For 30 years, I have watched beach lovers invade Sussex County to take advantage of our low density and low taxes. Now these same folks are demanding that county council enact a series of new restrictions to halt the traffic problems and overcrowding that they caused. These are the lock-the-gate residents that want to halt all development now that they have their piece of our wonderful county.
Nearly every letter to the editor in the last few weeks was written by folks who should not get a vote on this issue. Sussex council is listening to the wrong advice. The new, inexperienced council members are calling for a pause or moratorium for months or years to allow time for new and more restrictive rules and regulations to slow development.
The county should call for a vote from everyone in the past 10 years who has not contributed to the problem. Conduct a county-wide poll comprising the hardworking people from the home builders, insurance agents, suppliers, Realtors and developers who hate the thought of a building moratorium.
Yes, we have a traffic problem on Route 24, Route 26, Route 9 and Route 16. The correct answer is to put more pressure on DelDOT and our legislators to complete dual highways and bypasses around Millsboro, Georgetown, Ellendale and every town that restricts the flow of traffic from west to east from the Bay Bridge.
It is unacceptable to allow DelDOT to say new roads will take 20 years. Halting all development is the worst solution. Maryland dualized Route 50 from the Bay Bridge to Denton in three years.
Sussex has 960 square miles of land area. My calculation shows only land four miles inland from Lewes and Harbeson and 20 miles to the state boundary at Fenwick Island has significant traffic issues that suggest overdevelopment. That is only 8% of the entire county. Why would you kill the golden goose for an 8% problem?
Kent County tried to solve its traffic problems by creating development zones. Now everyone in the rural areas outside the designated growth zones is poor and cannot sell their farmland for higher market prices. The winners are the citizens who can sell their farmland inside the arbitrarily designated growth zone. The result of this misguided policy is Kent County has no growth, no development, no incentives.
Don’t ruin Sussex County by letting the lock-the-gate crowd dictate land-use policy.
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