SUSSEX COUNTY, Del. - It was not uncommon to notice farm fields and forests being replaced with new developments this year. Gov. Carney signed a bill this year that could expedite development in certain areas designated for growth. Many new neighborhoods have been proposed throughout the year, often drawing groans and cries of too much development from both residents who have lived here for a long time and those who have recently moved here but don't want others to come. While looking through CoastTV archives for 2023, a search for development yielded hundreds of results. Just a few follow:
- Cool Spring Crossing in Lewes, 1000 homes and commercial spaces
- Northstar Property in Lewes, 94 apartments
- Brentwood in Lewes, over 300 homes received final site plan approval
- Henlopen Bluff near White's Pond in Lewes, 79 homes
- Black Oak in Lewes, 127 homes received final site plan approval
- Proposed development in Milton, 163 homes
- Miralon in Milton, 144 homes
- Twin Masts in Milton, 249 homes near the Hudson Fields airport
- Freeman Companies development in Fenwick Island, 23 multifamily units
- Baywood Garden apartments in Long Neck, 13 four-story buildings
- Stillwater Harbor in Oak Orchard, 120 homes denied
- Raley Farm in Georgetown, 646 homes received preliminary approval
- Grayrock Reserve in Georgetown, 94 homes
- West Shores neighborhood in Milford left incomplete
One of the main concerns regarding new neighborhoods has been a lack of infrastructure updates that came in advance of the new houses and people. Despite frustrations with traffic, worries about the ease and ability of first responders being able to get where they need and healthcare appointment wait times, many towns and agencies have made efforts to grow their services alongside populations.
Milford unveiled its new police station earlier this month after several years of planning and funding efforts. Construction is currently underway for a new police station in Millsboro, too, that will be double the size of the current one on Main Street. Dewey Beach recently began discussing creative ways to raise funds to build a new town hall and police station, as well.
No one likes beach traffic, especially in the off-season. Drivers around central and eastern Sussex County experienced the early stages of a handful of major road projects in 2023, including the construction of a roundabout at the Five Points intersection in Lewes. Routes 1 and 113 are also seeing changes, as work crews are in place for these major roads to receive overpasses at 1 and 16 east of Milton. Though there have been delays in construction, work on an overpass at 113 and 16 in Ellendale is expected to be complete in 2025 and work at 113 and 404 in Georgetown is set to begin in late 2024.
In addition to roadwork, local schools are also looking at expansions in the near future to address overcrowding and higher enrollment demand. Sussex Tech is in the process of finalizing plans for a new three-story building that could cost $177 million, split as 60 percent state funding and 40 percent local taxes. In the Indian River School District, Howard T. Ennis moved to a new building earlier this year. The school had been at its previous Georgetown location since 1972 and is now across from Sussex Central High School. Central has a project of its own going on, with construction on a new building started late last year. The district shared photos of its current construction status earlier this month and it is still on track to open for the 2025-2026 school year. The old Milford Middle School was demolished in September after being vacant for 10 years and new plans are in the works. Cape Henlopen's new Frederick D. Thomas Middle School is set to open next fall and the district is also looking for an additional 250 acres to build a campus for life skills, a pool, a bus maintenance area and more.