Letter to the Editor: Atlantic Fields retail project and added traffic

Commissioner Collins said residential and commercial developments approved or pending around Route 24 will add to congestion, even before Atlantic Fields is considered. P&Z Commission Chair Holly Wingate agreed with Collins’ concerns, but added that Atlantic Fields could divert traffic from Route 1. “On the flip side of it, we may be keeping some of the traffic more contained because of the residents that will be on [Route] 24 that they can then use the facilities or the new businesses that are going to be built there,” Wingate said. “I’m not sure that offsets the traffic impacts of adding the stores that are proposed here at the scale of the development,” Collins said. A commercial project of Atlantic Fields’ size could also draw business away from downtowns, harming local shops, Collins said.

The developer-funded Traffic Impact Study (2022) contradicts Wingate, projecting 2,148 added daily trips on Mulberry Knoll, 60–70% from external sources (Rehoboth, Dover, out-of-state, lured by no sales tax, per ITE standards). A neighbor on our HOA site noted, “Ironic that [Wingate] was repeatedly quick to silence citizens who made similar statements without supportive studies,” suggesting bias. Could Chair Wingate have overlooked that national studies (Federal Highway Administration, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) warn this traffic—tractor-trailers and gas tankers absent without this project—risks 3–7 head-on crashes over 5 years on Mulberry Knoll, with 0.6–2.1 involving school buses near Beacon Middle and Love Creek Elementary (20–40% fatal, up to 15 child deaths)? With 30+ years in construction (praised by a local Councilman and a recusal pledge for conflicts, has Wingate misread the TIS or favored developer interests?

Council Members Schaeffer, Green, Lloyd, Rieley, and Gruenebaum, who appointed Wingate and all P&Z Commissioners rely on their report for the October 21 vote. This tainted report risks a crisis: 2–23 deaths and 18–95 injuries over 5 years (FHWA, NHTSA). Will they demand: (1) Wingate’s public clarification, admitting the mall’s regional draw increases traffic; (2) a public poll of Commissioners on her statement? The Comprehensive Plan mandates small-town character, traffic management, and quality of life Atlantic Fields fails on all of these.  - Bob Cummings, Lewes