetlands that surround it, and maintain our heritage as forward-thinking naturalists and conservators. This is an easy no.
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