County council approves rezoning for Waves car wash on Route 24
Sussex County Council voted 4-1 Sept. 17, to approve a rezoning request for a parcel of land at the intersection of Route 24 and Warrington Road between Lewes and Rehoboth Beach, changing the zoning from AR-1, agricultural-residential, to heavy commercial for a new Waves car wash.
Councilman John Rieley was the sole dissenting voice, saying he would be more comfortable with a conditional use instead of taking the 1.58-acre lot out of AR-1 and rezoning it to C-3, a heavy commercial district under the county’s comprehensive plan.
“What this would do is open the gate to commercial-type developments crossing over into the AR-1 section, which is currently AR-1, and I would hope would remain AR-1 for future housing,” he said.
Speaking on behalf of the Cherner Group, which already owns a Waves car wash in Lewes, attorney Tom Carney said the rezoning is in keeping with other retail, business and hospital services in the area.
“This is going to be a second location here in Sussex County,” he said.
Melissa Steele is a staff writer covering the state Legislature, government and police. Her newspaper career spans more than 30 years and includes working for the Delaware State News, Burlington County Times, The News Journal, Dover Post and Milford Beacon before coming to the Cape Gazette in 2012. Her work has received numerous awards, most notably a Pulitzer Prize-adjudicated investigative piece, and a runner-up for the MDDC James S. Keat Freedom of Information Award.
