Townhouses proposed on Savannah Road sites
Lewes officials will consider requests for two townhouse projects on sites along Savannah Road in the city’s Marine-Commercial zoning district.
Lewes Board of Adjustment & Appeals will meet at 10 a.m., Tuesday, Nov. 17, in City Hall to consider a request for a special exception by Clifford P. Diver Jr., owner of property at 402 E. Savannah Road to construct eight townhouses.
Evergreene Companies LLC is also making a special exception request to build nine townhouses on the parcel at the corner of Anglers Road and East Savannah Road.
Both requests are permitted uses for property in the MC zone, and the special exception component is standard for the zoning district, said Henry Baynum, Lewes building official.
The zone’s purposes are to preserve the city's historic connection to the sea by encouraging a mix of retail and residential uses that complement and support a marina, and ensure the character and scale of development is compatible with a marina.
The zone requires that 5 percent of lot coverage must remain open and accessible from the road or sidewalk. Industrial uses not compatible with zone characteristics are prohibited.
General Commercial zone regulations requiring commercial goods and services also apply.
Baynum said if the proposed projects meet zoning requirements, the adjustment panel should have no problem approving them.
Diver, in an application filed Sept. 12, said the 100- by-200-foot lot has existing residences on both sides and open space across from it along Savannah Road. He said the building would face onto Massachusetts Avenue.
Diver has applied for a permit to demolish an existing building on the site that until recently had been a US Postal Service annex.
He said using the parcel for residences would be better environmentally than the earlier use because truck traffic is eliminated.
Bethany Beach-based Evergreene Companies’ building would sit on the half-acre site along Savannah and Anglers roads. Additional details about the projects will be presented at the adjustment panel hearing.
To see a complete agenda, go to City Hall, Lewes Public Library or www.ci.lewes.de.us.
