Lewes City Council Approves Grant Application for 20-Acre Reforestation Project

Under the proposal, a grant would cover 90 percent of the cost, and the city’s share would be about $8,000 from its newly established resiliency fund.

By Jamie Kleman | Contributing Writer Delaware Live | November 2025

A city-owned 20-acre field at the corner of New Road and Park Road will be transformed into a mixed forest and meadow after the Lewes City Council voted unanimously on November 3 to apply for a grant from the Delaware Forest Service to fund the project.

Under the proposal, the grant would cover 90 percent of the cost and the city’s share would be about $8,000 from its newly established resiliency fund. The field lies between the Canary Creek and Pilottown Reserves subdivisions and is zoned open space, having been deeded to the city in 2010 as part of a development agreement.

Deputy Mayor Khalil Saliba described the plan as a smart investment in both nature and finances. “It’s a very cost-effective way to plant trees that are going to be resilient themselves,” he said.

About ten acres of the parcel will be planted with trees around the perimeter, and the remaining acreage will be managed as a native-grass meadow, with up to 40 percent of the site designated meadow. The city emphasized there will be no sports fields, parking lots, or lighting installed at this time.

Local residents voiced strong support for keeping the land natural. Doug Spelman of Canary Creek said, “Thirteen years ago, we fended off soccer fields with lights and trucks and parking, and a lot of things that were not part of the arrangement with the city.”

Another resident, Russell Small, whose grandfather farmed the land, reminded the council of its cultural importance. “It’s a cultural site where Native Americans lived and died. My grandfather excavated a site. The artifacts are in the Smithsonian today,” he said.

City staff intend to submit the grant application in the coming weeks. If approved, the planting phase could begin in spring 2026 and continue through 2028. The project aligns with the city’s broader resiliency strategy, using nature-based solutions to manage stormwater, stabilize soils, and enhance habitat.