Sussex County P&Z backs Atlantic Fields project on Route 24
A proposed 695,000-square-foot Route 24 commercial center was backed by the Sussex County Planning & Zoning Commission Oct. 10, frustrating neighbors who plan to fight on when Sussex County Council considers the plan.
Among committed stores are Costco, Target, Whole Foods, Nordstrom Rack, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Hobby Lobby and Ross Stores, said Ben Hoskins, president of applicant Southside Investment Partners, at a Sept. 17 public hearing before P&Z.
P&Z voted 4-1 in favor of a zoning change from AR-1, agricultural-residential, to C-4, planned commercial district, for the 73.5-acre Atlantic Fields project at the corner of Route 24 and Mulberry Knoll Road.
Commissioner G. Scott Collins cast the only vote in opposition.
“I am voting no because I’m concerned about the traffic considerations and concerns expressed by citizens, and DelDOT is not going to be able to make the improvements that are needed to alleviate their concerns,” Collins said.
No other commissioner commented before the vote.
Prior to the vote, Collins read a list of 12 points in support of the project and conditions imposed on the development.
Among the rationale for approval, the developer will pay the Delaware Department of Transportation about $10 million to improve roads at and near the site, the project is compatible with state and county plans, the developer will pay school taxes, and the location is on a public bus route.
Conditions include relocating a gas station from its proposed site in a wellhead protection district and near neighboring houses, setback variances will not be allowed along Route 24, and vegetative screening will be required along Route 24 and Mulberry Knoll Road.
Also, the applicant will make a voluntary contribution of $100,000 annually split between the Lewes and Rehoboth Beach fire departments, and solid fencing and vegetation must be added along the back of the property along agricultural property.
More than 35 neighbors were in the audience, many wearing black shirts with stickers urging denial of the zoning change
Afterward, they said they disagreed with the decision and would continue to make their case when county council holds a public hearing on the zoning change request, which is scheduled for 1:30 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 21.
Anthony Princiotta, a resident of 55-plus community Four Seasons at Belle Terre, located on Mulberry Knoll Road, said he worries about the traffic that would accompany Atlantic Fields.
“All we want is to get in and out [of our neighborhood],” he said. “We always knew there would be some commerce. We never expected this level of development.”
One of two roundabouts planned on Mulberry Knoll Road would be at David Bower’s driveway, he estimated. Bower said he received no response from the state when he called to discuss it.
Gary Vorsheim, another Belle Terre resident, said he expected more support on the commission.
“I was surprised it was 4-1,” Vorsheim said. “But we thought it would be approved.”
He said the roads cannot support a project this large, with an estimated 26,000 daily vehicle trips generated by the shopping center, and there will be little vegetative buffer between neighboring properties.
“It’s all to maximize profits on the backs of the people who live next door,” Vorsheim said.
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.
