Westridge Shores approved in Long Neck

Sussex County Council has approved a housing project along the northeast side of Banks Road in Long Neck.

At its July 12 meeting, council voted 4-0 in favor of an application filed by Boardwalk Development LLC of Lewes for a rezoning application from GR, general-residential, to GR-RPC, general-residential-residential-planned community, for Westridge Shores, a community of 54 single-family home lots on 21 acres bordering the Hopkins Prong waterway, which is a tributary of Rehoboth Bay.

It was essentially the same application approved by council in 2018, which expired in 2021.

Ken Christenbury, the applicant's engineer and president of Axiom Engineering, said it expired while the developer was awaiting water and sewer utilities to be available to the parcel.

The property is located between the mixed-housing community of Shawn's Hideaway and Shady Lane.

Christenbury said the community will have nine acres of open space, 20-foot vegetated buffers around its perimeter and more than six acres of woodlands will be preserved. The site plan includes a community waterfront area with a dock, kayak racks, benches and a gazebo. Regulated wetlands and floodplains will remain as common open space.

Christenbury said the applicant's environmental consultant met with state officials to investigate the possibility of an eagle's nest on the parcel, but none was found.