Letters/Public Comments

Letter from Mary Who Grew Up in Glenville, New Castle CO, which was bought out in 2005

Page 97 of https://sussexcountyde.gov/sites/default/files/packets/2019-29%20Scenic%20Manor%20%28FKA%20Mulberry%20Knoll%29%20Paperless%20Packets.pdf

Subject: Scenic Manor (formerly known as Estates at Mulberry Knoll)

One of my biggest concerns about Scenic Manor and all of the development is Sussex County is Flooding. Not flooding by storms or from the coast but from overdevelopment and developing on wetlands or marsh.

Please let me share a personal experience and what happened to the neighborhood I grew up in but is no longer there because of overdeveloping of marsh and wetlands. You can also verify all the information online for those who aren't from northern Delaware.

My parents bought their house in 1959 in a development called Glenville in New Castle County the Stanton area. On one side of Glenville was Red Clay Creek on the other side was marshland. The creek was a small one. If you look it up it says it was prone to flooding. I lived there with my parents from 1959 to 1976. And my mother lived there until after the first flood in 1999. If there was any flooding prior to it was when the creek would rise but it never even came close to any homes.

But in 1987 they build a small shopping center First State Plaza on the wetlands/marsh. And then in 1989 they build First State Industrial Park on the wetlands/marsh. This wetlands/marsh bordered Glenville on one side.

Then 10 years later at 1999 Hurricane Floyd passed over Delaware and there was major flooding in Glenville. Many homes were damaged and destroyed. Lucky the flood came during the day when most people were at work and the kids were in school. They had said if it happened during the night many lives would have been lost. Because the flooding came so fast that the people that were there barely had time to get out.

My mother's house was damaged we helped her repair the home but she was a senior and didn't have it in her to stay in case it happened again. And the water came so fast she was too scared to stay in her home. She put the house up for sale and didn't get what it was worth before the flood. A young girl just 20 years old bought the house. But 2 days before settlement she was told that she had to have flood insurance. We couldn't believe it my mom never had or was required to have flood insurance.

But unfortunately in 2003 Tropical Storm Henri passed over Delaware and again Glenville flooded again but worst than in 1999.

In 2004 homeowners were bought out by state and local government. And they were paid peanuts for their houses compared to what they could haven't gotten prior to the first flood. So in 2005 demolition began on Glenville. That was the end of Glenville which was a great thriving neighborhood until they built on the wetland and marsh. And this neighborhood wasn't even near any tidal water just a small creek and wetland/marsh.

When we have storms we already have a threat of flooding because of Love Creek and Rehoboth Bay. Whenever it rains the water needs to go somewhere. And when you continue to overdevelop and build on wetlands/marsh that is when flooding occurs. Wetlands/Marsh are nature's way to protect the surrounding area from flooding. And the ways they are letting the laws be changed in Sussex county where there is marsh or wetlands. Is very concerning. Right now there are 2 large neighborhoods and a medical center on Warrington Rd. Which runs parallel with Mulberry Knoll Rd. Some of that development is also on wetlands/marsh.

In my senior years, I don't want to relive what my poor mother had to go through in her senior years. We build our house in 1996 and I have been a full-time resident since 2011. We love our home and have invested a lot in our home and hope that my children and grandchildren can enjoy it as much as we have. So my main concern is protecting lives and property in our neighborhood.

Also, I don't think the state or local government has enough money to buy out all the neighborhoods that are going to start flooding because of overdevelopment.

Mary Ann Bell