Anyone would agree that road safety and sustainability are the bedrock of a healthy, happy community. But after living in the City of Lewes for the past seven years, I am now concerned that safety and sustainability for our visitors will be jeopardized by development without proper oversight to accommodate the high demand for housing here in Lewes and in Sussex County.
Also, no one would argue that it is wonderful that people want to move here. But we must question whether our infrastructure will sustain the increasing demand and growth. I wonder if our unimproved roads will still be practical, our beaches pristine and our water clean with this current surge of people and houses everywhere. If we don’t have a voice in managing development, the goals of the Blue Project Delaware will not be attainable, and the experience of walking and riding here will be a dream lost.
Consider Gills Neck Road. There is already an urgent need to create a sidewalk from Rodaline Avenue to the Junction & Breakwater Trail, and improvements to the stretch between those trails also have to be made, especially in summer, as an increasing number of bikers, runners and others enjoy the transition from the Junction & Breakwater Trail to the Georgetown-to-Lewes Trail.
And more important, improvements are imperative before we consider the development of Henlopen Bluff. I cannot imagine what Gills Neck Road will look like when the approved 79 lots bring hundreds more pedestrians, bikers and cars within a stone's throw of downtown Lewes. Currently, there is no bike path and no consistent sidewalk along this road, from the trails to the Savannah Road bridge. This road is far too narrow for the projected usage, and thus the developers of the project must be encouraged to fund construction to make it a safe and sustainable roadway. Improvements to existing roads must be given the highest priority even before the proposed development begins.
City council and those working on committees, whose work I applaud, must support the community’s efforts to temper this growth and support them when they urge developers to contribute to the safety and sustainability of our environment. And, if officials agree to development projects using outdated data, it’s imperative the community push back.
Finally, it is not acceptable that our community’s quality of life should disappear just because more people wish to move here. And moving away – as some residents have opted to do – should not be an option to find safety and sustainability.
-
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 newsroom@capegazette.com. Letters must be signed and include a telephone number and address for verification. Please keep letters to 500 words or fewer. We reserve the right to edit for content and length. Letters should be responsive to issues addressed in the Cape Gazette rather than content from other publications or media. Only one letter per author will be published every 30 days. Letters restating information and opinions already offered by the same author will not be used. Letters must focus on issues of general, local concern, not personalities or specific businesses.
