Commercial marina proposed for Rehoboth Bay’s Arnell Creek
The developer of Osprey Point, a 217-lot subdivision along Old Landing Road near Rehoboth Beach, has submitted an application to the state to build a 25-slip commercial marina that would be open to the public and future residents of the development.
According to a June 22 public notice issued by Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control’s Wetlands and Subaqueous Lands Section, developer NV Homes, under the name Osprey Point Preserve LLC, has proposed to construct the marina and kayak launch dock on the eastern shore of Arnell Creek.
According to the notice, the construction of the marina would comprise a 3-foot-wide-by-42-foot-long walkway crossing state-regulated tidal wetlands to connect to a 4-foot-wide-by-31-foot-long pier, a 4-foot-wide-by-128-foot-long horizontal pier, two 4-foot-wide-by-84-foot-long piers, 10 3-foot-wide-by-12-foot-long finger piers, two 6-foot-wide-by-54-foot-long “T” docks and 37 free-standing mooring pilings.
The construction of the kayak facility would comprise a 4-foot-wide-by-50-foot-long pier, a 4-foot-wide-by-20-foot-long gangway, a 6-foot-wide-by-4-foot-long platform connected to an 8-foot-wide-by-24-foot-long floating dock and a 4-foot-wide-by-5-foot-long kayak launch.
There is also a request to place 16 cubic yards of fill – rip-rap – in wetlands associated with the stormwater management basin.
The proposed construction is located in Arnell Creek adjacent to Rehoboth Bay at what will be the corner of Ethan and Paul Revere drives, said the notice.
The notice says the construction of this marina requires a subaqueous lands lease, a wetlands permit, a marina permit, operations and management applications, and water quality certification request.
Located on what used to be Old Landing Golf Course, the development of the Osprey Point community has been on the books for nearly a decade. Public hearings on the application took place in January and February of 2015. The developer originally submitted a preliminary site plan that had 3.2 units per acre with 339 mixed-use lots. Ultimately, after removing 180 townhouses, a site plan was approved for 217 single-family units with two units per acre.
Prior to 1968, the site was used for agriculture; golf course operations took place on the site from about 1968 until 2017.
NV Homes did not respond to a request for comment.
A public hearing on the above applications will not be held unless DNREC Secretary Shawn Garvin determines one is in the public’s interest or if a written meritorious objection to the application is received within 20 days from the notice, which is Tuesday, July 12. For more information, contact Catherine Bronson, DNREC Wetlands and Subaqueous Lands Section, at Catherine.Bronson@delaware.gov or 302-739-9943.
