The recent plans in process for several major housing developments in the coastal Sussex County region are together overwhelming in terms of the size of the projects when considered in terms of additions to existing traffic.
These include the 90-unit townhouse project and the 292-unit Groome property subdivision along the narrow New Road corridor, a 253-lot cluster subdivision on Robinsonville Road, Bridlewood, a 675-single-family lot cluster subdivision near Long Neck, and an upzoning of a request for constructing a 168-unit apartment complex near Nassau Bridge and Route 1 near Lewes.
These current projects and more are being considered by planning and county council during a period when a number of approved highway construction projects will be in process during the next several years.
The scope of activity planned for the building of developments at the same time as major roadway improvement construction would lead to chaos of efforts to control both simultaneously. Existing traffic flow is again higher this year, and especially this summer on almost every road, frequently causing delays and near-gridlocks on any day of the week. With this in mind it seems time for county and state officials to consider shifting the priority for attention over to the roadway improvement process and deferring final approvals for housing projects.
Once the roadway projects have become fully underway with some close to completion, review of housing proposals can be returned. This process is commonly called moritorium, which is a proven method of balancing priorities during a complex period of needs.
This would of necessity bring the county council, DelDOT and other involved entities closer together to manage the period leading to the planned objectives of coastal Sussex County. Continuing the practice of reviewing and approving of developer plans for additional housing in a worsening traffic environment is unsupportable. The priority now is finally working for roadway infrastructure improvements.
County council must modify its process followed for the past many years of approving plans for new housing. There really appears to be no other alternative.
William Brown
Lewes