Jimtown Road improvements draw debate

There is no question major infrastructure work is set to take place along Jimtown Road near Lewes, but the scope and the timetable have yet to be ironed out.

Coastal Club LLC, developers of the 630-lot Coastal Club community along Beaver Dam Road, have offered to connect residents to the county's central sewer system, install streetlights and provide sidewalks. Before any work begins, the developer is seeking modifications to conditions put in place a decade ago, asking for six amendments to the conditions of approval.

Coastal Club attorney Jim Fuqua said, during a May 19 Sussex County Council hearing, the developer will honor the conditions agreed to by the former developer of the project, Marine Farms.

“But a lot has changed in 10 years,” he said.

The project was foreclosed on and taken over by Schell Brothers and Blake Thompson, Fuqua said. Construction is underway on Phase 1.

Fuqua said the proposed improvements are fair for Jimtown residents to help alleviate the impact of the development, especially to make the road safer due to increased traffic.

Fuqua said the developer is looking for guidance. “We really have no position; we need direction,” he said. “There are strong opinions both ways among Jimtown residents.”

The proposed changes in the infrastructure conditions are updated from 10 years ago and reflect new deadlines.

Fuqua said the developer is proposing the following along Jimtown Road:

• Streetlights at the developer's expense on each existing pole installed by May 23, 2016; sidewalks at the developer's expense on one side of the street installed by May 23, 2017; and sewer connections paid for by the developer for a period of up to three years after service is available. Sidewalks and streetlights would be provided from the Beaver Dam Road intersection to about half-way down the road in an area where houses are located.

Zac Crouch, the developer's engineer, outlined several options for sidewalk construction. He said under most scenarios easements would be required, but some residents may not agree to them, resulting in gaps. He said the best scenario with the least impact on residents would be a pedestrian/bicycle path on the west side of the road.

Fuqua said a vote to gauge how residents felt about the improvements resulted in a light turnout but with a majority voting in favor of streetlights and sidewalks. No vote is required on sewer connections because a sewer line will run down Jimtown Road eventually and connection will be voluntary.

He said there were 44 eligible voters including 29 property owners.

The planning and zoning commission has recommended the developer be required to

• Complete the sewer transmission system by May 22, 2017, and pay residents' connection fees within three years of substantial completion of the sewer system.

• Install streetlights by May 23, 2016, on existing poles from the intersection of Beaver Dam Road to the small bridge on Jimtown Road. In addition, the developer would pay all rental and service charges.

• Install sidewalks by May 23, 2017, within the right of way on the east side of Jimtown Road in the same area as the streetlights.

Those recommendations will be considered by council before a final vote is taken.

Jimtown resident offers another view

Mike Miller, who owns four properties in the Jimtown area, had his own ideas how the work should proceed. He said if council supports the proposed conditional changes for the developer, they should also consider changes that benefit Jimtown residents. He said work is long overdue and should proceed as soon as possible.

“Why are we having discussions?” he asked. “We want streetlights and sidewalks.”

He proposed that streetlights be placed on 21 existing poles the entire 2,700-foot length of Jimtown Road, and not just the populated part of the road as proposed by the developer. “It's been 10 years. It's time to get this going and started now,” he said.

Miller discussed at length a proposal to provide sidewalks on the east side of the road, as recommended by planners, and not the west side as proposed by the developer, insisting the sidewalks should be on the side of the road where people live.  He said he did not support the proposed pedestrian/bicycle path.

Miller said drainage issues along the road should be fixed by eliminating existing drainage ditches and adding drainage pipe and stormwater grates alongside the proposed sidewalk.

Miller said Jimtown Road is overdue for a major overhaul. He said the entire road will be disturbed during sewer construction providing a perfect time to improve the road and stormwater drainage issues.

“There was never a cost in this,” Miller said. “We expect it to be done the right way. We do have some pride in Jimtown. Let's treat Jimtown right, too,” Miller said.

After the hearing, council deferred on a vote on the amended conditions. Council has to weigh what the developer has proposed, what residents want and what the planning and zoning commission has recommended.

Additional amendments requested

• Allow original zoning on a 13.4-acre parcel not connected to Coastal Club to revert to AR-1. The parcel was designated for a Tidewater Utilities regional wastewater treatment center. Now that the project is connecting to the Sussex County central sewer system, the site is no longer needed. Fuqua said the developer paid $2 million to release the territory.

The planning and zoning commission recommended that the parcel remain at its current zoning, MR-RPC, medium density, residential planned community, zoning.

• Amend a condition to allow some minor construction in a designated 42-acre nature area that was set aside 10 years ago to protect an eagle's nest. Fuqua said the eagle has not returned to the nest for several years. He said the developer would like to have a community garden in the area with raised gardens, storage sheds and farm market stands. In addition, Fuqua said, in the future the developer would like to relocate the lighthouse at Five Points to the plot.

The planning and zoning commission recommended that the area be preserved for passive recreation with no structures.