News Briefs 4/22/22

April 22, 2022

Sussex may vote on buffer ordinance

Sussex County Council will meet at 10 a.m., Tuesday, April 26, in the county administration building, 2 The Circle, Georgetown. Included on the agenda are a possible vote on the amended wetland buffers and drainage ordinance, and a presentation from Patti Grimes, executive director of the Carl M. Freeman Foundation.

A full agenda and meeting materials are available at sussexcountyde.gov/agendas-minutes/county-council. Meetings are held in person, livestreamed at sussexcountyde.gov/council-chamber-broadcast, and available by phone at 302-394-5036 using code 570176.

Sussex Pines Road closures set

A portion of Sussex Pines Road between Wood Branch Road and Fairway Avenue in Georgetown will be closed from 5 a.m., Tuesday, April 26, to 5 p.m., Friday, April 29, so Delmarva Central Railroad can resurface and perform maintenance to its rail crossing.

Motorists traveling eastbound on Sussex Pines Road will turn left onto Wood Branch Road and right on Cedar Lane to return to Sussex Pines Road.

Motorists traveling westbound on Sussex Pines Road will turn right onto Cedar Lane and left on Wood Branch Road to return to Sussex Pines Road.

Residents will have access to their homes at all times but may need to follow the posted detour.

Inlet bridge lane closures upcoming

Motorists should expect intermittent lane closures from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., the week of April 25, on Route 1 for inspections of the Indian River Inlet bridge.

The closures are as follows: Monday and Tuesday, April 25 and 26, the southbound right lane of Route 1 between Inlet Road and Turn Point Road will be closed to vehicles but open to bicycle traffic.

Wednesday and Thursday, April 27 and 28, the northbound right lane of Route 1 between Access Road A and Inlet Road will be closed for the full length of the bridge. Pedestrian/bicycle traffic will be redirected onto the Route 1 shoulder at each end of the bridge.

Pedestrian flaggers will be positioned across the length of the bridge to direct pedestrians and alert them of possible hazards.

Delaware Seashore State Park/South Inlet will be accessible during inspections.

Rehoboth shade tree commission to meet

The Rehoboth Beach Parks and Shade Tree Commission will meet at 10 a.m., Monday, April 25. The agenda calls for two appeal hearings – one for a denial to remove a mulberry tree at 36 Delaware Ave., and one for a denial to remove a river birch tree at 305 Sandalwood St.

The meeting will be conducted in person in the commissioners room of city hall, 229 Rehoboth Ave. A full agenda, meeting materials and a livestream are accessible at cityofrehoboth.civicweb.net. Only in-person attendees may make comments. For more information, contact the city at 302-227-6181 or information@cityofrehoboth.com.

Rehoboth to meet on beach, Boardwalk

The Rehoboth Beach Boardwalk and Beach Committee will meet at 2 p.m., Tuesday, April 26. The agenda calls for an update on the committee’s project related to Boardwalk commercialization.

DSP Troop 7 sets special event April 26

Delaware State Police Troop 7 will host a Community Café from 8 to 10 a.m., Tuesday, April 26, at the Long Neck Diner, 25935 Plaza Drive, Millsboro.

On hand to meet and interact with members of the public will be Troop 7 administration, a community outreach officer, a representative from the Victim Services Unit, and an investigator from the Collision Reconstruction Unit. The Community Café, aka Coffee with a Cop, is part of ongoing efforts to build stronger relationships between Delaware State Police and community members.

Sussex P&Z gives nod to American Storage

Sussex County Planning & Zoning Commission has recommended approval of three applications filed by American Storage of Delaware LLC (Alex Pires) for a mini-storage facility and a 140-unit apartment complex on an 18-acre parcel along Route 24 near the Autumn Road-Bay Farm Road intersection.

The applicant has filed to rezone 7 acres from AR-1 agricultural-residential to C-3 heavy commercial for the mini-storage facility, a rezoning from AR-1 to MR medium-density residential and a conditional use for multifamily housing.

Sussex County Council has scheduled a public hearing on the applications at 1:30 p.m., Tuesday, May 10, in the county administration building, 2 The Circle, Georgetown.

Harper’s Glen gets preliminary approval

With a required change in the development’s entrance, Sussex County Planning & Zoning Commission granted preliminary approval April 14 for Harper’s Glen, a 33-lot, single-family home subdivision on a 29-acre parcel on the north side of Route 16 (Milton-Ellendale Highway) near the Route 30 (Gravel Hill Road) intersection.

On the recommendation of Commissioner Kim Hoey Stevenson, the commission approved relocation of the proposed entrance to the parcel at the eastern end to a more central location on another larger parcel fronting Route 16.

“The proposed entrance has the most adverse impact,” she said. “Outparcel B is a safer entrance location with less impact on neighboring properties.”

Conditions include a 30-foot vegetated buffer on the northern and eastern borders of the property, and a 50-foot setback from farmlands adjacent to the property.

Construction and delivery hours are 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday-Friday, and 7 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturdays.

The final site plan is subject to review by the planning & zoning commission.

Route 9-Park Avenue signal work planned

Intermittent midday lane closures will occur from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Monday, April 25, for modification of the westbound Route 9 (Lewes-Georgetown Highway) left-turn traffic signal phasing at Park Avenue. Modifications will include providing a green left-turn arrow for westbound traffic. Other improvements include a new traffic signal display and in-pavement vehicle detector. These modifications are expected to improve intersection safety. Flaggers will be on site to direct motorists.

Roosevelt Inlet lot to close April 27-29

The Roosevelt Inlet parking lot will be closed periodically during the last week of April and first week of May for improvements including handicap parking spaces and beach access, and a new bike rack. Parking spaces will be delineated for best use of space, but the lot will still provide free parking. Weather permitting, the initial closures will be Wednesday to Friday, April 27 to 29; for more information, go to ci.lewes.de.us.

Lewes BPW collects household hazardous waste April 30

Lewes Board of Public Works will collect household hazardous waste and electronics equipment from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday, April 30, at the old power plant, 227 Schley Ave. For more information, go to lewesbpw.com.