LEWES, DE - The Lewes City Council will hold a public workshop on Thursday, where one item up for discussion is a potential new no-parking zone along Savannah Road. Owners of Lewes Brewing Company, whose brewery is within the affected area, told WBOC they worry about what it could mean for business.
The proposed ordinance was identified by the Lewes Bike and Pedestrian Committee as a possible way to protect bicyclists in and around the city. The ordinance suggests making the portion of the road between the two red arrows on the map below a no-stopping, standing, or parking zone.
A map showing the proposed no parking zone on Savannah Road.
City leaders said the purpose of the potential regulations is to protect riders in the bike lanes that run beside the road.
The Lewes Brewing Company sits along the identified portion of Savannah Road. Owners David and Christine Jones told WBOC that, due to their smaller parking lot, patrons visiting their restaurant often use the same shoulder for overflow parking.
"We do have limited parking and this would dramatically impact my business," David Jones said.
Jones said he's also frustrated by the proposal's limited area. He said only putting the restrictions on the Southern part of the road, but allowing street parking further North, feels unfair to him.
"There's never been an accident down here, nobody's opened their door up," Jones said. "With the size of the lane on this end down here, it could be used as a dual purpose and not take the parking away."
Co-owner Christine Jones agreed, telling WBOC that she feels the lane is big enough for both a parking lane and a bike lane.
"I think as the city grows, or they're having new developments and new townhouses, they need to think about parking," Christine Jones said. "Not just downtown Lewes, but the whole entire area."
The Mayor and City Council's public workshop will be held Thursday from 10 am to 12 pm at the Lewes City Hall.