Developers propose 15-unit apartments at former Sharp Energy site on Old Virginia Road

Keith Iot, principal of Iot Architecture Engineering, told the Pocomoke City Mayor and Council that Miles and Main Property Group seeks to redevelop the former Sharp Energy propane site on Old Virginia Road into a 15-unit market-rate apartment project called Cypress Grove. The principals — Germaine Xavier and Harold White — and the project team asked the council for support to move forward through planning and zoning reviews and to allow environmental assessments during the buyer’s due-diligence period.

The project team described the parcel as approximately a half acre, currently zoned business, and asserted that setbacks and density in the existing code make a straight residential rezoning impractical for this small site. Keith Iot said the team is therefore pursuing a planned residential development (PRD) or planned residential community that would accommodate a three-story building with a mix of two- and three-bedroom market-rate units and on-site amenities.

The proponents said the design would include a sidewalk along Old Virginia Road to connect with nearby properties, an active recreation area of about 1,500 square feet adjacent to a wooded stormwater facility, parking in excess of code minimums, and a looped entrance to minimize curb cuts onto Old Virginia Road. The development team said the parcel sits roughly 150 yards from the high school and abuts the principals’ existing multifamily property to the west, which they said would allow shared maintenance and management operations.

The applicants told the council they have paid rezoning fees and plan environmental Phase I (and Phase II if required) assessments as part of due diligence; they said they will proceed with those studies once the council gives a timely signal to move forward. City staff outlined the review sequence: planning and zoning review, any required zoning appeals, and then a return to the mayor and council for final actions. The applicants estimated that, with steady communication and no unusual delays, site work could begin in the October–November timeframe.

No formal rezoning vote or final action occurred at the meeting. Council and staff members asked procedural questions about sidewalks, site access and environmental reports; the applicants agreed to coordinate scheduling with City Manager Matthews and with planning staff. Planning Commission member Nola was referenced as having received the applicants at an earlier meeting and expressed preliminary support.

The council did not adopt any ordinance, resolution or binding approval at the meeting; the matter was presented for initial review and scheduling of the formal review steps described by staff and applicants.