The Mathews County Planning Commission tabled a request Tuesday night from the board of supervisors that they determine if placing a park on county-owned waterfront property at the end of South Bay Haven Road on Gwynn’s Island would be “substantially in compliance” with the county’s comprehensive plan. Residents in the neighborhood expressed numerous objections and concerns about such a park during a public hearing held on the matter during the planners’ meeting.
Lisa Edwards of South Bay Haven said that a park “may fall into the general framework” of the comprehensive plan, but the site “is not a normal property that you can apply normal considerations to.” She said the property had basically been condemned by FEMA because it’s flood prone, and that it’s ecologically sensitive. The comp plan “warns about maintaining the delicate balance of development versus environmental protection,” she said, pointing out such issues as the site’s vulnerability to erosion, the danger development wou...