Angola Neck residents building opposition to Royal Farms
On Aug. 3, a large, standing-room-only crowd of residents, mainly from the Angola Neck area, gathered at the clubhouse at Angola by the Bay. I say large because 181 people signed a petition against a proposed Royal Farms gas station and car wash at the corner of Angola Road and Route 24. The crowd was vocal and engaged.
Eul Lee of Sussex 2030 made a presentation highlighting the reasons why residents are against this station. Prime of which is the potential for drinking water contamination in the event of a fuel spill. Another concern, well illustrated by Eul in her presentation and voiced too by Rep. Jeff Hilovsky, is the impact on traffic and safety this station imposes on those who live in the area. Sussex County Councilman Mark Schaeffer was also in attendance.
Let’s be clear, the residents in the Angola Neck area and surrounding communities are against this possible development. Angola Road is in no way equipped to handle the in-and-out traffic this, or many other business types on this corner, will bring. The sloping topography and curving roadway present enough of a challenge now. While the corner will be improved with turn lanes, we now often have a 20-car backup at the traffic light, with more development coming down Angola Road on Camp Arrowhead too. Navigating turn lanes with an entrance and exit from a gas station will make this corner more of a nightmare than it is already.
Let’s be clear about something else, our activities, my activities, against this conditional-use permit were never aimed at the owners of the property in any personal way; although, it seems some have taken it that way. Or even at Royal Farms. I use their stations and have a ROFO card. We have directed our attention at what could happen to our ground water, to Burton’s Prong, to Rehoboth Bay, to our first responders who might not get to a fire in time or save a life.
We remain committed to fighting this station, just as we did the 7-Eleven in 2019. If more gatherings are needed, they will happen. We now have more than 340 signatures – more than we had four years ago – gathered within days and more who want to sign. And these are the people Royal Farms thinks will buy their gas? There are stations close by to the east and west of us. We don’t need this one.
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