I was really surprised by the amount of wailing and gnashing of teeth over the Groome Church sale of surplus farmland along New Road at Lynn Road.
Would you sell your valuable property to the low bidder?
The recent nomination of New Road as a historic, scenic byway is increasing property values here and is providing a stimulus for new development along this corridor. The addition of this property will help ease the county's housing shortage, create jobs, generate taxes and fund the church expansion plans.
This farmland is now being dosed with all manner of pesticides, herbicides, fertilizer and who knows what is being sprayed on us by the recent fly-over by the cropduster. Unlike a residential development there is now no stormwater management, retention ponds, catch basins, buffers, etc., all of which will be mandated by Sussex County. There will be no new flooding of houses that are about two miles away and uphill from Canary Creek. The residential use may also put an end the free fire target shooting at the end of Lynn Road.
We always like amenities. With this new development in the pipeline, DelDOT (and the developer) will now have to find the money to add shoulders to New Road and Lynn Road, and perhaps raise the Canary Creek bridge to prevent it from being flooded. Despite popular belief, New Road is not an evacuation route, but it could be once this development and improvements are added.
Speaking of improvements DelDOT could improve safety by closing the two crossovers on the Route 1 bridge at Nassau Road and use the recently abandoned right-of-way as a new underpass with bike trail. The 40-foot clear underpass can provide two 12-foot travel lanes and two 8-foot shoulders for bike lanes.
A local Lewes architect commented a few years ago we should be focusing on inland/upland property so that Lewes can retreat from rising sea levels. So here is your opportunity to support and literally buy into an area that will get you out of the 100-year flood plain you may live in now.
Joe Hoechner
Pilottown Village
Lewes
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