The following letter was sent to Drew McKay and Lewes Planning Commissioners, with a copy submitted to the Cape Gazette for publication.
We the citizens of Lewes, of the New Road area, and in particular the Brittingham property neighborhood, are concerned about the proposal of 90 townhouses adjacent to Canary Creek. We need your rational input.
After a year or two of our efforts to persuade the city council to act in moderation have failed, it appears that you have the final say on:
• compromise on density
• a precedent set for what used to be a rural New Road for future development.
The writing is on the wall. A glaring concern would be the fact of the rising sea level and the city refusing to compensate in density for the future of the hydraulics on this project, and the rising Canary Creek wetlands.
I have lived on New Road for over 30 years, and have viewed the rising water levels in all detail. I have seen signs of the future everywhere. I was at the council meeting Monday night, and the new assisted-living project has water runoff. More water goes to Canary Creek. I have seen from my third-floor window the great salt marsh for miles under water. Canary Creek becomes part of the bay itself. The vernal ponds on New Road are getting bigger, more numerous, and lasting longer. Some never go away.
My neighbor’s yard is constantly ponded. Flooding is an issue everywhere. Look at the Weather Channel! Look at Cedar Street in Lewes - it can be impassable. Why did the Lewes Yacht Club Marina recently add three feet to the height of the pilings? Preparing for the future. These are facts. The outer wall has been collapsing on both ends - I could go on and on.
Developing should be done responsibly - not to the max but in moderation. What’s the trade-off? Only time will tell.
The runoff isn’t clean water - our waters are getting polluted - example: recommended that you can eat only eight ounces of rockfish per year - that’s horrible. So we just continue to ignore the problems by maximizing the density - wrong!
Ninety townhouses - that is 180 cars. Add the rest of New Road development. Question - do you think the byways efforts to make New Road pretty and traffic slower will make up for the congestion? No!
The density will still be here and increasing.
If 90 townhouses are allowed, it is also setting a precedent for New Road - what a traffic nightmare. You know this can be controlled. A good start would be moderation at the Brittingham property. Just attach conditions that will require the new wetlands exclusion formula, and you will have helped correct the abomination that is looming over all of us - please...
Also, the townhouses have what looks like a minimum of a setback - wrong! Maximization vs. moderation - please attach conditions that will increase the setback off busy New Road.
We are waiting for the hydraulics report. How can we move forward responsibly without that?
Planning commissioners: please think this over seriously - independent of council’s previous decision and do the right thing for the future of all of us and Lewes.
See you at the hearing May 29.
Bruce Chandler
president, HOA Creekside Manor New Road
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