I am a recent graduate from Villanova University. When I am off from work, I often come down to Lewes to spend time with my parents and reconnect with a place that has become deeply meaningful to me.
Like many others, I treasure what makes coastal Sussex County special. I bike the Gordons Pond Trail in Cape Henlopen State Park, savor cones of cookie-dough ice cream on the Rehoboth Boardwalk and enjoy the waterfront nightlife in Dewey Beach. Add to that the three sales-tax-free Tanger Outlets malls, Midway attractions, Zelky’s Arcades and an incredible range of locally owned restaurants and experiences.
Unfortunately, these blessings don’t come alone. Anyone who drives Route 1 during the summer or holidays knows the reality: bumper-to-bumper traffic, long light cycles, frequent accidents and mounting frustration. Simply getting on or off Route 1 near Lewes can take far longer than it should.
That’s why the proposed Atlantic Fields project – and specifically the addition of a Costco just one minute off Route 1 – is so concerning.
This would not be a small, local convenience. The nearest Costco is roughly an hour-and-a-half away, and there is not a single Costco in the entirety of Delmarva south of Christiana. That means shoppers from Dover, Salisbury, Ocean City, Virginia’s Eastern Shore and beyond would funnel into one of the already most-congested stretches of Route 1.
Lewes and Rehoboth would effectively become a regional retail magnet at the expense of local residents, beach visitors, emergency responders, property values and quality of life.
Some argue that growth is inevitable and that any change is good change. But not all change is smart change. Not all growth fits the character, scale or infrastructure of a place that people come to on the exact premise that it is not overbuilt and overburdened.
While many of us would enjoy seeing a Costco nearby, everything has a time and a place, and this is not the time and certainly not the place. With other commercial-ready zones in neighboring areas, why place 695,000 square feet of retail pressure on the backbone of our transportation system and lifestyle?
Lewes and Rehoboth are beautiful because they have maintained a careful balance between nature and nurture – with protected landscapes alongside carefully crafted communities. A project of this scale risks upsetting that balance in ways that cannot be undone.
Preserve the peace. Protect the character. Respect the limits.
Sussex County Council must vote no on the Atlantic Fields rezoning.
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