Letter: Sussex council to blame for uncontrolled growth

I would like to add my voice to the ever-growing body of Sussex County citizens about the lack of concern the present Sussex County Planning & Zoning Commission has for its residents and their quality of life. 

Mine is not just another complaint about traffic and the disappearance of wetlands and green space; it is not just about the unending approvals for ugly monstrosities that are eyesores crammed into ill-fitting parcels, many abutting right onto the property line of residential areas. My concern here is not just about the endless approvals for just about any construction that developers want. No, my concern here is now very personal, and is a matter which directly affects the quality of life for three unfortunate homeowners, including myself.

The board’s approval of a four-story Holiday Inn Express on the grounds of the old Miller’s Storage Units in Midway was done with no outreach to or input from the residents who will soon have hotel guests peering into our back yards and windows.  We will soon have the fumes of cars and the possibility of trespassing, noise and pollution since the proposed parking area will be five feet from our property lines behind a measly six-foot-high fence.

Sure, the three of us join the dozens if not hundreds of residents who bought property expecting the peace and quiet of the beach community only to have some strip mall, warehouse, office building or hotel built right up to their property line.  No, tacit approval was given to the Moorestown, N.J.-based developer Rehoboth Midway Hospitality LLC group to build this monstrosity on a parcel of land barely able to contain it with no regard for three homeowners who will have this hotel looming above their yards.

There seems to be an all-too-cozy relationship between the planning and zoning commission and the business people and developers who want to build anywhere and everywhere. What resident has the time and resources to influence  this pro-business, GOP-dominated Sussex County Council and their appointed planning and zoning members the way developers, real estate companies and business people have?  

Their approval of this project had no direct input from the three homeowners who will now have a 41-foot, 10-inch building with windows overlooking their yards, a 25-foot light tower shining down both on the homeowners’ yards and the hotel parking lot which will be just five feet from the homeowners’ backyards.

 A call to the board elicited this response, “We didn’t need your input because the land is zoned commercial.”  Another call to the planning board elicited a reply of, “There is nothing that can be done; it has already been approved.”  This is a prime example of the disregard, arrogance and disdain for residents of this board in favor of whomever wants to spend money to build. 

Sure. they keep compliance to the zoning laws, but the zoning laws passed by Sussex County Council (who is equally at fault in this) are too lenient in favor of businesses.

The allowance for four-story buildings being one of the giveaways in this trend to favor the business people rather than the residents.

Though the demolition and construction company (Delmarva Veterans) has made a real effort to reach out to the three homeowners directly behind this future hotel, the fact remains the three of us will be in for the dust, dirt, noise, possible damages and then ultimately a four-story hotel with windows facing us, a parking lot five feet from our property line and 25-foot light towers shining down into our yards. 

Of course, the zoning laws do not require any other barriers other than this six-foot-high fence, nor do they require any landscaping which would take into account the three neighbors. The only landscaping requirements are for the front of the hotel, not the rear where the residential neighborhood is located.  Now it is up to us to plant trees large enough to maintain our privacy. 

People buy here for the proximity to the beach and for the quality of life.  Sussex County Council and planning and zoning who they appoint surely seem to not have this in mind when they approve buildings which so grossly infringe on existing homes and intrude into their space.  There is no redress for any inconvenience, and the only avenue to address grievances, as the board has told me in a phone call, is to hire a lawyer.

Of course, the county commissioners did eventually cap the height on any new building at 42 feet, and they do require a building to be 50 feet from the property line of another property, but I would not jump for joy about this. How about planting trees which will attain a height of 42 feet along the property line facing the neighbors so they are saved from their future fishbowl existence?  Perhaps it is time to elect a new county council (which selects the planning and zoning board) and stop the out-of-control pro-business trend now taking place. The dialog is stilted and is certainly not something the present county council will initiate. It is such an obvious and glaring fact that the 19971 and 19958 ZIP codes are overcrowded, and who is at fault for this debacle is clear: Sussex County Council and their appointees at the board of planning and zoning. I move that the board’s name should be changed to The Sussex County Board of Poor Planning, Mismanagement and Haphazard Zoning.

Ronald Nicholls
Rehoboth Beach