The following letter was sent to the Sussex County Planning & Zoning Commission with a copy sent to the Cape Gazette for publication.
Unquestionably, the high-intensity, mixed-use, 637-acre, 1,922-unit rezoning proposal for the property adjacent to the intersection of Cool Spring Road and Route 9 represents a twofold conundrum. It would dwarf the 758-unit Northstar development, and its location in the rural PLUS Level 4 Spending Area is out of scale with surrounding areas, further perpetuating the problem of car-centric sprawl. As a leapfrog development surrounded by farms, rural homes and small businesses, construction would be detrimental to supporting its needs, especially given the need to prioritize funds for the more-populated areas to the east.
Fitting with its oversized proposals, Cool Spring Crossing will generate more than double the forecast traffic of the Northstar development. The funds that would be needed to support Cool Spring should be prioritized to the Henlopen Transportation Improvement District and the areas slated for growth. A proposal to widen Route 9 to four lanes would not be possible without encroachments and expensive property acquisitions, and it would come at the expense of nature, quality of life and open space for any homes or businesses along the corridor. An unsightly, car-centric, four-lane, slow-speed roadway burdened with traffic lights and lacking alternatives, the remote location of the parcel, and the problem of induced demand would quickly negate any extra lanes or added road space. Left turns in and out of smaller driveways and side roads would be difficult and unsafe. Taken as a whole, it makes no sense that a new development should burden existing residential parcels and small businesses along Route 9.
Precedent has shown a reluctance for high-intensity land uses in the area. One proposal to rezone a 37-acre, AR-1 parcel to a commercial shopping complex near the Harbeson Road intersection in 2019 did not proceed due to its incompatibility with the Sussex County Comprehensive Plan. More recently, the Delaware Office of State Planning Coordination has asked that a similar mixed-use/commercial development along Joseph Road be put on hold.
Cool Spring Crossing represents a wasteful use of infrastructure and resources that can be used more efficiently in the areas concentrated immediately around Lewes and Georgetown. Its location along an isolated section of Route 9 would aggravate existing problems due to the large amount of cars and time that would be needed to access the development, translating into higher costs to taxpayers.
-
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.
