Donovan-Smith hearing ends, questions continue

The Lewes Planning Commission has concluded a public hearing on an application that would allow the owner of Donovan-Smith Manufactured Home Park to add 30 more homes, but questions continue over the site plan and how to address residents’ concerns.

The applicant, Donovan-Smith LLC and principal owner Ken Burnham, is seeking a conditional-use permit to allow the new homes to be placed in the park.

The public hearing began Feb. 24, but was paused after commissioners said they were lacking information from the applicant.

The hearing resumed May 6, but when it ended, commissioners still had a long list of issues for Burnham to address.

John Paradee, Burnham’s attorney, presented a site plan for the entire community for the first time.

The Donovan-Smith property is a single parcel, not a subdivision. The plan showed 129 leased-land areas, 34 of which do not have homes on them. 

Lewes Planning and Building Manager Janelle Cornwell said 15 sites currently do not conform to city code.

The city annexed Donovan-Smith in April 2022, with a goal of creating more affordable housing in Lewes.

Paradee said that is still the goal.

As part of the annexation agreement, the Lewes Board of Public Works connected all homes to city water and sewer, eliminating leaking septic tanks. Residents are receiving water and sewer service free of charge for 20 years.

Streets were repaved when the project was completed last fall.

However, Donovan-Smith residents said there is still a lot of work to be done.

Terry Saunders, who has lived there since 2009, said debris that makes open space unusable is a common sight.

“Behind my home is a junk pile. There’s a car motor. There’s construction material, light fixtures. This is stuff that has been there since the landlord bought it over 28 years ago,” Saunders said. “I don’t hear any commitment to cleaning that place up.”

Other debris can be seen in an area next to the Lewes-Georgetown Trail.

Residents said they want amenities, like a playground, outdoor lighting and landscaping.

Paradee said Burnham has agreed to give the community “a few thousand dollars” so residents can chose what amenities they want.

Saunders also said that stormwater management has gotten a little worse since the water and sewer project.

The commissioners discussed adding conditions to the site plan before they would recommend it to Lewes Mayor and City Council. Possible conditions include cleaning up invasive species and debris from open space, doing soil sample tests for sites where there were septic tanks, and delineating wetlands areas.

The LPC might also require a report on the electrical system, which is owned and maintained by the community.

Residents claim it is a fire hazard, and causes their lights to flicker on and off.

“The electrical situation concerns me. The houses are close to one another. I’d like to see the owner take some steps to assess where those problems are. It is a serious condition,” said Commissioner Bill Wolff.

“Let’s get new homes. Let’s get new neighbors. But not on that grid,” Saunders said.

Paradee said he is not aware of any electrical problems.

There was even some confusion over who provides the electric service. The site plan said Delmarva Power, but residents said their bills come from Lewes BPW.

The LPC is taking comments on the conditional-use application until Monday, June 9. The issue will likely be on the agenda for the planners’ regular June meeting.