Share: 

Sussex approves new townhouse project near Lewes

Council OKs six units per acre on Shady Road
March 23, 2018

Story Location:
Shady Road
Lewes, DE
United States

Developers of a proposed townhouse project off Shady Road near Lewes won approval to build 41 townhouses on a 7-acre parcel near the Plantation Road intersection.

At its March 20 meeting, Sussex County Council voted 4-1 to approve a pair of applications filed by MDI Investment Group LLC to rezone the parcel from AR-1, agricultural-residential, to MR, medium-density residential, which doubles the permitted number of units. Council also approved a conditional use for multifamily housing that further boosts the number of units allowed.

However, council backed an amendment proposed by Councilman I.G. Burton, R-Lewes, to amend the number of maximum units from 52 to 41 townhouses for a density of six units per acre compared to the proposed 7.58 units per acre by the developer.

Burton said he was concerned about high density in the area. “How much more can this area take?” he asked.

On the other hand, he said, high-density development should be near major shopping areas, transportation hubs and major roadways. “This is probably where this should go,” Burton said.

Councilman George Cole, R-Ocean View, who voted against the applications, said he would have preferred the project be restricted to the maximum four units per acre permitted in MR zoning. “I don't support increased density in the coastal area,” he said.

State transportation officials will require road improvements along Shady Road and the entrance to the adjacent Lewes Wellness Center near the Shady Road-Plantation Road intersection will be abandoned and combined with the townhouse project entrance.

The developer said no amenities are included on the site plan in an effort to keep the housing more affordable to middle-class families; prices per unit will start in the high $200,000s.

The county planning and zoning commission had recommended approval of the applications.

 

Subscribe to the CapeGazette.com Daily Newsletter