It was 7-Eleven in 2018 and 2019 that brought the residents from Angola and beyond together in opposition – Sussex County Council denied the requests both times. This time, it is Royal Farms, and residents are again up in arms to fight it.
So, why does Royal Farms think they might get council’s approval this time on a small hill at the southwest corner of the severely congested Route 24 and Angola Road intersection? The proposed full-access ingress/egress is on the curvy, dipping and narrow Angola Road that crosses Sarah Run (and its wetlands), which flows into Burton Prong and Rehoboth Bay. What changed since the denials of 7-Eleven?
The traffic situation got worse in four years and its trajectory is downward.
DelDOT had a plan in 2018 to improve the intersection by 2021. In 2020, I repeatedly heard DelDOT officials emphasizing the anticipated Highway Safety Improvement Program would mitigate hazardous situations but not increase capacity. They probably feared that this HSIP would be used to justify more developments. Now, in March 2024, this project was finally awarded to a contractor, and the work is to start in the spring to be completed at the end of 2024. DelDOT officials did not return my calls, but the project does not seem to have changed from the 2018 plan.
This HSIP project is to close Angola Road for no more than 90 days and route Angola residents to Camp Arrowhead Road – another narrow, curvy and dangerous street. It will preview what this area’s traffic will be like if the ingress/egress of a gas station creates an accident resulting in the closure of Angola Road at the Route 24 intersection.
The makeup of the five-member county council has changed. Three council members who voted against 7-Eleven are still there, but two members (Cindy Green and Mark Schaeffer) are new.
Thirty acres of farmland downstream from this site were purchased by Sussex County for $1.4 million in 2020 and 2022 to protect the water quality of Sarah Run and Rehoboth Bay. Since this site is more upstream than the preserved land, any runoff will end up contaminating the county’s land. The county’s map shows this area’s wetlands to be “lotic” (situated in rapidly moving freshwater), which means the contamination will be swift.
Two council members, Mark Schaeffer and John Rieley, are directors of Sussex County Land Trust, which is dedicated to protecting natural, cultural, agricultural and recreational resources. I hope they recognize the risks of a gas station wasting the county’s $1.4 million investment.
Can we afford a gas station at this inconvenient location?
During the 7-Eleven meetings, a former Wawa manager said that Wawa had studied this site but decided to walk away from it. Wawa had the good sense not to agitate their future customer base by building a Wawa on this unsuitable location.
Please tell your councilperson to deny the Royal Farms application planned for this precarious and unsuitable location in Angola.
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