The Sussex County Planning & Zoning Commission backed a zoning change for a 30-acre commercial site along the northbound lanes of Route 1 across from Cave Neck Road, between Lewes and Milton.

The commission voted 5-0 May 20 to recommend approval for the Seaside at Lewes project. The plan now goes to Sussex County Council for its consideration.

The Seaside commercial project is part of a larger site that included a 350-unit housing development.

The commission concluded the commercial development would be appropriate at that location to serve area residents who would otherwise have to travel farther.

The site will be easy to access when the state completes road improvements nearby.

The  Delaware Department of Transportation plans to install three roundabouts nearby, one each flanking Route 1 along Cave Neck Road and one on a planned service road along the highway in front of the site.

The purpose of the zone is for retail sales and consumer services located along northbound lanes near Cave Neck Road; a grade-separated intersection of the roads is planned there.

Both the commercial and the large residential development planned behind it are taken into account in the state transportation plans for the intersection, according to the P&Z.

Tide Pines

The commission also held a public hearing on a proposed conditional use for the 181-home Tide Pines development near Millsboro. The project is planned on 63.3 acres off Legion Road, which intersects with Route 24. A recommendation was delayed to a future meeting.

The Tide Pines project is proposed by ELU DeLuca Mid-Atlantic LLC. 

Adjusting for streets, wetlands and other features, the net density is 3.3 units per acre, said David Hutt, an attorney for the developer. That is consistent with or less than many developments in the area, he said. There is less than 1 acre of nontidal wetlands on the property.

The project includes 181 total units, comprising 107 detached houses and 74 townhomes, in a growth area, he said.

Some of the property is farmland but much is forest, Hutt said. The plan retains 27.5 acres of open space or 43% of the site. 

Along neighboring agricultural land, the developer will maintain a 50-foot setback, which exceeds the required buffer, Hutt said.

DelDOT concluded the project would have a minor effect on traffic and will be required to contribute to an areawide traffic study, he said. The state plans to install a traffic light next year at the intersection of Legion Road and Route 24.

Homebuyers would pay a one-time $500 fee to Indian River Volunteer Fire Company, which would generate $90,500 after full build-out, Hutt said. They would also pay $8 per month after the initial payment, for a total of $17,376 annually.

During a public hearing, Bob Verdugo, a resident of the adjacent Peninsula Lakes neighborhood, supported the project but raised concerns that he wanted to be considered in the approval process.

Verdugo wanted to make sure construction traffic does not access the site through Peninsula Lakes. He also questioned stormwater management, due to the potential for minor flooding along the Emily Gut between the two developments.