CPD Position Statement

CPD Position Statement On the Proposed HHA / Hwy One Redevelopment Plan

August 13, 2007

Citizens to Preserve Dewey (CPD) was formed by a group of concerned Dewey Beach resident and non-resident property owners in June 2007. Our core group includes 19 Dewey Beach year-round residents and four non-residents from Rehoboth, Maryland and DC. We are very proud to represent such a diverse group of citizens. CPD now has hundreds of property owners that support its cause.

The CPD was formed in response to citizen outcry over the zoning height limit changes being proposed to accommodate Harvey Hanna Associates (HHA) the developer that is currently under contract to purchase an 80,000 square foot tract of the Ruddertowne parcel. In early June it became clear that most property owners were not aware of a major proposed zoning ordinance that would forever change the face of this town as we know it. The CPD believed that property owners should not only be made aware of this proposed zoning change but that they should also have a voice in a matter so tantamount to the town’s future.

In June, Highway One, the owners of the Ruddertowne parcel, gave the town an ultimatum:

Approve the construction of a 68-foot hotel in Ruddertowne by October 31, 2007 OR
Highway One will bulldoze Ruddertowne and build 48, 35-foot townhouses.

No other options were offered and HHA has said the 68-foot height is not negotiable.

Those are the options offered by Hwy 1 — 35 ft or 68 ft — and those are the two options we presented to you.

In the past month, a number of citizens have talked with us about Dewey Beach and what they want for its future. Most of them are adamant in their opposition to an immense ,68-foot hotel/condo complex in Ruddertowne. Many of them don’t want to lose the commercial activities in Ruddertowne but given the two choices at hand they would rather have 35-foot townhouses than the proposed alternative….a massive 80,000 square foot 68-foot hotel/condo complex.

The CPD has researched other development options that similar seaside town have built. There are many that are much more suitable for our town that respect our desire to preserve its small town character while supporting continued growth in our commercial districts. Many of these seaside redevelopments projects have been built at or near our current height limit. But these options are not available to us.

Highway One owns the property and has offered only two options: 35 feet or 68 feet. Those are their numbers, not ours.

We wish there were options that would have more appeal to those of you who want to maintain the building height limit and love the energy of Ruddertowne and its shops and restaurants. Until Highway One makes other options available to us, we’re supporting the lesser of two evils. We feel the first, most important step is to not allow 68-foot buildings in Dewey. Yes, buildings.

The town has already received its first threat of a lawsuit if HHA is permitted build beyond the town’s current height limit and other commercial property owners are not granted this same right. In talking with other local developers and business owners it is expected that others will also file suit to have equal rights to build up if the HHA plan is approved. During a recent condo meeting HHA’s attorney confirmed that additional parcels that are adjacent to the HHA parcel in the RB1 district could also build to the proposed 68-foot limit if HHA purchased the parcels. Our town can’t afford to defend multiple lawsuits. Why open the door to this? Why open the door to the possibility of becoming a smaller version of Ocean City?