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Friday Editorial

RV park proposal getting deserved attention

March 1, 2013

The Love Creek RV Resort and Campground proposal deserves the careful consideration that this seasonal community with an ulti­mate build-out of 628 units is receiving.

Given the rapidly rising population of retiring baby boomers taking to the road in recreational vehicles, and the obvious draw of our beaches, shopping, dining, entertainment and parks, this project, if constructed, will succeed in at­tracting vehicles and people. That’s especially so because the applicants come from families deeply rooted and invested in Sussex County who take pride in building quality projects.

The RV park fits, and would no doubt ben­efit, the tourism industry so vital to the east­ern Sussex economy. The big questions are whether the project can be developed in an environmentally sensitive fashion and wheth­er traffic generated can be managed to avoid creating safety and congestion problems.

Members of the development group, who have already demonstrated awareness of the benefit of generous natural buffers in other projects, say they are committed to exceed­ing required buffers and retaining most of the thousands of mature trees that will make their park attractive.

Were the property devel­oped to the limits allowed by existing general residential (mobile home community density) zoning on 75 acres and agricultural/residen­tial zoning on the remainder of the 162-acre parcel, far more trees would be removed and more impervious surface laid than in this pro­posal. In that sense, this rezoning potentially offers real public benefit.

The developers are also committed to fol­lowing all recommendations from Delaware’s Department of Transportation, after its review of a traffic impact study, to improve affected roads and intersections to address safety and congestion concerns. In addition, they want to explore development of a walking and biking trail along Cedar Grove Road and Postal Lane to Route 1 at Midway.

This project raises seri­ous environmental and traffic concerns. If it must be scaled back to meet those concerns, then so be it. But if the concerns are appropri­ately addressed, this proposed rezoning could result in a project with more public benefit than what can be built under existing zoning.

That’s what it will take for this proposal to meet the high threshold required for rezon­ings to pass legal muster.

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