Council should deny Overbrook Town Center
In a stunning 3-2 decision, Sussex County Planning and Zoning Commission has recommended approval of a controversial rezoning for a large, Route 1 parcel where developers intend to build the largest shopping center ever proposed in Sussex County.
It’s large enough to dwarf existing shopping centers, while increasing Route 1 traffic at times by as much as 2,000 to 3,000 vehicles per hour.
The developers have already said they will pay only part of the cost of an overpass required to provide access, meaning state taxpayers, including Sussex County taxpayers, will likely foot a large part of the bill to get shoppers to this complex.
With hundreds of residential units already approved and not yet built in the Cape Region, infrastructure is already strained, and regional highway infrastructure to support this project does not exist and is not planned.
Three commissioners were clearly swayed by arguments that the only question before them is whether the project conforms to the county’s comprehensive land-use plan.
But if this decision were a simple question of conforming to regulations, it would be an administrative one, like a subdivision; it would not even require a vote by county council.
Zoning changes are far more than a matter of conforming to the plan. They require balancing the rights of one property owner against the rights of everyone else.
The question that now goes before county council for a final decision is whether a change to commercial zoning will contribute to the health, safety and welfare of the people who live here and pay taxes here.
Hundreds of homeowners who face congestion and delayed emergency services, businesses in existing shopping areas and even farmers who have farmed adjacent land for generations, all have spoken. Their answer is a resounding NO.
We agree.
A shopping center this massive should be centrally located, more easily accessed by major highways, and away from the beaches that fuel not only our local economy but the state economy as well.
