Donovan Smith community seeks annexation into Lewes

Donovan Smith mobile home park off Donovans Road is seeking annexation into the City of Lewes. 

Located behind the shopping center with Lewes Diner and Teller Wines, the community contains about 130 homes. 

“I think this presents an interesting opportunity for us to annex a parcel we’ve often talked about,” said Lewes Mayor Ted Becker. 

In the last year, Lewes officials have been actively working to expand the city borders, and a committee was formed to explore annexation opportunities for adjacent vacant land. In 2015, voters approved annexation of Highland Acres, a 53-home community behind Shields Elementary. 

Lewes can only annex lands that are contiguous with current boundaries. 

To approve annexation, a majority of Donovan Smith residents and a majority of Lewes residents must to vote in favor for annexation to be approved. Residents from each group are typically polled in separate voting booths in order to accurately tally the count.

Before an election is scheduled, council must first decide if it is in the city’s best interest to move forward. To make that determination, Becker formed an annexation committee comprising the four members of council. Each one will research the possible annexation’s impacts on different aspects of city. Deputy Mayor Fred Beaufait will chair the committee and look into zoning; Councilwoman Bonnie Osler, treasurer, will take on finance; Councilman Dennis Reardon will explore city services; and Councilman Rob Morgan will tackle city utilities. Each member will present their findings, and Beaufait will submit a committee report to Becker for consideration at a future mayor and city council meeting. 

Running parallel to Donovan Smith’s request for annexation is the community’s desire to tap into Lewes Board of Public Works utilities. BPW General Manager Darrin Gordon said he is working to engineer a wastewater system in the community that would connect to a sewer system it plans to run down Donovans Road. 

The BPW has already committed to providing wastewater service to Savannah Place, a 38-home community that neighbors the mobile home park. If Donovan Smith residents agree to the wastewater improvements, the price tag for Savannah Place residents would likely decrease. 

Residents could also see savings through a reimbursement program BPW officials are developing that would reimburse residents when other homes or communities tap into infrastructure for which they paid. In the case of residents in Donovan Smith and Savannah Place, they could be reimbursed if the Swaanendael Acres community, also on Donovans Road, were to connect to the BPW system in the future.