At its June 27 meeting, Sussex County Council deferred on a decision regarding the conditional-use application from J.G. Townsend Jr. & Co. (Jack Lingo Asset Management LLC) regarding the proposed Village Center development at the corner of Kings Highway and Gills Neck Road. At this meeting, two representatives of the executive board of the Governors Condominium Association and many Governors residents spoke about how the plans as currently submitted for Village Center will negatively impact the safety of the children and adults who live in Governors. Yet the developer as well as the Sussex County Planning & Zoning Commission have failed to address these safety concerns.
Governors is a family community. On our private streets, children and adults walk and ride bicycles and scooters at all times of day on their way to the clubhouse, swimming pool, playground and tennis/pickleball courts, as well as to school and the nearby Junction and Breakwater Trail.
The proposed plans for Village Center, which lies adjacent to Governors, include a road that would provide a direct connection between Kings Highway and Governors. Unfortunately, if the Village Center proposal is approved as currently written, that connection would also provide travelers with an easy shortcut through Governors between the already very congested Kings Highway and Gills Neck Road. Drivers will almost certainly take this shortcut if it is available.
We believe the increased traffic presents a clear danger to our residents, particularly since the clubhouse, pool, children’s playground and pickleball courts are right along this route. Indeed, in the past few months, concerns about the safety of our residents led the executive board to arrange for the installation of eight additional stop signs throughout the community as well as additional community entrance lighting, yet even these added safety improvements will be insufficient if traffic increases substantially.
In response to the Village Center proposal, the Governors executive board requested that interconnectivity be limited to emergency vehicles through the use of a siren-activated gate/arm, while still allowing access for pedestrians and cyclists. We adamantly believe that interconnectivity must be controlled for the safety of our community.
When asked whether the developer would be opposed to installation of a safety emergency gate to mitigate shortcut traffic through Governors and Senators, David Hutt, the attorney representing J.G. Townsend Jr. & Co. and Jack Lingo Asset Management, indicated that they did not think it is a prudent action. He said that while certainly “some people” would use that as a shortcut, “absent a rare circumstance, that’s not going to be a great shortcut for someone.” We believe this statement is wrong and grossly misrepresents how people behave when confronted with congested traffic. Moreover, we are distressed that the developer so cavalierly dismisses our concerns.
We urge the Sussex County Council to require the developer to address the safety of our residents by amending its application to include a safety emergency gate/arm between Village Center and Governors.
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