Lewes council approves final plan for Roosevelt Landing

It’s territory on which Lewes Mayor and City Council usually dares not tread: Should new homes built in the city look like the old ones?

But, that is a question they considered at the July 14 meeting during discussion of the final site plan for Roosevelt Landing, a community of eight single-family homes on Pilottown Road, the 3.30-acre former Lewes Dairy site.

The plan has been winding its way through the approval process since 2021.

At the meeting, council considered whether to approve the plan, along with 12 conditions added by the Lewes Planning Commission and four proffers from the developer.

Councilman Tim Ritzert proposed a series of additional conditions aimed at making sure the new homes fit into the historic community.

Ritzert suggested the three homes that face Pilottown Road reflect the architecture of significant buildings in the area.

Ritzert also proposed efforts to make sure the scale, proportions and height of the homes in Roosevelt Landing are compatible with the surrounding neighborhood. He said the requirements are already contained in Chapter 170 of city code.

It is a consideration usually reserved for the city’s historic preservation architectural review commission, which has its own stringent guidelines for homes in the historic district built before 1940.

HPARC only has jurisdiction over individual homes, not subdivisions or structures outside the historic district.

Councilman Joe Elder, who serves ex officio on HPARC, said size and mass are issues HPARC struggles with.

“We have people not able to complete houses and who go through multiple redesigns. We tell these people that if you want a bigger house, buy outside the historic area. This is outside the historic area,” Elder said.

“This is a major subdivision. It has multiple lots, therefore the impact is possibly far greater than an individual home that HPARC considers,” Ritzert responded.

Deputy Mayor Khalil Saliba was concerned that, since Ritzert sent his proposals to other council members only three hours before the meeting, something could be overlooked.

“The applicant has been here four years, and we’re going to bring this up three hours before we’re going to vote on it?” Saliba asked. “We’re going to miss something, and there could be unintended consequences.”

Saliba asked that in the future, council have more time to digest potential conditions.

In the end, council edited Ritzert’s proposals down to two conditions.

• The applicant shall consider the Lewes maritime and historic architecture, and the homeowners association architecture board be established immediately and use Chapter 170 as a guide for architectural standards. Council stressed this is a guideline, not a mandate

• The applicant shall relocate the construction materials lay-down area closer to the University of Delaware or the cemetery, rather than the adjacent residence.

Mayor and city council unanimously approved the final site plan with the 14 attached conditions and four proffers.

They also unanimously approved Dairy Lane as the street name in the subdivision.