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Dewey Beach faces what some officials call the most difficult decision they’ve ever made.
The town must choose between 48 townhouses on the Ruddertowne parcel that owners Highway One LLC proposed last April or a 68-foot commercial complex that new developers Harvey, Hanna and Associates suggest.
People on each side have drawn a line in the sand and deny any possibility of compromise.
Some residents say they refuse to allow a building reach even one inch over the 35-foot limit because it would destroy the Dewey way of life.
The developers say they won’t build anything smaller than 68 feet, and the new building will improve the Dewey way of life.
At a recent meeting, Harvey, Hanna and Associates representative Shawn Tucker said the building must be six stories for the project to be financially viable. He said developers would withdraw plans if they cannot get the full variance.
“Everyone, except the copyright owner of that quote, seems to easily toss it around without being able to define what it means,” Commissioner Dale Cooke.
Ruddertowne Architectural Design Group member Bernadette Hearn said there is no third option in this matter; Harvey, Hanna and Associates has the Ruddertowne property under contract, so their proposal and Highway One’s town homes are the only choices. “People attending the meetings need to understand that and stop asking for things that just aren’t possible. I grew up in Dewey, and I’ve lived in the area my entire life, and The Dewey Way of Life means many different things to many different people, so one person’s vision is not going to take precedence over everyone else’s,” she said.
Despite voices asking for compromise, residents continue to pack meetings, write flurries of emails and call elected officials with concerns for their property values. “Vote no to the conversion, vote no to a variance in the height restriction. As a property owner, I factored in the views available from my home into the purchase price; these have been stolen by your cavalier attitude towards development. I have no idea what will be next,” wrote Philip and Claudia Razzook in an email to the committee. The Razzooks own a home on Dickinson Street, and like other residents, accuse the architectural design group of giving special interest groups preferential treatment. Mayor Dell Tush said she receives several calls each day from property owners. Most of them don’t want to see a skyscraper or to watch Dewey turn into Ocean City, Md., she said.
Officials say they are just trying to make a decision and write zoning code by the September deadline to prevent the 80,000-square-foot parcel from going residential.
Cooke said, “For the first time as a commissioner, I’ve actually been troubled enough that I have tossed and turned in bed over any possible decision I might have to make in the future.”
The ad hoc committee charged with deciding the future of the town, and perhaps the way of life, continues to meet weekly to negotiate between the town’s standing laws and the developer’s requests. Dewey currently has a moratorium on building any new hotels or condos and does not allow any building to top 35 feet. But Hanna and Harvey Associates say the company to be successful in Dewey, the project must be a six-story complex, complete with condos operated as hotel rooms. In return, developers will build a parking garage, retail space and restaurants, all of which the town has said it wants but could not afford to build.
Commissioner Claire Walsh said at a Friday, June 22 meeting that by creating zoning laws that would allow the proposed building and its high-density commercial complex, the town will at thes same time get much of what it wants without paying a penny. The comprehensive plan includes the possibility of using the parcel as a town center with shopping and eateries, although planners say the complex proposed by Harvey, Hanna and Associates isn’t what they had in mind because it does not fit in context with the town’s architectural design.
But the company says its plans are a compromise. Tucker said the developers would rather have had seven or eight stories, but they knew from public input at the previous meetings that Dewey would not approve it. He said if the complex includes parking, then it must have six levels because parking spaces cost about $15,000 to $20,000 per space.
The top floors would offer expansive views to make the property more valuable and to entice buyers. Tucker said the top floor alone could be worth $25 million.
While the Harvey, Hanna says it will stand firm on height, Tucker said the firm is willing to compromise on what the complex will include. The developers want public input on the appearance of the building and the commercial use of it, he said.
The one thing the committee agreed on at the Friday meeting is not to cancel plans to mail a questionnaire to every property owner, but will vote on sending out an informational letter at the next meeting at 7 p.m., Friday, June 29, in the Lifesaving Station on Dagsworthy Avenue.
Contact Molly Albertson at mollyalbertson@gmail.com
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