Dear Neighbors,
Over 6,800 Housing units have been approved for the Rt 24 corridor resulting in an increase of tens-of-thousands of vehicle trips on Rt 24!
Sources: https://www.capegazette.com/article/construction-booming-cape-region/168597
Sussex County Land Use Docket: subdivisions approved 2019-2020
AND, coming soon to Mulberry Knoll Road there are plans submitted for Scenic Manor, formerly known as Estates of Mulberry Knoll, a 320-home subdivision on 170 acres, south of Rt 24. This subdivision could be approved by Planning and Zoning shortly. It will heavily impact the already dangerous Rt 24 & Mulberry Knoll Road intersection and traffic on the Route 24 corridor. This development has not yet been approved and the public still has time to take action.
What this means to you if the Scenic Manor subdivision is approved:
· Traffic increase for just the Scenic Manor development is estimated to add an additional 3,200 car trips per day onto Rt 24, and further development is planned along Rt 24:
o Pelican Landing Shopping Center and Love Creek Marina commercial area will add 90,000 square feet of commercial space along Rt 24
o Construction of 104-room hotel has begun across from the Beebe Medical Center
o Pending approval of 216-unit apartment building on Rt 24 behind Walmart
o Beebe Medical Center is being constructed off Rt 24 (Warrington Road) with an estimated additional 4,392 vehicle trips per day
· Rapid increase in number of residents will stress volunteer fire department, EMS services, police, infrastructure and schools
· Adds costs to all county services and roads, which are paid for by all Sussex County residents
· Insufficient stormwater management capacity on site – stormwater system is designed on land that is only marginally above the water table
· Increased risk of flooding – the clubhouse, 96 out of 320 lots, and neighborhood roads are designed within the 100-year floodplain
· Decreased water quality; pollution from pesticide and fertilizer application will drain into Arnell Creek and Rehoboth Bay
· Loss of habitat for migrating birds and for rare, threatened and endangered species
· Loss of 9 acres of mature forest out of 27 acres present
· Damage to the hydric soils which clean our waters and prevent flooding
· Loss of historic sites
What can you do?
Ø Help us increase public awareness by sharing this email with friends & neighbors
Ø Voice your opposition to, and questions about this development by writing letters to local newspapers
o Cape Gazette: newsroom@capegazette.com
o Delaware State News: Glenn Rolfe at grolfe@newszap.com
o Sussex Living: Shannon Marvel at shannon.marvel@doverpost.com
Ø Contact local authorities by email about these and other issues:
o Prior to the Planning and Zoning (P&Z) public hearing we want:
§ To determine the risk of flooding, we want to see the site topography, soils mapping, estimated pre- and post-development runoff, and proposed method(s) and location(s) of stormwater management
§ P&Z to require that the landowner give DNREC permission to perform environmental surveys of the site. The landowner’s application denies site evaluations by Delaware agents. The State Review of this application lists that potential rare, threatened or endangered species may occur on this site. P&Z needs to uphold the enforcement of Delaware Pollution Control Strategies that preserve existing wildlife habitat and water quality. https://dnrec.delaware.gov/swc/wa/Pages/InlandBaysPCS.aspx
§ To have P&Z request the 100-foot tidal wetland buffer as recommended in the State Review. This buffer protects water quality in the Inland Bays watershed and reduces flooding risks.
§ To ask P&Z require that the existing forested buffer not be removed.
Ø Email the following:
o Planning and Zoning Board at jamie.whitehouse@sussexcountyde.gov
o Sussex County Administrator at tlawson@sussexcountyde.gov
o District 4 Sussex County Councilman – Honorable Douglas Hudson at doug.hudson@sussexcountyde.gov
Ø Plan to attend the Sussex County Planning and Zoning hearing when this submission is presented for approval and public comments will be heard. It’s possible the hearing may be by teleconference. We will let you know when the hearing is scheduled.
Ø Join Sussex2030 – a group of concerned citizens who are already voicing questions about over-development of our beautiful Sussex County landscape.
For questions about this project or to join the Sussex2030 group click the link https://sites.google.com/view/sussex2030/join-uscomments
Keep up-to-date with the Scenic Manor/Mulberry Knoll website at https://sites.google.com/view/sussex2030-mulberry/home
Below is a map of local proposed and approved developments, shown in pink:
The proposed Scenic Manor (formerly Estates at Mulberry Knoll) is outlined in purple.
