Lewes planner urges UD to reconsider construction entrance
The following letter was sent to University of Delaware Vice President Peter Krawchyk with a copy provided to the Cape Gazette for publication.
As a commissioner of the Lewes Planning Commission and a trustee of the Nature Conservancy, and also a generous donor to the University of Delaware during the four years and beyond that my daughter attended your outstanding institution, I write to express concern and frustration over the decision of the university to not allow temporary construction access for Fisher’s Cove along a short segment of university land.
Granting such access would spare the embattled residents of Rodney Avenue months of noisy traffic along a tiny residential street. It would also build a great deal of goodwill between the university and the community surrounding the campus in Lewes.
The Lewes Planning Commission voted, in my view courageously, to deny permits for the building of Fisher’s Cove because of environmental concerns, and the impact this development will have on the existing community. Mayor and city council also admirably followed suit, but as we all know, legal entanglements and ordinances written very much in favor of overdevelopment prevailed.
However, the final agreement held out the hope that the university, as a good neighbor, would allow construction access to alleviate at least this burden on Rodney Avenue residents.
We are hoping that you and President Assanis will reconsider your decision, and place appropriate importance on maintaining good relations with the community you are here to serve.
I and others from the community, including Barbee Kiker, Janice Pinto and Rick Spitzborg, would be glad to discuss further.
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