Beacon Middle School and Love Creek Elementary School are within a stone's throw of the proposed Atlantic Fields mega structure. Traffic is projected to increase on Route 24 by 141%, and that study is two years old. Traffic has increased exponentially since then. This increase puts our children, educators, administrators, bus drivers and parents at risk. Think of pick-up, drop-off and extracurricular activities. If you have driven by Beacon Middle School, then you know the sports fields are adjacent to Route 24. While playing sports, the children and coaches sit/stand against the chain-link fence along Route 24. Cars out of control drive through chain-link fences, and this is the concern. The increased cars will cause traffic and road rage when people realize Route 24 is a parking lot 365 days a year. So, drivers will try to find roads to cut through, and this is why Mulberry Knoll Road is a concern.
What has not been considered and, frankly, forgotten by officials is Mulberry Knoll Road, but this is seen as a significant thoroughfare for the shopping district by the developer, who lists planned exits/entrances. This is a two-lane road, and the width of one lane from the edge to the side of the double-yellow line is 9 feet (108 inches). The standard width of a tractor-trailer is 102 inches, but it can be exceeded with special permits under certain conditions. So, what is math? This means there will be a mere 6 inches or less space on the roadway. What happens when a car pulls over on the grass shoulder, and the tractor-trailer must cross over the double yellow line, or how will tractor-trailers of these sizes navigate the proposed roundabouts safely? Well, it's a safety hazard. These are the types of real-world issues our officials must think about, care about and ask about when assessing a zone change.
It's unfathomable how this road will handle not only the multiple tractor-trailers every day delivering goods but also the DelDOT buses and increased traffic. Mulberry Knoll Road is simply too narrow for that kind of use, especially with the volume that would occur to service such a complex.
For these reasons, and too many others to mention, there must be no zoning change.
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