Developer submits plan for Oak Orchard Road project

Developer Oak Landing – NCSW, LP has filed a subdivision application for 163 single-family home lots on a 60-acre, general-residential, GR-zoned parcel along Oak Orchard Road about one mile from the Route 24 intersection.

Jim Fuqua, the developer's attorney, said the proposed development would be in-fill between the existing Captain's Grant and Orchard Manor communities.

In 2005, the farm parcel was approved for a 196-lot subdivision. Fuqua told Sussex County planning and zoning commissioners during a July 26 meeting when the economy slowed, the project was abandoned, and the subdivision approval was voided.

And as in 2005, a nearby resident with long-standing Nanticoke Indian roots wants a barrier between the proposed subdivision and his property where he conducts Native American ceremonies.

Fuqua said the density of the new subdivision would be 2.27 units per acre compared to 3.3 units per acre in the 2005 plan. Up to four units per acre are permitted on GR-zoned land.

The site plan contains a 20-foot landscaped buffer on the northern and southern boundaries and a 50-foot buffer from wetlands.

Amenities would include a pool, community center and playground on 1.75 acres in the middle of the community. The development would have 18 acres of open space, sidewalks and curbs and gutters.

Fuqua said a traffic impact study was not required, but the developer would be required to contribute funding for a Delaware Department of Transportation improvement project along Route 24 from Mt. Joy Road to Bay Farm Road. The project is expected to begin this fall.

The developer would be responsible for constructing a multi-use path along the frontage of the property.

When a new site plan is submitted, the development will have a new name because Oak Landing closely resembles another community's name.

Charles Clark IV, who shares a southern boundary with the parcel, said he is the person who would be most affected by the project.

Clark, whose grandfather was Nanticoke Chief Charles Clark, said in 2005 an agreement was reached with the developer that a fence would be constructed to shield his property from the development. “I conduct Native American ceremonies on my land – it's a very valuable piece of land. I like peace and quiet. The history of my people is in my blood, and their blood is in the land,” he said.

Fuqua said the developer would construct a 6-foot fence along the border as offered in the 2005 plan.

“There are not too many of us left, and there aren't too many of us who practice the religion and the ways of our ancestors. The land means a lot to me,” Clark said.

His family has roots dating back to the 1700s in the Oak Orchard-Riverdale area.

Robert Davis, who lives in Captain’s Grant, said along with the proposed buffer, he would also like a fence to shield his property from the development.

Donna Irvin, another Captain's Grant resident, said she was concerned about the loss of habitat area for deer, foxes and racoons. “Where will the animals go?” she asked.

She said Oak Orchard Road has traffic problems and more cars from the proposed development would have an impact on the Route 24 intersection.

The application will not be heard by county council, which does not act on subdivision applications.