When Sussex County adopted its comprehensive plan, it promised residents a future guided by smart growth; growth that protects farmland, curbs sprawl and builds where infrastructure already exists. The plan explicitly calls for preserving the county’s rural character and directing major development toward areas with adequate roads and public services.
Atlantic Fields is the exact opposite of that vision. This 73.5-acre commercial complex would replace farmland near Mulberry Knoll Road with a massive regional shopping destination. Its developer calls it economic progress. In reality, it’s suburban sprawl in its most expensive and unsustainable form.
Smart growth means building compactly, near existing towns and infrastructure, not carving up agricultural land miles from any employment center. It means prioritizing housing and services that fit the community, not dropping a big-box shopping corridor into what was once open countryside.
We are told this project will bring jobs and opportunity. But we’ve heard that promise before. The real result is always the same: traffic congestion, stormwater runoff, school crowding and taxpayers footing the bill for expanded roads, utilities and emergency services. Meanwhile, the county’s farmland, the backbone of Sussex identity, disappears one project at a time.
It’s hard not to feel betrayed. The public was told that the comprehensive plan would prevent exactly this kind of reckless expansion. Yet, time and again, exceptions are made for the largest, most politically connected developers. The message to residents is clear: Smart growth applies to everyone else.
If the county truly believes in the principles it adopted, it should have the courage to enforce them, even when a developer dangles promises of progress. Because once farmland is gone, it’s gone forever.
Atlantic Fields is not smart growth; it’s a broken promise, and Sussex County deserves better.
-
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.
