I am a resident of the Four Seasons at Belle Terre community off Mulberry Knoll Road. This is a 55-plus community. There are so many concerns about the proposed Atlantic Fields development, the proposed mega shopping mall, that it is hard to prioritize them.
Having said that, there is broad need for additional retail outlets to serve the ever-expanding retirement population flooding our communities. The main question is, where is the most appropriate location for these merchandisers? This question is for the residents both new and established, as well as the merchants and conglomerates.
Traffic – Congestion, doubling and tripling of traffic overload as defined by county documents. Route 24 cannot handle the current level of traffic today, as it is currently over capacity
Safety – Accidents and crime will increase along with road rage due to congestion
Emergency – EMS, police response times will suffer
Property – Decrease in home valuation
Stormwater management – Underground wastewater storage with overflow diverted into a private HOA community, Four Seasons at Belle Terre; stormwater surges come from two nearby creeks and the bay with ever-increasing occurrences of mega coastal storms
Wildlife preservation – The current fields provide valuable habitat for our permanent and seasonal animal and bird populations
Maintaining the atmosphere of southern Delaware – Residents and visitors expect to live and visit a quieter pace of life here in Sussex County. Overdevelopment will absolutely destroy our way of life. Seasonal visitors can say goodbye to our peaceful community. They will find other options for spending their vacations and take their money with them.
There are many potential opportunities for this development in other locations that do not present these obstacles and concerns. Sussex County will continue to grow, but we must grow in a way that does not destroy us. This mega mall is completely out of touch with the surrounding neighborhoods and communities, and approval for building site should be permanently denied in this location.
-
A letter to the editor expresses a reader's opinion and, as such, is not reflective of the editorial opinions of this newspaper.
To submit a letter to the editor for publishing, send an email to viewpoints@capegazette.com. All letters are considered at the discretion of the newsroom and published as space allows. Due to the large volume of submissions, we cannot acknowledge receipt of each submission. Letters must include a phone number and address for verification. Keep letters to 400 words or fewer. We reserve the right to edit for content or length. Letters should be responsive to issues addressed in the Cape Gazette rather than content from other publications or media. Letters should focus on local issues, not national topics or personalities. Only one letter per author will be published every 30 days regarding a particular topic. Authors may submit a second letter within that time period if it pertains to a different issue. Letters may not be critical of personalities or specific businesses. Criticism of public figures is permissible. Endorsement letters for political candidates are no longer accepted. Letters must be the author’s original work, and may not be generated by artificial intelligence tools. Templates, form letters and letters containing language similar to other submissions will not be published.
