MILLSBORO, Del. - Back in June 2023, the Stillwater Harbor Development proposal for the 120-home community right off of River Road, was denied by the Sussex County Planning and Zoning Commission. On Tuesday, October 24th, the developers of the project, Stonemark Ventures, appealed the denial of the preliminary plans at the Sussex County Courthouse. The attorney for the project, Richard Forsten, told the council the project deserves to move forward.
Foresten explained to CoastTV, "The planning commission nevertheless rejected it for other concerns which really are not spelled out at all in the code, and under Delaware Law, that is not appropriate." Forsten continued, "this is just preliminary plan approval, and we're entitled to approval if our plan complies with specific requirements."
People who live in Oak Orchard, especially on River Road, are concerned about the safety risks of the project.
Lynn Lester, who has lived on River Road for 20 years said, "The main concern is that there is a lot of flooding on this road, and a great example is this past week, we've had extremely high tides." Lester continued, "People have been flooded in and there's no real opportunity sometimes for emergency vehicles to get to people, so that's a major safety concern."
Lester also explained that River Road can be very dangerous with traffic, because it is so narrow. This is why emergency vehicles have difficulty getting around. Another neighbor in Oak Orchard is worried about the environmental facts that come with the project.
Mike Koly stated, "there's trees there and it's very beautiful, and it being marshland, the lungs of the ocean, it does not make much sense to damage or fill those in either. "
According to the attorney for the developer ,the project will actually contain flooding in the area. They also explained this project will help address the high demand for housing in Sussex County. The council did not vote on the appeal today, and there is no timeline as to whether or not Stillwater Harbor will move forward.
