Well, everyone, we have complained about the overbuilding in Sussex County (Lewes and its environs). We continue to see homes popping up faster than dandelions, but at least most of the building was being done on open fields. Yet some of them had trees, which is the purpose of this letter.
Travel around the Lewes area and look at what our wonderful Sussex County Council has approved (don't forget the planning & zoning commission too). Three areas where trees have either been mostly or completely removed: 1. Camp Arrowhead Road about two miles from intersection with Angola Road. 2. Just past the intersection of Robinsonville Road and Harts Road (can't miss this, as it looks like a logging camp with most of the trees removed). 3. The intersection of Hollyville Road and Zoar Road (this is the most egregious clear-cut of trees).
You can't blame the developers. They only do what they are allowed to do. As more and more areas are approved for development with an ever-increasing loss of tree habitat, the situation will only get worse.
Unfortunately, no one in this great state of Delaware will help with this situation. I have written the governor with no response. Forget the state Legislature. Certainly not DelDOT. And don't forget our infamous leaders on both the planning & zoning commission and, most importantly, Sussex County Council.
I am not against development (no, I am not a tree hugger), but what has taken place in this county over the last five years is an embarrassment.
So I have decided to write the Cape Gazette just to air my grievances. Citizens of Sussex County, wake up and smell the coffee, because this situation is not going to change unless we clean house in both the county council and planning & zoning commission. This probably will not happen, so what is next? Nothing, unfortunately!
The only thing left is to try and convince the developers (keep our government officials out of it) to soften the destruction of our habitat by maybe building fewer homes on a parcel and leaving more trees standing. Hopefully all our builders can come to some kind of consensus to get what both of us want. I think this is our only hope.
-
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.
