Commission preliminarily approves 21 homes

By Jonathan Starkey
Staff Reporter

Against some resistance, Ocean View’s Planning and Zoning commissioners voted unanimously on March 16 to grant preliminary approval build 21 townhouses at Big Oak Lane and Muddy Neck Road.

Jeff Clark — a developer from Land Tech speaking on behalf of property owner Garland Saville — said that he will likely return to the board for final approval within 45 days. Clark said that he has already received approval from most county and state agencies for the subdivision.

“We’re just about done,” he added.

Town resident Mary Lou Cooley was the first to speak against the proposed subdivision, saying that water running off of Saville’s land causes flooding on her adjacent property. She expressed concern at the meeting that the elevation of the proposed development and the water running off of the roofs would make the problem worse.

“We have a serious concern,” Cooley said, speaking on behalf of her and her husband. “When we have rain, it’s a lot of water.”

According to the preliminary plan, the lowest elevation on the proposed development would be about 12 feet. The Cooleys’ property, which borders Saville’s, sits at an elevation of just more than 10 feet.

“There’s nowhere for the water to go,” Cooley said. “Since we’re the low man on the totem pole, we’re really going to get dumped on.”

Clark eased some of Cooley’s concerns, saying that the development plan will have to include a stormwater drainage system. That plan would not allow water to drain off of Saville’s property and onto the Cooleys’. And, in fact, the Cooleys should see less flood waters on their property after the builders erect the town homes.

“It is proper for the developer to have all of this reviewed and approved by the stormwater management people,” said Dennis Schrader, Ocean View’s town solicitor.

After Clark and town officials heard Cooley’s concerns, Ceci DelPercio addressed the commission with a concern that is likely familiar to most area developers. DelPercio said that she and her husband, David, moved to the town for its quaint atmosphere, which would be threatened by the proposed development.

“They are all in a row that backs right up to our property,” said DelPercio, whose property line borders that of Saville. “Just imagine if someone told you that 21 townhouses would go up in your back yard.”

DelPercio continued, saying that she doesn’t want look at the back of the town homes, which would sit about 80 feet away from her property.

“I just want to keep this small-town feel that we all know and love,” she said. “I believe that three-story town houses could not be in character with the rest of this area.”

After DelPercio finished her presentation, Land Tech officials cleared up the fact that the proposed development would include 21 two-story — not three-story — town homes. And not only would the homes be separated by more than 80 feet; there would be woods in between Saville’s and DelPercio’s property.

“The town houses could have been 15 feet from the property line,” Clark said. “You are lucky,” Planning and Zoning Commissioner Dick Logue added. “You are a substantial distance away with some woods in between you.”

With that, Logue and his fellow commissioners approved the preliminary site plan after addressing some minor issues, such as problems with a Dumpster location and parking for construction workers working on the job. Clark agreed to address the town’s concerns before returning with a final plan in no more than a month and a half, he said.

With little resistance, Planning and Zoning commissioners unanimously approved the preliminary and final site plans for the new 15,000-square-foot police station at 201 Central Avenue at their March 16 meeting at town hall. After much controversy surrounding the station in Ocean View in the last few weeks, Commissioner Dick Logue told the builders on the project to “go build.”

After approving the station plan, the commissioners also unanimously approved the request from Joseph Ross Irwin to annex about 1.01 acres on Central Avenue and Windmill Road into the town.