By Glenn Rolfe

MILLSBORO — Change is being sought in plans for South Shore — the final residential phase for the resort community of Plantation Lakes.

At its September meeting, Millsboro Town Council may render its decision on developer Lennar’s rezoning request — medium-density residential to high-density residential — and its hope for a modification that would allow 753 units comprised of a mix of town homes, attached villa lots and single-family homes.

The requested residential planned community modification to Plantation Lakes’ overlay contains the same number of 753 units in the currently approved RPC. However, the original plan offers only 18-foot town homes and detached single-family homes.

“We have taken the same number of homes, diversified the product and put it on less land, therefore creating greater open space within the community,” said Sean Davis, principle with the engineering firm Morris & Ritchie Associates Inc.

Following a public hearing at Monday’s meeting, mayor and council tabled action on the requests, opting to delay until September to obtain more information and possibly 3-D visual renderings at the request of Councilman Larry Gum, who has some reservations about Plantation Lakes.

“That would show me the difference between one and the other,” said Councilman Gum. “I don’t like what we have, so it doesn’t make me want to add more of it. If it works better, maybe I’d consider. The other side is already a disaster.”

Mayor Michelle Truitt and Vice Mayor Tim Hodges voiced support for Lennar’s requests.

“Lennar does have a plan approved,” said Vice Mayor Hodges. “Personally, comparing the two plans, I like this plan a lot better because it spreads it out. The new plan I like a lot better.”

Mayor Truitt added, “I like that it is spread out. I didn’t like the original, … when we had all of the town houses clustered at one end.”

A portion of South Shore is presently zoned medium-residential. Under Millsboro code, MR uses are allowed in the high-density district but not vice versa, which is why Lennar is requesting the zoning change, Millsboro Public Works Director Kenny Niblett said.

Residents from Plantation Lakes’ Central and North Shore sections filled council chambers for the public hearing Monday, voicing concern about the proposal based on issues like traffic, parking, pedestrian safety and crime, among others.

“People are moving here from New York, Virginia, Pennsylvania. Why do we need this high-density? People are willing to pay dollar, and if we don’t have it, they are going to go somewhere else,” said resident Mark Kaupas.

“This is going to increase crime. People are going to be buying 10 of these, 20 of these at a time, and they are going to rent them out to people, and we’re going to have similar problems that we already have with the town homes that are being rented out. I didn’t sign up for this. I think Lennar really missed the point on this. Maybe they are just chicken to build a good, quality, open-space home again for a higher price.”

Plantation Lakes resident Bob McKee said parking in the town house portion of the development has “proven to be inadequate to the point where (the town) has hired a consultant to study the situation. We await their results, recommendations and course of action. The issue today is whether to allow Lennar to plan a next phase of development construction of high-density environment versus medium-density. We’ve already seen negative results.”

Broken down, the RPC plan for South Shore includes:

• 252 town homes (18 feet wide).

• 140 town homes (22 feet wide).

• 164 villa-type homes.

• 197 single-family homes on 52-foot lots.

Lennar representative Matt Destino said, “All we are doing is taking the blend of the product from North Shore that we have seen so much success with and bringing it (to South Shore).”

South Shore’s plans include increased buffers, a model home court, two sport courts and several “flexible” open-space areas. Additionally, the South Shore plan includes more off-street parking, aside from the driveways included in the other sections.

The proposal also includes a crosswalk to access the existing Plantation Lakes community, which has an 18-hole golf course, tennis courts, walking trails and The Landing Bar & Grille.

Mr. McKee said the South Shore portion needs to offer more amenities, which would prevent its residents from having to walk or drive to other side, which would add to the existing parking problem.

“There is no active recreation, (just) two tennis courts. It’s way too little,” he said. “And crossing a street that’s 45 mph, with trucks coming through there, … people do more than 45. A traffic signal is what you need.”

Consultant Kyle Gulbronson from AECOM said Millsboro’s code is in line with “most of the other communities around here, and the parking issue is a problem across the board. Parking is a universal problem. There never seems to be enough.”

If the rezoning and RPC modification are not approved, Lennar would be allowed to build a maximum of 753 units (town homes and single-family homes), as spelled out in the existing RPC.

Original approval for Plantation Lakes was for 2,817 units. It was lowered in 2017 to 2,497 units and then 2,494 — the maximum amount in the current RPC and the requested modification.