New Housing Along and Near Route 24 (John J. Williams Highway):
Subdivisions approved in 2019-2020:
Chase Oaks, Robinsonville Road and Webb landing Road –253 single family homes
Guy Subdivision, Waterview Road near Camp Arrowhead Road – 13 family homes
Keastone Bay, Banks Road – 675 family homes
Subdivisions reported by the Cape Gazette up to Dec 2018:
MacArthur, Ron. “Construction Booming in Cape Region.” Cape Gazette Dec 28, 2018. https://www.capegazette.com/article/construction-booming-cape-region/168597
Carillon Woods, Indian Mission Road, Long Neck – 204 units in 7 apartment buildings on 27 acres
Tidewater Landing, Robinsonville Road, Lewes – 195 single family homes
Four Seasons at Belle Terre, Mulberry Knoll Road, Lewes – 269 single-family lots on 124 acres
Somerset Green, Plantation Road and Shady Road, Lewes – 53 townhouse units on 6 acres
Marsh Farm Estates, Camp Arrowhead Road, Lewes – 134 single-family lots
Saddle Ridge, Route 24, Lewes – 81 single-family lots on 37 acres
Pelican Point, Indian Mission Rd., Long Neck – 365-single family homes on 200 acres
Springtown Farms, Cool Spring Road, Milton – 41 single-family lots on 45 acres
Spring Haven, Cool Spring Road, Milton – 18 single-family lots
Egret Estates, Wil King Road, Lewes – 12 lots on 12 acres
Woodridge, Cool Spring Road, near Long Neck – 188 lots
Cedar Grove, Cedar Grove Road, Lewes – 25 single-family homes
Middle Creek Preserve, Angola Road, Lewes – 314 single-family lots on 146 acres
Tall Grass Estates, Wil King Road, Lewes – 16 single-family lots on 18 acres
Arbor-Lyn, Warrington Road, Rehoboth Beach – 60 single-family, 82 townhouses, 60 apartments on 35 acres
Residences at Rehoboth Bay, Route 24, Love Creek bridge, Lewes 75 condominium units
Arbors at Cottagedale (now known as Coastal Tide), Mackenzie Way off Plantation Road, Lewes – 168 units in 6 apartment buildings.
Baylis Estates, Mount Joy Road, Long Neck – 37-lot expansion
Spring Breeze, Hollymount Road, Long Neck – 235 single-family lots on 140 acres
Marsh Island, Camp Arrowhead Road, near Lewes – 152 single-family lots
Tanager Woods, Wil King Road, Lewes – 168 single-family lots on 103 acres
Windswept Meadows, Angola Road/Angola Beach Road near Long Neck – 201 units on 60 acres
Kindleton, Robinsonville Road, Lewes – 90 single-family lots, 49 acres
Acadia, Conley’s Chapel Road and Dorman Road, Lewes – 234 single-family lots on 117 acres
Oak Landing, Oak Orchard Road – 163-single family lots on 60 acres
Beach Tree Preserve, Robinsonville Road and Route 24, Lewes – 155 single-family lots on 78 acres
Wellesley, Warrington Road and Route 24, Rehoboth Beach – 132 single-family lots on 73 acres
The Grove at Love Creek, Cedar Grove and Ward roads, Lewes – 247 single-family lots on 200 acres
Lovett’s Reserve, Camp Arrowhead Road, Lewes – 31 single-family lots on 14 acres
Hailey’s Glen, Angola Road near Lewes – 68 single-family lots on 32 acres
Headwater Cove, Dorman Road near Route 24 – 163 single-family lots on 82 acres
MDI Investment Group, Shady Road, Lewes – 41 multifamily units on 7 acres
Burton’s Pond I (Walden I), Route 24 and Hollymount Road, Long Neck – 265 single-family lots on 159 acres
Burton’s Pond II (Walden II), Route 24 and Sloan Road, Long Neck – 100 townhouses on 53 acres
Patriots Glen, Route 24 near Oak Orchard Road, Long Neck – 157 single-family lots on 50 acres
The Villas, Phase 1 and Phase 2, Long Neck Road and Bayshore Drive, Long Neck – 323 apartment-style condominiums on 37 acres
Street Property, between Wil King Road and Robinsonville Road, Lewes – 173 single-family lots on 102 acres
Peninsula Square, Route 24 and Autumn Road, Long Neck – 150-unit subdivision and 115,000-square-foot commercial center on 30 acres
Bayshore Plaza, Route 24, Rehoboth Beach – 71 rooms with future 4,000-square-foot retail
LMHT LLC – Rezoning from AR-1 to B-1 for a 6-acre parcel near the intersection of Plantation Road and Route 24 for offices
Centre at Love Creek, 84,500-square-foot shopping center, Route 24
HKLS LLC, Plantation Road and Cedar Grove Road, Lewes – change of zone to B-1 for 30,000 square feet of office space on 4 acres
Plantation Senior Housing, Plantation Road and Cedar Grove Road, Lewes – 160,000-square-foot senior living facility with 144 units on 10 acres