396 homes proposed near Cave Neck Road
A 396-unit cluster subdivision on Route 1 near Cave Neck Road will be reviewed by state officials at the Preliminary Land-Use Service meeting Wednesday, Sept. 3.
At 10:45 a.m., state officials will review a project proposed for the 355.5-acre Robinson farm, which is directly across Route 1 from Heritage Antiques Market near the Red Mill Inn north of Lewes. The site extends from Route 1 to the Great Marsh. It is immediately southeast of the proposed Seaside development, a plan that received preliminary approval in January for 359 single-family home lots on 241 acres.
The property is zoned AR-1, agricultural-residential, and is located in State Strategies Level 4. Portions of the property are considered out of play, meaning they cannot be built upon.
The existing 78.8 acres of forest will remain untouched. There are 92.7 acres of tidal wetlands and 59.9 acres of nontidal wetlands on the property. The applicant does not intend to directly impact the wetlands areas and does not anticipate needing a wetlands permit. The wetlands have been delineated, but have not been signed off on by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
The plan anticipates 214.7 acres of open space to be used for active and passive recreation, stormwater management and wildlife habitat.
It is estimated the project will generate 3,960 vehicle trips on an average weekday. According to the site plan, the entrance to the community would be via a new road created as part of the Cave Neck Road overpass. That road would load into both the Seaside and Robinson developments. According to the Delaware Department of Transportation’s project page, the Cave Neck Road project is anticipated to begin construction in summer 2026, with completion targeted for fall 2028.
The application was signed by property owners Mary R. Monigle, Caroline R. Luckett, Thomas P. Robinson and Alice P. Robinson.
Two other projects
At 11:15 a.m., state agencies will review the Wollaston-Baxter-Shinn subdivision proposed for parcels between Gravel Hill Road and Bennum Switch Road between Milton and Georgetown. The project proposes 155 single-family home lots on 78 acres. The property is zoned AR-1, agricultural-residential, and is located in State Strategies Level 4.
At 11:45 a.m., state agencies will review Maloney Farm, a single-family home subdivision proposed for Martins Farm Road about a mile east of Route 5 near Harbeson. The plan calls for 88 lots on 44.37 acres. The property is zoned AR-1, agricultural-residential, and is located in State Strategies Level 4. The proposed community sits immediately east of the proposed Peck Farm subdivision, which received preliminary approval from the Sussex County Planning & Zoning Commission in January 2024.
Public comment will be heard at the end of each application. Each person wishing to comment will have up to three minutes. To view the meeting, go to https://publicmeetings.delaware.gov for a link.
Nick Roth is the news editor. He has been with the Cape Gazette since 2012, previously covering town beats in Milton and Lewes. In addition to serving on the editorial board and handling page layout, Nick is responsible for the weekly Delaware History in Photographs feature and enjoys writing stories about the Cape Region’s history. Prior to the Cape Gazette, Nick worked for the Delmarva Media Group, including the Delaware Wave, Delaware Coast Press and Salisbury Daily Times. He also contributed to The News Journal. Originally from Boyertown, Pa., Nick attended Shippensburg University in central Pennsylvania, graduating in 2007 with a bachelor’s degree in journalism. He’s won several MDDC awards during his career for both writing and photography. In his free time, he enjoys golfing, going to the beach with his family and cheering for Philadelphia sports teams.
