The following letter was sent to Lewes Mayor and City Council with a copy submitted to the Cape Gazette for publication.
I am writing this letter in opposition to the proposed development of townhouses by J. Setting, on the Brittingham property bounded by Canary Creek and New Road, Lewes.
There is a reason that New Road is part of the Lewes Scenic and Historic Byway program, whose goal is “to ensure its intrinsic natural resources and its historic quality.” New Road is truly a beautiful gateway into the town of Lewes. Canary Creek and the Great Marsh are of great ecological importance, and the farmland along the road showcases the areas’s agricultural history and bucolic charm. The creek, wetlands, adjacent farmland and woods are exactly what the Lewes Byway program intends to protect and conserve for future generations.
The proposed development on the Brittingham land of 90 townhouses could not be more out of character for this area, totally inconsistent with the existing neighborhoods in north Lewes, plus it would sit on a most sensitive piece of land!
If permitted, this development would have an extremely negative impact, visually, on all who enter Lewes on this route. Plans show the backs of townhouses on New Road, plus Canary Creek Drive. Certainly the impact would be felt most by those of us living adjacent to or across from the very dense proposed project.
The area is already prone to flooding, and as reported by Mr. Powell from DNREC, flooding woes will only worsen as sea levels rise. New Road/Canary Creek flooding often makes the road impassable. Paving roads and driveways will only exacerbate the situation! The impervious surfaces plus the large building footprint will leave little land for absorption of water, whether from storm surge or heavy rainfall. We need stormwater mitigation, not worsening! Will this project affect our existing septic systems, wells? This is a serious concern! It goes without saying that the wildlife would also be negatively affected by this increased runoff.
No approvals for additional housing developments anywhere along New Road should be approved until the Canary Creek bridge has been replaced and the roadway has been upgraded. There may be an increase in traffic on New Road due to new traffic patterns in the area. Ninety townhouses in addition? Yikes! I am concerned about safety on the road.
Another concern about this type of development abutting wetlands is for the very sensitive ecosystem. Townhouse developments tend to contract landscape companies, who, in their zeal to keep properties looking perfect, routinely spray herbicides. These harmful chemicals leach right into the soil, and runoff into the creek endangers the entire marsh area. Even a wide buffer would not suffice in keeping chemicals out of the ecosystem!
These are a few of my concerns about the proposed development of the Brittingham property. I hope that you seriously consider the negative impacts that this proposal would have on the gateway to Lewes, the sensitive ecosystem, the neighboring residential communities. Deny this application! Let New Road live up to the honor of being part of the Lewes Scenic and Historic Byway system.
Mary Louise Lauffer
Lewes
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