The Overbrook Town Center rezoning request was rejected by the Sussex County Council by a four to one vote.
The vote was confirmed by media outlets and the Overbrook Town Center Coalition, a group of residents opposed to the project.
The project from a suburban Baltimore developer had failed to get traction in a county that is known for its pro-development stance. The plan had been narrowly approved by the County’s Planning and Zoning Commission.
Opposition to the development was fierce. The Cape Gazette and community groups were among those calling for a rejection of the proposed site along Route 1.
State Agriculture Secretary Ed Kee expressed his reservations about the project and its impact on agriculture in the state’s southernmost county and state planning documents had been updated in a way that did support added transportation and infrastructure upgrades in the area that would be tied to development in the Overbrook area.
The state has minimal oversight over growth issues,
Questions involved congestion and the need for more big box stores in a changing retail environment in Sussex and elsewhere. There was also concern over the loss of farmland as the county sees an influx of residents, drawn to the county’s proximity to the beach and low property taxes. Neighboring farmers were said to have been opposed to the rezoning.
Overbrook, if fully built out would be larger than Dover Mall and the nearby Tanger Outlets, which total half a million square feet.
