I could not be more pleased to learn that Sussex County Planning & Zoning Commissioners, spearheaded by Commissioner Kim Hoey Stevenson, has now taken a firm stance in favor of road interconnectivity for developments currently applying for approval. As the requirement for interconnectivity becomes the norm for all future developments, the benefits for this smart land use planning strategy will multiply. Not only will the residents in connected developments have multiple ways to access their homes, emergency and service vehicles will also have alternate means to reach their destinations - a factor of potentially life saving importance.
My hope is that in the very near term, Sussex will follow in the footsteps of neighboring Kent County and, in addition to interconnectivity, mandate that all developers build roads to state specifications. As DelDOT Director of Planning Drew Boyce clarified in his Sept. 21, 2016 presentation at the LWVSC forum “What Drives DelDOT? Part 2,” when a housing development has roads with more than one entrance and egress, and those roads are constructed per state standards, DelDOT will assume responsibility for maintaining those roads. Future residents will no longer be burdened by the costs of road maintenance and repair, snow removal, etc. Current residents in developments with roads that do not meet state standards must set aside significant monies with their annual HOA fees to pay for these services. These residents can fully appreciate what a major step forward these potential changes represent. As growth in Sussex inevitably continues, these two strategies, applied to all new developments, will benefit us all by helping to alleviate the traffic congestion on the county’s primary roads.
Sue Claire Harper
chair
LWVSC Land Use Committee
Rehoboth Beach
-
A letter to the editor expresses a reader's opinion and, as such, is not reflective of the editorial opinions of this newspaper.
To submit a letter to the editor for publishing, send an email to viewpoints@capegazette.com. All letters are considered at the discretion of the newsroom and published as space allows. Due to the large volume of submissions, we cannot acknowledge receipt of each submission. Letters must include a phone number and address for verification. Keep letters to 400 words or fewer. We reserve the right to edit for content or length. Letters should be responsive to issues addressed in the Cape Gazette rather than content from other publications or media. Letters should focus on local issues, not national topics or personalities. Only one letter per author will be published every 30 days regarding a particular topic. Authors may submit a second letter within that time period if it pertains to a different issue. Letters may not be critical of personalities or specific businesses. Criticism of public figures is permissible. Endorsement letters for political candidates are no longer accepted. Letters must be the author’s original work, and may not be generated by artificial intelligence tools. Templates, form letters and letters containing language similar to other submissions will not be published.
