Sussex Council approves Osprey Point

Like so many side roads in coastal Sussex County, Old Landing Road near Rehoboth Beach is a highly sought-after address. Now, a golf course at the end of Old Landing Road, with roots dating back more than 50 years, will be developed into single-family housing.

With one new stipulation, Sussex County Council voted 5-0 at its Nov. 15 meeting to approve a rezoning that paves the way for Osprey Point, a development of 217 single-family lots on 127 acres.

On the advice of county attorney Everett Moore, council approval came with a condition the developer must provide a deed restriction that the maximum density of the project would be 217 single-family lots and any proposed change to the plan would require review by county council.

Council unanimously approved a rezoning of the parcel from AR-1, agricultural-residential, to MR-RPC, medium-density, residential-planned community. On June 23, the planning and zoning commission unanimously recommended approval of the application.

Jim Fuqua, the applicant's attorney, said the zoning change is necessary to allow smaller lot sizes, averaging about 10,000 square feet. In AR-1 zoning, the minimum lot size is 20,000 square feet; MR-RPC zoning allows for smaller lots. In addition, Fuqua said, medium-density zoning is more consistent with the surrounding area along Old Landing Road.

Reacting to concerns expressed during public hearings about increased traffic and density, the developer modified the site plan from 339 mixed units to all single-family lots. The reduction of 122 units changes the density from three units to two units per acre. All of the proposed 180 townhomes were removed and were replaced with 58-single family lots.

Councilman George Cole, R-Ocean View, said the subdivision approval was delayed, but that allowed time for improvements. “It got better, and the reduced density is reasonable. The single-family homes complement the area,” he said.

Under a revised traffic operational analysis, the Delaware Department of Transportation is requiring several road improvements including improvements on Old Landing Road along the frontage of the proposed community, construction of a north and south entrance and participation in design and construction of improvements at the Old Landing Road/Warrington Road intersection as determined by DelDOT.

The project will have central sewer provided by Sussex County and central water provided by Tidewater Utilities. Amenities include a clubhouse, pool, tennis and basketball courts, playground and dog park. The county is requiring all amenities and recreational facilities be completed no later than the issuance of the 100^th building permit.

The site plan includes 50-foot buffers along all tidal wetlands and waters, including Arnell Creek, and 25-foot buffers along nontidal wetlands, which are not required under county code.

Recent Old Landing Road projects:

2012: Sawgrass South, 65 single-family and 108 townhomes

2013: Redden Ridge, 85 single-family lots

2016: Osprey Point, 217 single-family lots