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January 09, 2007 | The News Journal
Laurel Council OKs multipurpose complex
Developers with plans for multiple sports stadiums, more than a million square feet of retail space, 1,400 housing units and possibly a hotel with an indoor water park received final approval from the Laurel Town Council Monday night.
The approval follows months of packed public hearings and controversy over 480 acres of mostly farmland that were officially annexed into the town Monday.
Construction for the Discovery Place project will likely begin in the spring of 2008 and take at least 10 years to complete. Town council members said they hope it provides a much-needed economic boost.
The $500 million development will be built as a destination for youth sporting events, complete with a 12,000-seat sports arena, a 6,000-seat baseball stadium and several other venues, along with hotels, shopping, entertainment and permanent housing.
The project, the result of a partnership between Rehoboth Beach-based Ocean Atlantic Associates and Laurel-based David G. Horsey & Sons, has been criticized by a coalition of residents, many of whom live near the site, but outside town limits, who argue that it will disrupt their rural lifestyles with traffic, pollution and noise. If a road going to the development is widened, many of them fear losing parts of their front yards.
"We're not against developing that property, it's just that this plan is so radical it's almost surreal," said W.D. Whaley, who helped form Sussex County Organization to Limit Development Mistakes, or "SCOLDM," to oppose the project.
Mayor John Shwed said he supports the development because it will help Laurel's economy. His residents have one of the lowest income levels in the state; at the last census, Laurel's median household income was almost $20,000 below the statewide average.
In addition, Shwed said, a recent lack of growth has put the town in a financial bind. He wants to upgrade cramped facilities. He has visions of a park that follows a creek from the east to the west end of town.
He wants to increase the tax base for schools.
"I'm not going to do that by raising taxes for the people. I'd rather increase the real estate base," he said.
He also pointed out that the project, located north of the town on land off U.S. 13, will bring shopping options much closer to residents, who currently have to travel to Salisbury, Md., or the Rehoboth outlets.
Discovery probably will include a children's theater and a Boys & Girls Club. Developers also have spoken with National Geographic and the Discovery Channel about adding a learning center for children.
Residents opposed to the project packed the Laurel Town Hall on Monday night. They had asked the town to wait a year and do an impact study or to hold a referendum.
Shwed said that is not typical town procedure and he did not see a reason to make an exception for this project.
SCOLDM filed a lawsuit against the Laurel Town Council in Chancery Court on Monday afternoon, arguing that the town did not follow proper procedure in the annexation process and demanding the process be started over. The group had hoped their efforts would persuade the council to put off voting, but the meeting proceeded as planned.
"There's a right way and a wrong way to do these things, and we look forward to the court ordering that you do it the right way," Whaley told the Town Council.
Local businesses
Preston Schell, president of Ocean Atlantic Associates, said his organization and the Horsey family are established Sussex County figures and are not just parachuting into the area.
"We're not going anywhere geographically and financially," he said. "You couldn't find a group with more local roots than us and the Horseys."
Schell said the U.S. 13 entrance would be built first.
"We'll spend a lot of money on making our entrance design very attractive and inviting, and then start construction of some of the retail that has Route 13 visibility and let the market dictate to us where we go next," he said.
