Rehoboth’s Oak Grove subdivision reopened

After being sidelined since last October, a major subdivision of Oak Grove Motor Court property is back in the game.

The Rehoboth Beach Planning Commission is shooting for an October public hearing on the subdivision after holding a concept review at its Friday, Aug. 14 meeting.

Oak Grove owners Paul Lovett, James Lovett and Donna Benge request dividing the property into 15 buildable lots ranging between 5,009 and 7,895 square feet.

They propose Sixth Street would front the exterior lots on the south side, Rehoboth Avenue to the east and Canal Street to the north.

The interior lots would be served by a short street, named Jones Lane, a one-way street that curves around to enter and exit onto Sixth Street.

Existing buildings presently on the property would be demolished, although Paul Lovett expressed an interest in seeing the cottages moved elsewhere if possible.

The street would also include a wood chip/mulch walking path and four pervious parking areas made with artificial grass.

“We’re official. We are reapplying. We’re ready to move,” Lovett said.

Chairman Preston Littleton said, “You have touched a lot of bases, but there’s a lot left to be done.”

At first, Lovett asked for the public hearing to be scheduled in September, but Littleton admonished him that he was pushing too hard, too fast.

The planning commission then proceeded to go over a list of concerns, such as street design and bicycle and pedestrian connectivity.

The plan, as proposed, does not offer sidewalks or any sort of connection between Sixth Street and Canal Street.

“I don’t think the planning commission should approve a major subdivision that does not have some type of pass-through, the inability of pedestrians to walk from Sixth Street to Canal Street,” Littleton said.

Commissioners Jan Konesey and Harvey Shulman also expressed concerns about pedestrian and bicycle connectivity.

“This is kind of a landlocked community, which isn’t really the kind of community we have in Rehoboth,” Konesey said.

She said she envisioned the proposal having some kind of pathway or bikeway leading toward the Lewes-Rehoboth Canal.

Commissioner Patrick Gossett said, “Unless there is connectivity through to Canal Street, it’s almost useless. It just meets the criteria of the code; it’s not practical.”

Lovett did later propose a small pathway leading from the end of Jones Lane to Canal Street that would allow pedestrians or bicycles to pass.

The Jones Lane street design also was an issue.

One reason the subdivision was tabled for so long was so the city commissioners could debate and approve an ordinance that would allow the planning commission to approve narrower streets, if the applicant could meet certain criteria, such as preserving natural features.

The Lovetts have maintained they wanted a narrower street to preserve trees.

Jones Lane, as proposed would be the narrowest allowed by the new ordinance – 37 feet wide with 8-foot travel lanes with parking and an easement on each side.

Shulman said he was uncomfortable with an eight-foot travel lane because of parked cars blocking access for emergency vehicles.

Gossett said, “It’s a concern to me that the proposed street width here is narrower than a driveway.”