Sale of Groome property very disappointing

Jim LaBella

September 14, 2017

Event Date:

Wed, 09/13/2017 - 11:00 pm

Reading the Sept. 8 Cape Gazette article regarding the sale of land on New Road to a developer was very troubling.

The current owner, Rev. S. Will Crossan III of Groome United Methodist Church, was fully aware that others wanted to preserve the land, and made a cash and land offer.

Rev. Crossan rejected the offer and now subjects the area to more development that we don't need. The article left me with only one feeling and that was greed on the part of Rev. Crossan.

The true Christian action would have been to accept the preservation offer to help the citizens of Lewes, and stop the overdevelopment to which we are all subject. Instead, the reverend choose money over the well-being of Lewes residents, which is the definition of greed.

Not only has this action opened the door to a development on this tract of land, but now other developers will rush in to build on the other areas of open land on New Road, which cannot handle the increased traffic that development will bring.

It would have been nice if Sussex County Council had sweetened the pot and spent some of the $2 million that the county is holding for open space preservation. This was a perfect opportunity and place to spend that money. Thanks to Mr. Burton for his efforts in this case.

I can understand your disappointment when you thought you had a deal and the reverend turns the tables on you. I hope the council will make it very difficult for the developer to build on this land. It is time for the council to just say no to unneeded and unwanted development.

I hope Rev. Crossan is happy now that he has taken away a great opportunity to preserve over 1,000 acres. I hope your congregation realizes the damage it has done to all. This is a prime example of one of the seven deadly sins, greed.

Jim LaBella
Lewes

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 viewpoints@capegazette.com. All letters are considered at the discretion of the newsroom and published as space allows. Due to the large volume of submissions, we cannot acknowledge receipt of each submission. Letters must include a phone number and address for verification. Keep letters to 400 words or fewer. We reserve the right to edit for content or length. Letters should be responsive to issues addressed in the Cape Gazette rather than content from other publications or media. Letters should focus on local issues, not national topics or personalities. Only one letter per author will be published every 30 days regarding a particular topic. Authors may submit a second letter within that time period if it pertains to a different issue. Letters may not be critical of personalities or specific businesses. Criticism of public figures is permissible. Endorsement letters for political candidates are no longer accepted. Letters must be the author’s original work, and may not be generated by artificial intelligence tools. Templates, form letters and letters containing language similar to other submissions will not be published.