Hearing displays split on Bowleys Quarters project

Based on the support of a residents' group called the Bowleys Quarters Improvement Association, Joseph Bartenfelder, the county councilman in whose district the peninsula lies, introduced the condo project as a PUD.

The looser designation infuriated other residents, who formed a second group, the Bowleys Quarters Community Association, specifically to wage war against the project and stop "potential unrestricted overdevelopment of the area," its Web site says.

Kim Sullivan, who said she is a fourth-generation Bowleys Quarters resident, told the planning board that she was one of 400 people who signed a petition against the project. She asked board members to consider the need to protect Chesapeake Bay waterfront areas, to "look at this structure in comparison to the existing homes" and to imagine "how you would have to handle this if it were thrust upon your community."

The proposal for the Rehbein property, currently used to repair and store sailboats, yachts and other vessels, calls for the removal of 151 boat slips, leaving 36 - one for each condo owner. A 12-acre lot across Burke Road, also owned by Rehbein and used for boat storage, would be converted to a "natural habitat" area, the proposal says.

"I know the developers, and I know they'll build a quality project," Zivah Ring, who lives 15 miles from Bowleys Quarters and plans to move into the condo building, said during a break in the meeting. "When you have something modern and new, you attract new people to the area."

The planning board has scheduled a vote on the project for Sept. 18.