Sussex council will consider Atlantic Fields rezoning Jan. 13
The proposed Atlantic Fields retail complex, which would include large national chains, is scheduled to be considered Tuesday, Jan. 13, by Sussex County Council.
The request to change the zoning for the 73.5-acre site on Route 24 near Rehoboth Beach from AR-1, agricultural-residential, to C-4, planned commercial district, is on the agenda for the 1 p.m. meeting.
The development, proposed by Southside Investment Partners, would encompass 665,000 square feet of space in several buildings.
Crowds have attended public hearings before the county planning & zoning commission and county council.
Supporters emphasize the 1,750 jobs and the shopping options – including Costco, Target, Whole Foods, Nordstrom Rack, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Hobby Lobby and Ross Stores – the project would create.
Opponents raised concerns such as traffic congestion and safety for two nearby schools.
Traffic along the increasingly congested Route 24 is the focus of many critics. The road narrows to two lanes just west of the site. There is no timetable for the Delaware Department of Transportation to make planned improvements along Route 24, including widening the Love Creek Bridge to the west of the site and the road beyond.
Following a five-hour public hearing Oct. 21, council sought more information from Sussex Conservation District, DelDOT and Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control.
The council’s decision on the zone change request was delayed further to give the applicant and residents an opportunity to respond to the information provided by those agencies.
Kevin Conlon came to the Cape Gazette with nearly 40 years of newspaper experience since graduating from St. Bonaventure University in New York with a bachelor's degree in mass communication. He reports on Sussex County government and other assignments as needed.
His career spans working as a reporter and editor at daily newspapers in upstate New York, including The Daily Gazette in Schenectady. He comes to the Cape Gazette from the Cortland Standard, where he was an editor for more than 25 years, and in recent years also contributed as a columnist and opinion page writer. He and his staff won regional and state writing awards.
Conlon was relocating to Lewes when he came across an advertisement for a reporter job at the Cape Gazette, and the decision to pursue it paid off. His new position gives him an opportunity to stay in a career that he loves, covering local news for an independently owned newspaper.
Conlon is the father of seven children and grandfather to two young boys. In his spare time, he trains for and competes in triathlons and other races. Now settling into the Cape Region, he is searching out hilly trails and roads with wide shoulders. He is a fan of St. Bonaventure sports, especially rugby and basketball, as well as following the Mets, Steelers and Celtics.
