City of Lewes Comprehensive Plan adopted and certified October 2005 prepared by Institute for Public Administration College of Human Services, Education & Public Policy University of Delaware www.ipa.udel.edu City of Lewes Comprehensive Plan adopted and certified October 2005 November 18, 2005 The Honorable James L. Ford Mayor, City of Lewes P.O. Box 227 Lewes, De 19958 RE: Certification of Comprehensive Plan PLUS 2005-08-12 Dear Mayor Ford: I am pleased to inform the City of Lewes that as of October 19, 2005, per the recommendation of the Office of State Planning Coordination, the comprehensive plan for the City of Lewes is hereby certified. The certification signifies that the comprehensive plan is currently in compliance with State Strategies. My staff and I look forward to working with the City of Lewes to accomplish the mission of allowing economic development while protecting Delaware’s heritage and natural resources. Once again, congratulations on your certification. Sincerely, Constance C. Holland, AICP Director CC: Elaine Bisbee 2005 City of Lewes Comprehensive Plan i TABLE OF CONTENTS City Officials............................................................................................................................................... ii County and State Officials......................................................................................................................... iii Institute for Public Administration ............................................................................................................ iv Executive Summary...................................................................................................................................1 Part 1. Background ....................................................................................................................................4 1-1. The Authority to Plan...............................................................................................................4 1-2. Location and History................................................................................................................5 1-3. Community Profile...................................................................................................................6 1-4. Community Vision, Goals, and Core Values .........................................................................12 1-5. Planning Process and Public Participation ............................................................................13 Part 2. Land Use Plan..............................................................................................................................18 2-1. Current Land Use Climate......................................................................................................18 2-2. Utilities...................................................................................................................................24 2-3. Transportation.........................................................................................................................29 2-4. Other Community Facilities and Services .............................................................................35 2-5. Housing...................................................................................................................................38 2-6. Future Land Use .....................................................................................................................43 2-7. Annexations and Adjacent Land Uses....................................................................................47 Part 3. Community Character................................................................................................................53 3-1. Parks, Recreation, and Open Space........................................................................................53 3-2. Historic and Cultural Resources.............................................................................................59 3-3. Natural Resources and Environmental Protection..................................................................62 3-4. Economic Development and Redevelopment ........................................................................67 3-5. Community Design.................................................................................................................75 Part 4. Implementation............................................................................................................................81 4-1. Intergovernmental Coordination.............................................................................................81 4-2. Summary of Actions...............................................................................................................82 Part 5. Appendices ...................................................................................................................................87 Appendix A. Bibliography.......................................................................................................................88 Appendix B. Recommendations as Related to the Core Values .........................................................89 Appendix C. Implemented Recommendations from Previous Plans .................................................93 Appendix D. Lewes Resident Survey .....................................................................................................96 Appendix E. Maps .................................................................................................................................101 ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Adopted by the City of Lewes 10/19/2005 Certified by the Office of State Planning Coordination 10/19/2005 2005 City of Lewes Comprehensive Plan ii CITY OF LEWES OFFICIALS 2002-2003 2004-2005 Mayor and Council George H.P. Smith, Mayor James L. Ford, III, Mayor James L. Ford, III, Deputy Mayor James Ippolito, Deputy Mayor A. Judson Bennett Stephanie Tsantes James Ippolito Theodore Becker Stephanie Tsantes Barbara Vaughan Board of Public Works Gary Stabley, President C. Wendell Alfred, Vice President Jon Woodyard, Secretary James Connaughton, Treasurer Howard Seymour, Assistant Treasurer Ruth Ann Ritter, General Manager Denise Barnes, Assistant General Manager Planning Commission James Bastian, Chair James Bastian, Chair Richard Bryan Nina Cannata, Vice Chair Nina Cannata, Vice Chair Kay Carnahan, Secretary Kay Carnahan Mike Mahaffie Michael Clemmer Maria Simoes Forest Gossage William Spencer Mike Mahaffie, Secretary Michael Clemmer William Spencer Forest Gossage Michael Tyler Michael Tyler Ex-officio Bd. of Public Works Howard Seymour Howard Seymour Ex-officio City Council Stephanie Tsantes Theodore Becker City Manager Elaine Bisbee City Solicitor Tempe Steen, Esquire, Tunnell & Raysor City Engineer George, Miles & Buhr ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Adopted by the City of Lewes 10/19/2005 Certified by the Office of State Planning Coordination 10/19/2005 2005 City of Lewes Comprehensive Plan iii COUNTY AND STATE OFFICIALS Sussex County County Administrator Robert L. Stickels County Council Dale R. Dukes, 1st District Finley B. Jones, 2nd District Lynn J. Rogers, 3rd District George B. Cole, 4th District Vance Phillips, 5th District Planning Director Lawrence Lank State of Delaware Governor Ruth Ann Minner Senate F. Gary Simpson, Senator Eighteenth District House of Representatives Joseph Booth, Representative Thirty-Seventh District Office of State Planning Constance S. Holland, AICP, Director Coordination ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Adopted by the City of Lewes 10/19/2005 Certified by the Office of State Planning Coordination 10/19/2005 2005 City of Lewes Comprehensive Plan iv INSTITUTE FOR PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION This plan was prepared by the City of Lewes Planning Commission with the assistance of the Institute for Public Administration (IPA), a unit within the College of Human Services, Education & Public Policy at the University of Delaware. IPA links the research and resources of the University of Delaware with the management and information needs of local, state, and regional governments in the Delaware Valley. IPA provides assistance to agencies and local governments through direct staff assistance and research projects as well as training programs and policy forums. Institute Director Jerome R. Lewis, Ph.D. Lewes Comprehensive Plan Team Lorene J. Athey, ASLA, Project Manager Joseph Farrell, Marine Advisory Specialist, College of Marine Studies William McGowan, Extension Agent, College of Agriculture & Natural Resources Martin Wollaston, IPA Planning Services Manager Billy Fasano, Senior Research Assistant Christine Godek, Research Assistant Stephanie Gernert, Research Assistant Sarah Hench, Research Assistant Stephen Herst, Research Assistant Stephanie Infiesta, Research Assistant Mapping and GIS Development Nicole Minni, GIS/Graphics Specialist, Water Resources Agency Andrew Homsey, GIS Services Manager Jarrod Doucette, GIS Research Analyst Staff Review Team Plans developed by IPA are a total team effort, utilizing the individual skills of many of the staff and students working with the IPA Planning Services Group. In addition to IPA staff