Goodbye, Royal Farms! Our yearlong-plus wait is over; Royal Farms has withdrawn its conditional-use application for a gas station and convenience store on the corner of Angola Road and Route 24, as reported in the Cape Gazette’s Sept. 6 edition. Everyone in the Angola area and neighboring communities can relax and hope this is the last time we see a conditional-use application for a gas station on that corner. The property owner said it was not the right timing; no timing will ever be right for a gas station and 24-hour convenience station on this property, ever.
Many communities and groups came together, starting with a meeting Aug. 3, 2023, in the clubhouse at Angola by the Bay. From that point on, a concerned group of neighbors from all over the Angola/Route 24 area met frequently, worked out assignments, conducted research, wrote letters to Sussex County Planning & Zoning, Sussex County Council and Cape Gazette, developed full-page ads, petitions too. Out of this was born the Route 24 Alliance. And now we have the Sussex County Preservation Coalition. Where there once were a few voices, now there are many.
The 2020 fight against a 7-Eleven saw the Angola area become mobilized, energized in a way that had not happened before. Some, including Eul Lee, were involved in 2018 when the first conditional-use application for a station was filed. Many are to be thanked in the communities of Angola, Robinsonville Road and all along Route 24, but the key person to thank is Eul Lee. She had a vision, and with her leadership and passion, she developed Sussex 2030 into a powerful grassroots organization.
We, the people, have done our part, three times now over a six-year period. It’s time to put an end to this, and I am asking Sussex County to purchase whatever properties can be purchased that were a part of the Royal Farms conditional-use application. Thirty acres have already been purchased for conservation in this area; this after the 7-Eleven fight. Please add to that acreage and ensure this property cannot ever be developed in a manner detrimental to the residents of the Angola and Route 24 area. The Route 24 Alliance will be watching and stands ready to take up the task of fighting once again if need be.
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