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Letters to the Editor

Osprey Point should be rejected

Paula Nadig
August 19, 2022
On Aug. 11, I and about 50 neighbors attended a meeting of the Sussex County Planning & Zoning Commission. We were all there to register opposition to the proposed addition of a public outdoor restaurant, outdoor bars with amplified outdoor music, and a 25-slip public marina on Arnell Creek. I commend the zoning commissioners who were very patient and allowed us all to speak.
 
Osprey Point Residential Planned Community is a 126.8-acre parcel, previously the Old Landing Golf Course. Last year the zoning was changed, and approval was granted for 217 homes to be built. This approval took seven years after many public hearings. Now, less than a year later, representatives from 11 communities along Old Landing Road, from Warrington Road to Marshall Road, were there to voice opposition to the proposal of a public 25-slip marina, a public outdoor restaurant, a public tiki bar, swimming pool bar, beach bars and the addition of 82 parking spaces for the people who may be boating or driving in “to have a drink or a meal.” The restaurant will have amplified music until 9 p.m. seven days a week, “closing” at 11 p.m. The restaurant is going to be placed on an elevated man-made hill, further amplifying the sound. The applicant represented that Arnell Creek at its deepest point is about 3 feet deep. We listened intensely as experts stretched the facts to fit their narrative to the point where a room full of neighbors spontaneously burst into loud laughter at the absurdity of what had been said. All of us know that at no point is the creek 3 feet deep.
 
Isn’t this what we are expecting, good neighbors? Why should the developer’s rights supersede ours? Who is looking out for the people who live here 365 days a year, serving the community? Why are we begging for what should be assured? A quiet, safe home with good neighbors. Why are we explaining to planning and zoning how bars work? That a bar that closes at 11 p.m. isn’t empty until midnight to 1 a.m. Why does a large parking lot touching several neighbors’ backyards count as an open-space buffer? Why does our neighborhood have to fear that drunken visitors will invade our tranquil location by car or boat? Why can’t we enjoy dinner with our families without loud, unwanted music? How can you put your baby to bed at 8 p.m. if the music blares on till 9 p.m.? Why is this developer asking for amplified music in an area of residential homes? Eight of the 11 nearby communities have been here for over 20 years. Not one has a restaurant or outdoor bar with amplified music. Lewes has rejected outdoor music.
 
Please reject this application. No music should be permitted. Our little creek can not handle a 25-slip marina with motorized watercraft trying to come and go in an unnavigable creek. Planning & zoning is meeting again Thursday, Aug. 25, to review C/Z 1973 Osprey Point Preserve LLC. Please come.
 
Paula Nadig
Rehoboth Beach

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