OAK ORCHARD, Del.- The Clark family has a long history.
Many generations of chiefs are a part of the family tree even before Delaware was a state.
By the family’s land is where Stillwater Harbor, a 123-lot proposed housing development, would go including near the family’s farm where corn and soybeans grow every year.
Charlie Clark IV says putting the homes in would be devastating. One reason being the many historical artifacts that could be sitting in the woods but also wildlife that are there.
“Once I hit Chiefs Road it’s like they decompress because they see wild turkeys, they see deer,” Clark said. “We see all kinds of animals. It’s quiet you know. That will all be gone forever.”
Flooding is always a concern here in Oak Orchard with River Road being a prime spot for it since it is near the Indian River Bay. Nobody knows that better than the Clark family. Charlie lost his grandfather as he was trying to save his land during a flood.
“Right here on this land we had a lot of erosion because we had developments coming up around us and flooding was a problem and my grandfather had to bring in forty dump truck loads of sand to raise the beach up,” Clark said.
But he was hit by a dump truck and later died at a local hospital.
The flooding is also a concern down the street for several homeowners including Annabella Larsen who also sees the development as more of flood risk.
“We have the last contiguous fifty foot forested block that naturally absorbs all of that flood waters and then they are going to clear cut it and put in these impervious membranes that’s going to increase the flooding,” Larsen said.
The development was scheduled to be discussed in a public hearing with the Sussex County Planning &…
