Atlantic Fields rezoning hearing draws lengthy review of traffic, utilities and anchor commitments
Loading...
Summary
Counsel for Mulberry Knoll Associates presented a C‑4 rezoning for a 73.5‑acre site on Route 24 proposing a 665,000‑sq. ft. shopping center called Atlantic Fields anchored by Costco, Target and Whole Foods. The presentation centered on conformity with the 2018 comprehensive plan, DelDOT traffic requirements under the Henlopen TID, infrastructure, a
Mulberry Knoll Associates LLC presented a rezoning application to the Sussex County Council for a 73.5‑acre parcel along Route 24 seeking C‑4 (planned commercial) zoning for a proposed shopping center called Atlantic Fields.
Counsel Jim Fuqua and the applicant’s consultants described the project as a large‑scale, integrated commercial development delivering roughly 665,000 square feet of retail space, with three committed anchor tenants cited in the record — Costco, Target and Whole Foods — and additional retailers (Ross, Nordstrom Rack, Hobby Lobby, Dick’s Sporting Goods) in discussion. Fuqua told council the 2018 Sussex County Comprehensive Plan designates the site as a commercial growth area and that the applicant’s proposal aligns with the plan’s future land‑use map. He cited Title 9, Section 69‑59(a) of the Delaware Code and the state PLUS review that returned no objection to the project’s location in investment level 2.
Traffic and transportation dominated the hearing. The applicant’s traffic engineer, Nicole Klein of Bowman Consulting, summarized DelDOT’s review of the traffic impact study (TIS). Because the site lies within the Henlopen Transportation Improvement District (TID), DelDOT and the TID process required a detailed TIS and a list of developer‑required improvements. The record and DelDOT’s review letter list multiple entrance and intersection improvements: two single‑lane roundabouts on Mulberry Knoll Road, a single‑lane roundabout at the Plantation Road/Robinsonville Road intersection (or potentially a signal), a full‑movement signalized main entrance on Route 24 with left‑right lanes and pedestrian crossings, several right‑in/right‑out entrances on Route 24, decorative fencing and pedestrian/bicycle paths, bus pads, and widened or upgraded approaches across multiple intersections. Bowman’s review and DelDOT’s letter call for design and construction of required improvements and payment of a Henlopen TID fee.
Fuqua told council the applicant agreed to construct the specified improvements and estimated the developer’s entrance and roadway improvements at $3–4 million and the Henlopen TID fee at about $3 million (figures entered as estimates in the record). The applicant also noted utilities and stormwater plans: Tidewater Utilities would provide central water and sewer service after annexation into the Sussex County Unified Sanitary Sewer District and a pump station and force main would be required; stormwater would use a combination of above‑ground and large underground infiltration facilities and DNREC‑approved pretreatment devices. The applicant offered a voluntary fire‑company contribution of $100,000 split between the Lewis Volunteer Fire Department and the Rehoboth Beach Volunteer Fire Company to be paid with certificates of occupancy, and said maintenance and common‑area assessments would be governed by a declaration of restrictions.
Planning & Zoning recommended approval with 17 conditions; the applicant requested clarifications to two conditions (regarding truck routing on Mulberry Knoll Road and parking within Route 24 front‑yard setbacks) to be replaced with more specific, measurable language tied to DelDOT’s TIS letter and proposed site plan. Fuqua asked the council to consider the commission’s recommendations and the revised draft conditions the applicant submitted.
Councilmembers and others questioned trip generation methodology (Institute of Transportation Engineers rates), whether anchors draw regional trips, the timing of state road projects, impervious cover and wellhead protection area implications, PFAS/contamination risks on long‑used farmland, stormwater infiltration reliability, and potential workforce‑housing connections. The applicant’s consultants responded that the TIS and DelDOT review examined weekday peak periods (and a summer Saturday analysis), that required improvements were designed to meet DelDOT and federal standards including ADA, and that infiltration designs account for DNREC guidance and standard maintenance and pretreatment allowances.
No council vote was recorded on the rezoning during the hearing. The record includes the applicant’s preliminary site plan, impact study, DelDOT and TIS correspondence, utility letters of ability to serve, Planning & Zoning minutes and motion recommending approval with conditions, and an economic impact study (Sage Policy Group) cited by counsel. That report, dated August 2025, was cited in the record as projecting total development costs of about $175 million, approximately 990 construction jobs and roughly 1,750 permanent jobs with estimated annual labor income and property tax benefits recorded in the applicant’s submitted materials.
Council hearing time on the Atlantic Fields application was extensive and included detailed questioning from multiple members; no final action occurred at this meeting.