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State, county will redraw Transportation Improvement District boundary

Lawson: Lewes officials concerns are valid
September 27, 2016

Even before the ink is dry on proposed boundary lines for Sussex County's first transportation improvement district, it appears the lines will be redrawn.

As a result of feedback from Lewes officials, the boundary will change, said County Administrator Todd Lawson during a Sept. 21 League of Women Voters of Sussex County public land-use forum.

Drew Boyce, Delaware Department of Transportation planning director, said the draft boundary was a first stab at getting something on paper. He said it's likely more roads in the Lewes area would be included in the district, including roads that form the Lewes Scenic and Historic Byway.

A small section of Kings Highway and sections of Savannah Road and New Road – the three entrances to Lewes – are included in the proposed Henlopen district. “How do we account for the traffic on these three roads?” Lawson asked. “This TID has such an impact on Lewes that they need to be at the table.”

Lawson said Lewes officials raised valid concerns about the boundaries shown on the draft plan. “We received a lot of feedback from Lewes stakeholders for a broader approach to the district,” he said.

Lewes Mayor Ted Becker said as soon as the boundary was announced, Lewes officials had questions and concerns. “How was the boundary decided? Could it be altered?” he asked. “We are also concerned on its impact on the byway.”

He said Lewes officials wanted county council to be aware that key roads and intersections around Lewes where improvements are needed were outside the district.

He said the boundary does not include the Clay Road/Kings Highway intersection and the land around it nor does it include the area around Gills Neck Road. It also does not include Savannah Road, he said.

“How does Lewes remain accessible in all of this because the district would impact accessibility for Lewes?” the mayor asked.

Zoning, traffic plan key to district

Lawson said district boundary adjustments are being developed by DelDOT officials. He said DelDOT will present an updated draft to Lewes officials for their comments and then take it back to county council for approval. “Then we can move on to the next step of formally endorsing an agreement with DelDOT,” Lawson said.

Lawson said the initial boundary presented to county council on Aug. 30 was conceptual. “No one thought that this would be the final boundary,” he said.

On Aug. 30, Sussex County Council voted unanimously to approve the concept of a transportation improvement district. Council also agreed to a proposed timeline over the next year that includes gathering data, projecting future land use, setting up public hearings and signing an official agreement between the county and DelDOT.

“This is a more comprehensive approach for improvements in a wider area including cost-sharing with developers with DelDOT at the table. The TID is the link between land use and transportation,” Boyce said.

Lawson said it's important for county officials to look outside the box to solve transportation issues. “The status quo is not working. We have to figure out a different way to move forward,” he said.

As part of the process to establish a district, county council will have to determine zoning districts within the district boundary. Land-use parameters will have to be balanced with property rights and a traffic plan developed with public input, Lawson said.

“Council will paint the district with colors of what could possibly go there, and not all colors will be AR-1 zoning,” Lawson said. “Zoning in the district is the crux of the issue.”

At this point in the process, Sussex officials are not yet certain whether zoning-change applications would be accepted once the tranportation district is in place.

Once the district is formally approved and vetted during public hearings, the state will conduct a transportation-impact study inside and outside the area connected to the district.

DelDOT Secretary Jennifer Cohan said projects can then be fast-tracked because transportation improvements are guaranteed, zoning is decided and the transportation impact study is already completed.

Each developer involved in a project in the district would be charged a fee, with DelDOT also contributing funds as needed. In the Middletown district, developers cover 70 percent of costs and DelDOT covers the remaining 30 percent for road projects.

Cohan said the fee would be part of the agreement worked out between DelDOT and county officials.

Proposed district covers 51 miles of roads

The first draft of the district bordered Lewes city limits to the north – including parts of New Road; the Five Points intersection; Route 9 and Fisher Road to the west; Route 24 and Long Neck to the south; and Route 1 and the county's Wolfe Neck wastewater treatment facility to the east. The district encompassed 14 square miles, more than 9,100 acres, 69 intersections and 51 miles of roads.

Becker said officials also have questions how resources would be allocated because the proposed district is so large.

Becker said the district could possibly be broken down into two TIDs – one along the Route 24 corridor and another in the Route 1-Route 9 area. “Should the district be more confined? The needs in both areas are different,” he said.

Benefits of a transportation improvement district:

• Cost of road improvements shared equitably by developers

• DelDOT contributes a percentage to road improvements

• DelDOT collects more data – such as traffic counts – specific to the district

• Sussex officials have a say in recommending and approving road work

 

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