Plans for a zoning change for the Overbrook Town Center will include 850000ft² of leasable floor area. The construction on the east side of Del. 1, a few miles west of Lewes, across from Cave Neck Road, has a footprint of 114 acres. To obtain an image of the size of this center, one can say that the average Walmart is around 178000ft², and the proposal is for a size of four and a half Walmarts.
The Members of Council face a tough choice between accepting or rejecting the project once public hearings have been completed during October and December. Although the center would bring new name-brand stores to tourists and residents, it will also bring with it more traffic, noise and potential water pollution to other properties.
State planners raised concerns when reviewing plans for Overbrook during 2012. They were concerned about the impact of the center on the environment, which included the possibility of water runoff from paved surfaces which could increase the risk of the entry of salt water into a drinking-water aquifer and damage to marshlands.
A public hearing at a Sussex County Planning & Zoning Commission, on the rezoning request from agricultural to commercial, is set for October 9. Sussex Council will host a public hearing on December 9.
This type of development has been spurred by new home construction in the area.
