Traffic is focus at Overfall Preserve forum

How vehicles will get in, out and through the proposed Overfall Preserve townhome community dominated a Lewes Mayor and City Council public hearing March 31.

It was the panel’s opportunity to hear comments on the preliminary site plan for the 90-unit townhome development being considered at 1147 Savannah Road.

Overfall Preserve, formerly known as the Warrington property, would be located directly across Dutchman’s Avenue from the Dutchman’s Harvest development, which is currently under construction. Both of those communities are adjacent to the Lodge at Historic Lewes retirement living community.

The Lewes Planning Commission approved the site plan by a 5-1 vote Jan. 29, but added 25 conditions.

One condition lays out extensive details of a traffic operation study that would have to be completed before final site-plan approval.

At the March 31 hearing, the developer’s attorney David Hutt requested that condition be deleted, because the study, while part of city code, does not meet requirements of the Delaware Department of Transportation.

He called the study “homemade traffic tests.”

“What the planning commission did was try to create standards, a list of items, to address the lack of standards in the [traffic study],” Hutt said. “The city should rely upon DelDOT standards, the DelDOT coordination manual, so there are objective standards that can be applied to this.”

Dawn Riggi, a traffic engineer with Davis, Bowen and Friedel, addressed another condition: a requirement for dedicated left- and right-turn lanes from Dutchman’s Avenue to Savannah Road.

Planning commissioners were concerned that traffic from Overfall Preserve, Dutchman’s Harvest and the Lodge would back up while trying to exit onto Savannah. But, Riggi said her analysis does not support that claim.

She said two turn lanes would have little impact on traffic and would actually force the left-turn lane from Savannah to Dutchman’s Harvest to be reduced in length.

Gail van Gilder, a member of Historic Lewes Byways, said the figures don’t add up.

“There is a big disconnect between what we experience on the ground as residents and what DelDOT is telling us in terms of numbers,” she said.

The issue of connectivity between Savannah Road and Kings Highway was another major point of discussion.

There is no planned direct connection between the major roads.

Instead, the developer of Overfall Preserve has an agreement with the developer of Dutchman’s Harvest and the Lodge at Historic Lewes to allow vehicles to wind their way through the parking lots of those communities to get between Savannah and Kings. 

Some planning commissioners and residents have expressed safety concerns over vehicles navigating those lots with families and elderly residents.

Alan Roth, who lives on Kings Highway, said the cut-through plan is an unsafe idea that violates city code and the comprehensive plan. He said the city has ignored a requirement for an assessment of compatibility between Overfall Preserve and the adjacent land.

“The developer’s plan was unserious from the get-go,” Roth said. “Two hundred forty-eight [additional] cars a day will access Kings Highway by driving through the Lodge’s narrow roadway at a senior facility where accidents are almost inevitable.”

Hutt asked that council delete the condition calling for a final agreement for the cut-through, because it was already approved as part of the Dutchman’s Harvest site plan.

Some people who live on DeVries Circle told council they are concerned that vehicles will use their street as a bypass around the Dutchman’s-Lodge cut-through to Kings Highway.

The initial preliminary site plan for Overfall Preserve proposed a connector road through the undeveloped Plummer property, which is adjacent to the proposed Overfall Preserve. That road would connect next to 828 Kings Hwy. But, Jeff Plummer reiterated that his family’s land is not for sale.

“We are not allowing a road to go through the middle of our property. I recommend turning the development down, if that’s what is planned. We have three generations of Plummers here, and none of us are selling,” Plummer said. “Everyone is talking about the Plummer property like we’re not here. We’re here and have been here a long time.”

Mayor and city council will take public comment until 4 p.m., Friday, April 11.

The panel will possibly take action on the preliminary site plan at its workshop and special meeting at 10 a.m., Thursday, April 24, at city hall.