I commend Richard Holtkamp, a member of the Overbrook Town Center Coalition, for his perceptive and concise statement in a recent article regarding the bad penny that just won't go away.
I refer to the developer, TD Rehoboth LLC, who has once again managed to impose upon Sussex County Council a second vote for approval of the unwanted and ludicrous sprawling behemoth...the Overbrook Town Center.
As we see more and more large box stores and retail shopping malls dropping like flies across the country, the geniuses at TD Rehoboth LLC want to go the exact opposite direction. They are either oblivious to the dramatically changing retail business model, or their development consultants are IQ challenged or ... just maybe they are looking for an obscene tax write-off in the future when the project goes belly up.
In order to proceed with the Overbrook Behemoth, an overpass and service roads will have to be built to accommodate this folly. It's estimated that the overpass and roads will cost some $13 million. TD Rehoboth has graciously offered to pay $8 million toward the costs. Guess who will get to pick up the remaining $5 million tab.
Richard Holtkamp has done a masterful job in summing up the lunacy of an Overbrook Town Center in stating, "But the shopping center would be like bringing an elephant to a petting zoo."
Gotta love the analogy.
Steve Hyle
Lewes