By Eddie Phillipps, Cape Gazette Staff Writer
Be careful what you wish for.
Dewey Beach Enterprises principal Thom Harvey dared the Town of Dewey Beach to reject the 35-foot complex he plans to build on the Ruddertowne parcel, during a Nov. 8 forum.
Well, the project has not been rejected, but it will have to be revised before county officials will approve it.
Site plans filed with the town Nov. 8, were approved and sent to the county the next day. The plans reached the county’s building code department, but that’s where they remain.
Building code supervisor Van Milligan said the plan lacks critical information, including details such as a proportional scale.
“It just didn’t have enough detail,” he explained. “Their plan wasn’t up to our specifics.”
Site plans were not filed with county planners, because they have no jurisdiction over municipalities such as Dewey, which has its own planning and zoning commission.
But plans must be approved by the county codes inspector.
Milligan said the cost of reviewing a plan is set by multiplying .005 by the property’s value.
Dewey Beach Enterprises was sold Oct. 31, in a stock purchase, with the property going for $9,360,000.
By Milligan’s formula, that would set the cost at $46,800, but Milligan declined to confirm any specific number.
The Dewey development saga has been in the making for months. Developers Harvey Hanna and Associates initially called for a 68-foot hotel/condo hybrid with a rooftop restaurant with panoramic views, extra parking, a public baywalk and many other luxuries.
When those plans appeared to be heading nowhere, the developers proposed a 48-foot design. Now, developers Harvey, Jim Baeurle and David Sills plan to build at the town’s current height limit, but the project has been stripped of the original amenities.
Milligan said the plans for a 35-foot structure were returned so the applicants could make the necessary changes suggested by building code officials to come into compliance with county code.
Milligan said most plans do not require additional work.
“We get more plans that are complete than incomplete,” he said. “Let’s just put it that way.”
However, Harvey, Hanna and Associates’ Bill Lower, director of environmental and public affairs, disputed the claims.
“We are working through the process and all requests for additional detail have been routine in nature,” he said via email. “The plans were not sent back.”