Hudson family has plans for Harbeson parcel

Development is cropping up like corn along the Route 9 corridor between Lewes and Georgetown.

At its June 11 meeting, Sussex County Planning and Zoning Commission heard plans for a proposed shopping, warehouse and storage complex near the Route 9-Harbeson Road intersection.

W&B Hudson Family Ltd. has filed an application to rezone a 37-acre parcel from AR-1, agricultural-residential, to C-2, medium commercial.

The plan calls for a shopping center anchored by a supermarket and/or pharmacy along Route 9 with warehouses and storage units in the rear of the property.

Future plans include connection to the Lewes-to-Georgetown Trail, which will be constructed along the former railroad tracks on the southern edge of the property.

Mark Davidson of Pennoni Associates, representing the developer, said the property has been in the Hudson family for several generations.

Davidson said the proposed use of the property adheres to the county comprehensive plan by providing commercial services in scale with the surrounding communities and by supporting residential growth. He said Route 9 is a business corridor with a mixture of commercial and residential development.

Under the proposed plan, the parcel would have access from Route 9 and Harbeson Road. State transportation officials suggested the main entrance should be from Route 9 with a right-in, right-out access from Harbeson Road. The site plan includes Route 9 access east of the current Royal Farms entrance and a limited-access entrance south of the Royal Farms access to Harbeson Road.

Water and sewer service would be provided by Artesian Water Co., and the property has access to a natural gas pipeline, Davidson said.

At the end of the meeting, commissioners voted to defer for further consideration. Sussex County Council has scheduled a public hearing on the application at 1:30 p.m., Tuesday, July 14.

Other projects in area of Route 9

Other recent projects on or near Route 9 include a Royal Farms convenience store/gas station at the Harbeson Road intersection; a rezoning for an 11-acre parcel at the Fisher Road intersection for Plaza 9, a shopping/office center; a Dollar General store at Fisher Road; a proposed Bayhealth 57,000-square-foot medical office building at the Hudson Road intersection; Cool Springs storage center; and a major expansion of Peach Tree Acres, a facility serving adults with brain injuries.

Also approved by Sussex County officials are Azalea Woods, a 316-acre, 610-lot subdivision near the Shingle Point Road intersection, and a 15-acre industrial park on Steiner Road.

A new Harbeson Post Office on Harbeson Road south of the Route 9 intersection is scheduled to be open by the end of summer.

Dewey Beer Company LLC has filed a conditional-use application for a microbrewery on a 5-acre parcel at 18499 Harbeson Road north of the Route 9 intersection. The planning and zoning commission has scheduled a public hearing on the application at 5:30 p.m., Thursday, July 9.