Fight to save 118 acres in Lewes gaining momentum

May 16, 2023

Han Cechini,

LEWES, Del. – The push to save 118 acres of land in Lewes is only gaining momentum.

“We’ve all seen a lot of development here in Sussex County. Both of these properties are unique in that they are owned by families who have owned the properties – they’ve been in their families – for generations,” said Campaign Manager for the Open Space Alliance, and Lewes Community Foundation member, Pamela Costanzi. “We’re hoping that others who might be in their position will see this, and say, ‘I’ve got a property that needs to be handed down to the next generation.'”

4th Street and Ard na Gréine Preserves

The Open Space Alliance is working with the property owners of the 4th Street and Ard na Gréine properties, to return them to their natural states, and outfit them with walking trails around each perimeter.

“The 4th Street preserve is a wooded property. It’s 29 acres with a lot of mature forest on it. It’s home to a lot of animals in our town. It is the largest space within the City of Lewes,” said Costanzi.

Not only is the 4th Street property home to wildlife like deer, foxes, and wild turkeys, says Costanzi.

“It’s helping with flood mitigation. It’s soaking up flood water, and also there are some drainage ditches in it, that remove flooding. And, the trees clean our air. They provide a lot of wonderful benefits to us,” said Costanzi.

Costanzi says the Ard na Gréine property is known locally as ‘the hidden farm.’ It’s located between Savannah and New Roads, and butts up against the Lewes Georgetown Trail.

“Nobody realizes there are 89 acres there, of what has been farmed for generations. But, it appears that the family member who has been farming that property is not going to continue to farm it,” said Costanzi.

The current owner is looking to upgrade to more accessible farmland, capable of handling heavier equipment. “It’s a very, very important natural resource in terms of water flow [because of the pond there], in terms of trees, in terms of it also will become, once it’s back to its natural state, a haven for animals, as well,” said Costanzi.

Asking For Help, Answering Questions

Costanzi says the Open Space Alliance has fielded many questions about plans for the properties, and how people can get involved.

“There have been some situations, here in Lewes, where properties were under verbal agreements, and they fell through. It’s disheartened a lot of people. But, we’re here saying, ‘Yes, this is actually going to happen,'” said Costanzi.

The group is planning on hosting a public meeting on Wednesday, May 24th at 6:30 p.m. in the Lewes Public Library.

“The meeting at the library next week will be a forum for people to ask those questions, and we can give them more details about what the agreements are with the families, what could happen with those properties, what can’t happen with those properties,” said Costanzi.

Costanzi hopes that getting more buy-in from the public will accelerate the project; which comes at a cost of $18.3 million.

“It’s the largest fundraising effort that the City of Lewes has had since the Canal Front Park,” said Costanzi. “It is a lot of money. We realize that it’s a lot of money. We do have a lot of different sources of funding that we’ll be going to. But, having funds from individuals in the community, having support from them, is really going to send a message. These are properties that are going to be beloved. If they support this, they’re going to be appreciated for what they’re doing.”