Sussex council says no to extended Route 24 yard sales

Owners of a parcel along Route 24 near Long Neck will have to scale back their long-standing, twice-monthly yard sale/flea market to three times a year.

At its May 14 meeting, Sussex County Council voted 4-0 to deny a conditional-use application filed by Karen Ann Mueller for outdoor sales at 31977 Eagle Lane.

The property owners were sent a code violation notice by the county following a complaint filed with the planning and zoning office.

Under the county special-events ordinance, special events, such as yard sales, are restricted to three per year on the same parcel. A conditional-use approval would have been required to have more than three sales per year.

Council agreed with a unanimous recommendation for denial expressed by the planning and zoning commission based on parking and traffic issues along busy Route 24.

The Muellers have been in the process of building a parking lot in the front of the parcel to keep cars from parking on the shoulder of Route 24, which was a concern expressed by county officials.

John Haldeman, who lives on Eagle Lane and shares a driveway with the parcel, had strong words in opposition to the application. He said his lane is blocked frequently, there are septic problems on the property and the parking issues caused by the yard sale on Route 24 can't be solved. He said the existing house on the property can be rented out and is being used for storage.

“Nobody wants the yard sale there,” he said.