Lewes planners give Kennedy development a green light

A plan to develop the Kennedy property on Gills Neck Road in Lewes now moves to mayor and city council after getting a unanimous recommendation from the planning commission. The panel added two conditions.

Property owners Chase Brockstedt and Eric Sugrue are proposing a minor subdivision with two single-family homes, each on a 1-acre lot on Gills Neck Road. The homes would have a single, shared driveway.

The owners are proposing to donate a third, 1.5-acre lot in the rear of the parcel to the city to be used as open space.

The property lies between Freeman Highway and the Lewes-to-Georgetown Trail, in the shadow of the landmark silver water tower.

Before the vote at the LPC’s July 16 meeting, Commissioner Terry Poirey proposed two conditions to the site plan:

• Both homes must face Gills Neck Road 

• The builders must consider the maritime and historic character of Lewes in the architectural design.

His proposed conditions are identical to the ones that mayor and city council added to the final site plan for the Roosevelt Landing major subdivision, which will have eight single-family home lots at the former Lewes Dairy site.

City code already requires builders in major subdivisions to consider the city’s historic nature, but the code does not apply to minor subdivisions.

McKenzie Peet, attorney for Brockstedt and Sugrue, said her clients did not support the architectural component, but they did agree the homes should face Gills Neck Road.

Commissioners voted on four separate motions.

They unanimously approved the condition that the homes face Gills Neck Road. They also unanimously approved a condition that strongly recommends mayor and city council accept the donation of the third lot as open space.

A vote on the architectural component resulted in a 4-4 tie, which meant the motion failed.

Commissioners then unanimously voted to recommend the overall project.

If the city decides not to accept the donated lot, it would become available for a third single-family home. The only restriction the owners have put on the lot is that no commercial building be built.

Brockstedt and Sugrue said amenities like benches or a gazebo would be acceptable.

Steve Cohen, who lives on nearby Schley Avenue and spoke for a small group of residents at the meeting, said the plan is a good one.

“We’re all in support of this. We think it’s a great idea. We think it will be a missed opportunity for the city if they don’t take this property,” Cohen said. “Even if it was a third home, it’s better than what has been proposed in the past.”

Mayor and city council will consider the Kennedy site plan, and whether to accept the donated lot, at a future meeting.