RV Campground will Destroy Fragile Wetlands


A Preliminary Land Use Service (PLUS) report on the Campground plan was completed by the office of State Planning Coordination in July, 2019. This report stated: “Tidal wetlands comprise a majority of the proposed project area. Non-tidal wetlands are also present.”

The parcel search above shows the Grassdale triangle with the planned roads for the RV Campground marked in white and a rendering of wetlands protected by both the federal and state governments. This map clearly demonstrates how the Campgrounds would be encroaching on and removing protected wetlands.

Additional perspective is provided by the winter landscape taken from Reedy Point Rd with the Branch Canal in the distance. This photo delineates the wetlands because the tall grass obscures the snow. This image validates the conclusion of the Plus report that most of Grassdale is wetlands.

When the Delaware City Council met to approve the Grassdale plan on 12/2/2020, they passed a motion to require the minimum 100-foot buffer as required by both the state and county. This motion required that the plan would be brought back to Council for re-consideration if the 100-foot buffer was reduced.

However, at that point, the Fort DuPont complex had been re-zoned providing for only 25-foot buffers. The campground developer made clear from the beginning that the 100-foot buffer was a non-starter and FDRPC supported their position.