SUSSEX COUNTY, Del. - Plans are underway to transform a field off Route 24 into a retail shopping center, but not everyone is convinced more businesses are needed along the busy road.
According to official planning documents on a state website, the retail center would be 695,000 square feet. The Preliminary Land Use Service, also known as PLUS, held a meeting about the project on Wednesday.
The project, called Atlantic Fields, is targeting 73.5 acres off Route 24 and Mulberry Knoll Road. The application states the total size of the commercial development will be 695,000 square feet, with 8.5 acres left as open space for stormwater management.
For the development to proceed, the zoning must change from AR-1 Agricultural Residential to C-4 Planned Commercial District.
CoastTV spoke with people who live and work in the area. Some believe the shopping center would benefit business, but say it would still break their hearts to see the field developed. Others are concerned about the impact on the area. Lloyd Purcell, a resident of Lewes for 57 years, expressed his worries about traffic.
"Traffic's bad enough as it is," Purcell says. "This whole road is backed up on the weekend, on holiday weekends."
Wednesday's meeting was solely for planning purposes, and no decisions were made. Rezoning requests like this one must go through the Sussex County Council.
A traffic light was added to the intersection of Mulberry Knoll and Route 24 in July 2023. DelDOT's project for the Rt. 24 corridor is currently underway.
Near the same intersection, another development was approved in 2016. The Sussex Planning and Zoning Commission reluctantly approved the Four Seasons at Belle Terre development, located on 124 acres off Mulberry Knoll Road in Lewes.
The project includes 269 homes. Despite concerns about increased traffic, the developer committed to adding a turn lane and traffic signal to ease congestion. Now built, the development has significantly impacted the small road, marking a major change for the area.