SB 23 is not the right direction for Lewes

Deirdre Hearn Taylor

May 5, 2026

Event Date:

Fri, 05/01/2026 - 12:30 pm

I love Lewes and have lived on Lewes Beach since 1988. I mounted a campaign five years ago for Quiltfolk Magazine to come to Lewes for one of its quarterly issues. Quiltfolk is an intentional magazine for quilters featuring a state each quarter. Delaware is No. 37, which came out in January 2026. You can go to the website to see or order the magazine. Lewes is very well represented in the Delaware issue along with Winterthur, Old New Castle and the like. Betsy Reamer, the Lewes Chamber of Commerce executive director, also has a copy.

With that said, Lewes will soon not be a destination nor a livable town if Senate Bill 23 passes. Lewes was a sleepy fishing village when we bought the lot in 1983. Lewes is now an overcrowded town with a beach of McMansion homes. People, cars and bikers are everywhere. Except for January and February, you can't move from Route 1 to Savannah Beach in less than 45 minutes to an hour. Our sewer system cannot handle the people who live here year-round and in summer we have had overflow of untreated sewage reach the Lewes-Rehoboth Canal. If there is a solution to this, it has not happened. Lewes is quickly losing the charm and history that drew people to it.

SB 23 is demanding 20% of the housing in towns with more than 2,000 residents be low-income housing. The state wants land rezoned without notifying the residents of these towns. There will be less green space and more high-density housing in Lewes. This would have huge environmental impacts after all we just did to save the Fourth Street Forest. There would be much less transparency. This is not the direction the residents of Lewes want the town to go.

The state will make this happen in towns of 2,000 or more by withholding state money if the towns do not comply. I do not want dense high-rise buildings in Lewes. We can't even get a parking garage because it doesn't fit with the town’s vibe.

I also live in Newark, where I vote. I have written David Sokola, my state senator, about my concerns, as well as to Deputy Mayor Khalil Sabliba.

I hope every citizen of Lewes reaches out to their state, county and local legislators to stop this egregious power grab by the state of Delaware.

Deirdre Hearn Taylor

Lewes

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