LEWES, Del. — Plans to add 31 homes to the Donovan Smith Manufactured Home Community are drawing mixed reactions from people who live there, who voiced concerns about crowding, affordability, and quality of life. The Lewes Planning Commission is looking at a Conditional Use application from the developer during their meeting Feb. 24.
Jennie Eckenrode, a longtime resident, said she doubts the community can handle the proposed expansion.
"I don't think there's room for 31. They might be lucky if they get 15 or 20 in here," Eckenrode said. "It might make it a little crowded. It’d be nice if they set up a park for the children coming in with these trailers because there’s not much room around here."
Some neighbors are concerned about how the additional homes will impact their community.
One person CoastTV spoke with said she's very unhappy about the idea of more homes coming into the community, and she's thinking of moving out because of this. She says multiple neighbors she's talked with feel the same way.
While some people expressed apprehension, others, like Gary Hilton, support the proposal, citing the need for affordable housing.
"Housing for young people and retired people both is a real big issue right now," Hilton said. "If we can fit some people in here, I’d feel real bad about trying to block them out."
However, some people, like Terry Saunders, say the community is not affordable housing and doubt the new ones would be affordable either.
"We have a lot of children here and there’s no place to play, and the rent is very high," Saunders said. "I’m hoping we can address some quality of life issues and get them resolved."