Marketing ploy should not be rewarded

Royal Farms has launched an aggressive marketing campaign designed to gain support for its conditional-use application to build and operate a gas station, convenience store and car wash near the intersection of Angola Road and Route 24. The site location is in the AR-1/Coastal Area zoning district and uphill from Sarah Run, which flows into the inland bays, near a wellhead protection area and the largest excellent recharge area in Delaware. It is also near land purchased by Sussex County for preservation and water resource protection.

The marketing efforts take the form of unsolicited emails, phone calls, texts and pop-up ads that have offended many of the recipients. The ads and emails feature a push-poll survey (i.e., a technique in which an organization seeks to manipulate or alter the public’s view under the guise of conducing a legitimate opinion poll), an invitation to sign a petition in support, and solicit supporting emails to be sent to Sussex County Council with canned talking points.

The timing and nature of this marketing campaign suggests a desperate and disingenuous attempt to gather support and influence the decision-makers prior to the public hearing. If the applicant truly wanted to learn what the public thought of its project, it would have conducted its inquiry two years ago prior to submitting its application. Even more troubling is that some survey takers have found the survey process did not allow negative responses and twisted their opposition to show support for the project.

The surveys (online and phone) emphasize that the project will make it more convenient to obtain essentials and misrepresent that the nearest gas station is five miles away. There is actually a Valero gas station about a mile to the east on Route 24, with numerous other gas stations about three to four miles west on Route 24. Additionally, the website and pop-up ads contain false and misleading promotional statements that could be considered greenwashing (i.e., the act or practice of making a product, policy or activity appear to be more environmentally friendly or less damaging or risky than it is). This effort includes promoting the company’s environmental stewardship, its use of modern tank safety measures and promises to safeguard the aquifer. These are empty and unenforceable promises. The deleterious effects of gasoline and its byproducts on the health and safety of the public are well known, notwithstanding whatever precautions are taken. The risks will never be eliminated completely. Studies have shown that gasoline from fueling spills can join runoff water and make its way to our drinking water source, groundwater, streams and the inland bays.

Any favorable comments resulting from this marketing campaign should be closely scrutinized and their credibility questioned until demonstrated otherwise. In contrast, most of the public comments already of record are well supported and express genuine reasons to support a denial of this application. See the Land Use Docket in this matter at https://connect.sussexcountyde.gov/PublicDocket/#/details/CU%202360.