No matter where I drive from Route 113 all the way east to Route 1, as well as surrounding back roads, two things are guaranteed, road construction and new subdivisions.
Because of Sussex County’s lack of planning, we now live in an age where no matter what road you drive, you will be faced with flags, stop signs, or worse, road closures. I find it amazing that on every copy of the Cape Gazette’s front page are tales of our council approving yet another subdivision off a small, one-lane farm road.
Does anyone coordinate the road construction? Seems the old moratorium of road work not being done during the season has become folklore! What used to take 20 minutes to get to, now takes 40 minutes if you’re lucky. The closing of roads does nothing but overload already congested roads, making the entire left side of Route 1 north a huge traffic jam. Seems everyone now lives west of Route 1, and every artery to get there is now under construction! When will Sussex County stop approving subdivisions? This county alone has approved the destruction of tens of thousands of acres of farmland and forest without a single nod to the incredibly vulnerable ecosystem which is the reason people want to live here. So what happens when every square mile of land has a subdivision on it? What happens when every country road now is four lanes and is as packed as 24 is now? Does one council person or P&Z member take a single moment to estimate how long before this is reality?
I do, and according to my estimate we are not far away from that! Which will make East Sussex County just a big city with crappy beaches.
We can’t find a parking spot now; we can’t get enough labor for the service industry now. How will we ever be able to support the thousands more homes already approved?
As a lifelong resident, either full or part time, I am utterly disgusted at the full-throttle approach this council has taken, and am stunned at the amount of destruction that has taken place on our natural resources, building on wetlands, and overall lack of care for what once was a quiet farming area that also had a seasonal side. This winter was as busy as the ‘80s and ‘90s summer season used to be. All I’m saying is that just once it would be nice to see our elected officials take a strategic approach to growth. Postpone subdivisions until infrastructure is complete.
Instead of having developers pay for the actual work, have them pay into a fund and then the fund pays for the work!
Road improvements need to be done prior to approving subdivisions. Subdivisions should be approved because the infrastructure is completed.
-
A letter to the editor expresses a reader's opinion and, as such, is not reflective of the editorial opinions of this newspaper.
To submit a letter to the editor for publishing, send an email to newsroom@capegazette.com. Letters must be signed and include a telephone number and address for verification. Please keep letters to 500 words or fewer. We reserve the right to edit for content and length. Letters should be responsive to issues addressed in the Cape Gazette rather than content from other publications or media. Only one letter per author will be published every 30 days. Letters restating information and opinions already offered by the same author will not be used. Letters must focus on issues of general, local concern, not personalities or specific businesses.
