Sussex P&Z says connector road must stay

Rarely has a single road been as contested as a proposed connector road between Senators and Governors subdivisions, off Gills Neck Road in Lewes.

Senators Homeowners Association filed a request with the Sussex County Planning and Zoning Commission to remove the connector road, J.G. Townsend Boulevard, from the plan.

During a May 24 planning and zoning meeting, Senators HOA executive board member Larry Manlove said residents were told the road was used during construction and would be vacated, the gravel removed and sod planted. He said the street is no longer needed, and a chain has been placed across it.

The construction road ends at a paved stub road in the Senators community, and that section will be used as a connection to Governors. The vast majority of the construction road is on land that will be developed as part of the Governors subdivision. The construction road does not follow the path of approved streets in the Governors development, said Sussex County Director of Planning and Zoning Janelle Cornwell.

Some Senators residents say the connector road will be used as a short cut by motorists to bypass a section of Gills Neck Road and to access the yet-to-be-constructed Village Center shopping center along Kings Highway. The center will be built on the western border of the Governors community. They also say the public should not have access on a private road maintained by an HOA, and not the state.

“We were never told there would be interconnectivity when we bought our lots. All roads are private,” Manlove said.

In addition, he said, the proposed connector road is 100 yards from the Senators clubhouse and pool. “Children will be at the pool on their bicycles. It's very unsafe and not right,” Manlove said.

Cornwell said the final site plan approval of Senators in 2010 included a connector road with Governors. In addition, she said, the final recorded plan for Governors indicated the connector road. Cornwell said her office received a letter from developer Jack Lingo Asset Management in opposition to the residents' request.

“It's a matter of record and supported by fact,” said Commission Chairman Marty Ross. “All we can work on is the paperwork and record in front of us – what is recorded.”

Manlove said a section of the Junction and Breakwater Trail through his community will provide connectivity with the Governors subdivision.

The commission voted 3-2 to deny the request by the homeowners.

Commissioners Ross, Kim Hoey Stevenson and Doug Hudson voted to deny the request, and Bob Wheatley and Keller Hopkins voted to allow the homeowners' request. Hoey Stevenson said she has known about the connector road since 2010.

Commissioner: ‘Frustrating situation’

Commissioner Bob Wheatley said he understands Senators residents' frustrations.

“The issue boils down to what did they know and when did they know it,” Wheatley said. “Also, from the developers' point of view, what did they share with folks when selling these places. It's always been a concern I've had. My concern is what was available for residents to see.”

He said information such as proposed interconnecting roads linked to other parcels should be spelled out up front to potential residents.

“I'm not blaming the developer because I'm sure they have done what they are supposed to do,” he said. “We are not requiring enough of them. If we are going to require through roads, they need to be built to state specs so these people don't have to pay for them or maintain them.

“This is a frustrating situation,” Wheatley said. “Everything appears to be legally in order, but it violates your street-corner sense of justice that the information needed to be put out front and center that a road may connect to future development.”

Work has started on Governors

Senators, with 229 single-family lots, is built out.

Site work and marketing for Governors is underway. The 254-acre development will have a mix of 423 housing units, 287 single-family homes and 136 townhomes. The developer has plans to apply for building permits for up to 90 residential and 50 attached units per year.

The two communities are part of a master plan by the developer for Gills Neck Road that includes Showfield, Wolfe Runne, Wolfe Pointe, Hawkseye, Senators, Governors and the Village Center.