Henlopen Bluff decision heads for homestretch in Lewes

After five public hearings and lengthy discussions at council, commission and committee meetings, the fate of the proposed Henlopen Bluff development appears to be headed for the homestretch.

Lewes Mayor and City Council held its third public hearing for the subdivision July 29 to address the last two of 42 conditions and waivers that council and the planning commission attached to preliminary approval of the site plan.

Henlopen Bluff would have 79 single-family homes on a 61-acre property on Gills Neck Road, just south of the Freeman Highway bridge. Nine boat slips are planned along the Lewes-Rehoboth Canal.

The most controversial condition left to decide is a possible vehicular connection between Henlopen Bluff and the neighboring Showfield community. The connection is referred to as the road to nowhere by Showfield residents who are firmly opposed to having more traffic in their neighborhood.

The Showfield Homeowners Association supports a multimodal path for bicycles and pedestrians, but it says it will withdraw that support if a vehicular connection is approved.

The planning commission, which held two public hearings of its own, has recommended the vehicular connection be built. 

Councilman Tim Ritzert introduced a letter to his colleagues on council from Sussex County planner Lauren DeVore confirming the approved Showfield site plan includes a 52-foot easement for the purposes of emergency access if the adjacent property should ever be developed.

“The assertion made by the Showfield HOA and its legal counsel that there is no right of way secured to provide access from the Battlemixer cul de sac to the adjoining parcel is erroneous and not based in fact,” Ritzert said.

Jamie Whitehouse, Sussex County’s planning & zoning director, presented the final site plan for Showfield, which went through the county approval process between 2014-16. Showfield is located outside Lewes city limits.

He presented minutes from a county planning & zoning meeting in 2014 that showed a vehicular connection to Monroe Avenue on the north side of Showfield was discussed. The minutes do not include any discussion of interconnectivity to the east.

Whitehouse said the Delaware Department of Transportation stated at a state Preliminary Land Use Service meeting that a connection should be made to the east, but it was unsure how it could be built. At that meeting, the developers said they would explore a connection.

Lewes Police Chief Tom Spell and Fire Chief Greg Bennett both sent letters to mayor and city council supporting a vehicular connection to provide better safety and response time for emergency vehicles needing to access both communities.

Buffer waiver

The second topic discussed at the public hearing was the developer’s waiver request to reduce a planned 50-foot buffer on Gills Neck Road to 25 feet.

David Hutt, the developer’s attorney, claims a wider buffer would create a hardship for the developer and the city.

Hutt introduced a modified proposal for a 45-foot buffer along the dual row of Leland cypress trees on Gills Neck Road. Hutt said there would be additional plantings behind the trees.

He said the current landowner would still have to sign off on that concept.

“As indicated during the hearing, those buffer distances exclude the 15-foot dedication to the city along Gills Neck Road, so if those are included, the buffers would be 60 feet by the Leyland cypress trees and 40 feet everywhere else,” Hutt told the Cape Gazette.

Bike and pedestrian needs

The approval process for Henlopen Bluff has also raised the need for improved bicycle and pedestrian connectivity from the proposed development along Gills Neck Road into downtown. 

Hutt said the developer has increased its proffer to $3,045 per lot, or a total of $240,555, toward safety improvements to Gills Neck Road.

The city’s engineer had previously stated improvements on that stretch of Gills Neck Road could cost anywhere from $50,000 to $1.4 million.

Mayor and city council will take public comment on the Henlopen Bluff conditions and waivers until noon, Friday, Aug. 30. 

Officials are expected to include discussion and possible action on the subdivision at their Monday, Sept. 9 regular meeting.