As longtime, multiple-property owners in Angola by the Bay, my wife and I were shocked to read the recent letter: “Who is protecting our water in Angola,” in the Oct. 11. issue of the Cape Gazette.
It seems development interests are about to take priority again, over citizens’ and property owners’ rights. But this time, it is not only increased traffic that is a concern. Now our local drinking water supply is in serious jeopardy! That could be an irreversible problem.
Traffic can be managed over time.
Reasons to oppose the proposed 7-Eleven store and large fueling system at Route 24 and Angola Road, currently approved by the Sussex County Planning and Zoning Commission, include:
A. Water safety - Thousands of locals rely on the safe, clean drinking water drawn from the 117-acre source water wellhead smack-dab downhill from the project. Spills will occur, even if small, over the course of time and destroy our clean water. Not worth it. Trust us, they say, we have technology to protect from spills. Do you believe it?
B. Poor application of zoning laws - This site is zoned AR-1 and the project was rejected last year, but the conditional-use process is now being exploited to approve a massive commercial operation. The types of businesses to be approved by conditional use are small, part-time operations with limited customers. Why use the law this way? Think about it. Commercial interests - not residents’ interests - are at stake here.
C. Whose interests are being served? The professional engineer representing the project’s commercial interests states the location is “perfect.” As it turns out he is also a Gov. Carney-appointed member of the Water Infrastructure Advisory Committee. I’ll leave it up to you to decide if that makes sense. This is critical stuff here - our water quality. It is clearly more important than money to be made selling fuel and food items.
D. Traffic/EMT Access - The proposed project would require all exiting vehicles make a left turn immediately onto Angola Road at Route 24. This intersection is failing and rated F by DelDOT. It will be unsafe and a bottleneck for emergency/medical access to thousands of residents living on the Angola Road-Camp Arrowhead corridors.
Please speak to your Sussex County Council members, friends, colleagues, journalists, those with connections, anyone who will listen. Citizens, make noise! A vote on CU2176 by the five-person board is slated to occur sometime in the next few weeks. If approved, the dangerous risk of fuel spills into the Angola region water supply is risk-management planning failure we cannot allow to happen.
Dennis Hicks
Lewes
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