News Briefs 1/13/23
Lewes passes through lot ordinance
Lewes Mayor and City Council unanimously approved an ordinance Jan. 9 to amend city code on through lots.
Moving forward, the required front yard opposite the street address will function as a rear yard for accessory buildings and structures.
A special exception was made for the Shipcarpenter Square development, where the backyard is now the side facing the Shipcarpenter Square street.
No Sussex council meeting Jan. 17
Sussex County Council will not meet Tuesday, Jan. 17. The next regularly scheduled meeting is 10 a.m., Tuesday, Jan. 24, in the county administration building, 2 The Circle, Georgetown.
Sussex County offices will be closed Monday, Jan. 16, in observation of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
DNREC fines Pine Haven owner
Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control has issued a notice of violation for wastewater violations to Blue Beach Bungalows DE LLC and parent company Blue Water Development Corp. of Ocean City, Md., for conditions at the Pine Haven community near Lincoln.
The notice faulted the company for failure to possess appropriate on-site wastewater and disposal system permits as required by Delaware regulations, and cited violations beginning Dec. 9 for untreated wastewater surfacing above septic tanks and cesspool disposal areas.
DNREC’s Division of Water began monitoring the situation in early December, directing the property owner at that time to take corrective action and to submit a plan that addressed ongoing violations.
The notice memorializes these immediate corrective measures and includes other corrective action requirements.
Milton planners meet Jan. 17
The Milton Planning and Zoning Commission will meet at 6:30 p.m., Tuesday, Jan. 17, at Grace Church fellowship hall. Commissioners will begin preliminary site-plan review for a proposed McDonald’s franchise at the corner of Route 16 and Union Street Extended.
McDonald’s is seeking approval to build a 4,000-square-foot restaurant with a drive-thru in the Milton Park Center Shopping Plaza, colloquially known as the Food Lion shopping center.
Commissioners will also hold a public hearing on a preliminary site plan for YourSpace Self Storage to build a storage facility on Route 16.
Owner Peak Management is seeking to build a facility with two buildings and more than 100,000 square feet of self-storage space.
The three-acre parcel Peak Management wants to build on is an empty lot on Route 16 between Mulberry and Union streets that is zoned C-1 commercial.
The complex would have a main building, a three-story, 113,000-square-foot facility, and a one-story, 5,500-square-foot building along with an office.
In August, the planners granted Peak Management a special permitted use for the facility. In addition, the planners will discuss the Town of Milton’s request for an amendment to the plat plan for Chestnut Crossing.
RD20 Democratic Committee to meet
The Delaware 20th Representative District Democratic Committee will meet in person at 6:30 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 19, at Grotto Pizza Grand Slam, 17467 Shady Road, Lewes. There will be an informal social gathering and Dutch treat dinner starting at 5:30 p.m.
Newly elected Rep. Stell Parker Selby, D-Milton, and Sen. Russ Huxtable, D-Lewes, will discuss their respective committee assignments and constituent services.
Plans and committee reorganization in 2023 aimed at strengthening RD20’s ability to support re-election of Democrats in 2024 will be discussed.
Any registered Democrat in Delaware is welcome to participate in RD20’s social hour and business meeting.
For information, go to rd20deldems.com, find Delaware’s 20th RD Democratic Committee & Friends Group on Facebook, or email rd20.deldems@gmail.com.
Sussex donates to Springboard
At its Jan. 10 meeting, Sussex County Council awarded a $5,250 councilmanic grant to Springboard Collaborative Inc. for the Pallet homeless village in Georgetown. The funds will be used to purchase three storage sheds.
City hall closed Jan. 16
In observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Rehoboth Beach City Hall, 229 Rehoboth Ave., will be closed Monday, Jan. 16. Visit cityofrehoboth.com/residents/trash-recycling for a trash collection calendar.
For more information, contact the communications department at 302-227-6181, Ext. 522 or communications@cityofrehoboth.com.
Henlopen Acres Town Hall closed for MLK Jr. Day
In observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Henlopen Acres Town Hall, 104 Tidewaters, will be closed Monday, Jan. 16. For more information, call 302-227-6411.
Lewes amends zoning code cluster section
Lewes Mayor Andrew Williams took time following the passage of an ordinance aimed at annexation zones to tell residents that the days of new homes on quarter-acre lots in Lewes are all but over.
Mayor and city council unanimously approved changes centered around the purpose of Annexation Residential Zones and Annexation Mixed Zones.
Officials say many of the changes reflect a more traditional neighborhood design approach.
See the ordinance at lewes.civicweb.net.
Septic system proposed for Hunter’s Mill Estates property
The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control issued a notice Jan. 11 saying the owners of Lot 94 in Hunter’s Mill Estates near Milton have submitted a waiver request so they can construct an on-site septic system.
The request is being made because the owners would like to sand line compacted soils out of the proposed drainfield area, which is in direct conflict with regulations governing the design, installation and operation of on-site wastewater treatment and disposal systems.
The notice says the request is for a newly constructed four-bedroom dwelling with a design flow rate of 480 gallons per day.
The application may be inspected by contacting DNREC’s Groundwater Discharges section, 89 Kings Highway, Dover, by emailing DNREC_GWDSLegalNotice@delaware.gov or by calling 302-739-9948.
A public hearing concerning the above application will not be held unless DNREC Secretary Shawn Garvin determines it is in the public interest or if a written meritorious request for a hearing is received on or before Wednesday, Jan 25. A request for a public hearing shall be deemed meritorious if it exhibits a familiarity with the application and provides a reasoned statement of the permit’s probable impact.
Sussex approves two sewer expansions
Two expansions of the Sussex County sanitary sewer system have been approved by Sussex County Council. At its Jan. 10 meeting, council approved connection by the Black Oak subdivision, with 127 single-family homes along New Road, and the Coral Lakes expansion, with 304 single-family homes on Robinsonville Road.
Construction has yet to begin on either subdivision; both are located near Lewes. The developers are responsible for a connection fee of $6,600 per lot.
