City of Lewes Coastal Resiliency & Sustainability Initiatives

Location Lewes, Delaware

Client City of Lewes

Date of Completion Ongoing

Services #Consulting

Sectors #Coastal Resiliency #Environmental

GMB serves as a subject matter expert and trusted advisor to the City of Lewes, actively partnering with City leadership to design, advance, and implement a comprehensive suite of coastal resiliency and sustainability initiatives. Through ongoing technical expertise, policy development, and strategic advising, GMB helps the City navigate complex climate, floodplain, and land-use challenges while embedding resilience into everyday decision-making and long-term planning.

Current and ongoing efforts include the development and adoption of a City-specific wetlands ordinance; the implementation of enhanced floodplain freeboard standards requiring 36 inches of freeboard in the 1% annual chance floodplain and 18 inches in the 0.2% annual chance floodplain; and the establishment and growth of a dedicated resiliency fund. Launched with $1.5 million, the fund is structured to increase by a minimum of $500,000 annually, providing a reliable, long-term funding source for resilience and mitigation efforts.

In addition, GMB advises on complementary ordinances and land-use strategies that deliver co-benefits for environmental protection and community quality of life, including dark skies protections, incentives for native meadows in place of traditional lawns, and the protection of more than 45 acres of wooded open space within City limits. Together, these actions reflect a proactive, integrated approach to coastal resilience, grounded in technical expertise and sustained through a trusted advisory relationship.

Carroll County Utilities

We are thrilled with the current operation of the new Hampstead Wastewater Treatment Plant designed by GMB. The operator’s level of stress has dropped dramatically since the upgraded plant has become fully operational.

Andrew C. Watcher

Bureau Chief

Carroll County Utilities

Town of Millsboro

Andrew Lyons and the team at GMB are a pleasure to work with. They are prepared and proactive, always looking out for their client’s best interest.

Jamie Burk

Town Manager

Town of Millsboro

Blue Water Development

We enjoy, trust and consider GMB our go-to engineering firm. They are a true partner, always bringing value-engineering solutions to every project.

Todd Burbage

CEO

Blue Water Development

Choptank Community Health System, Inc.

We recently finished the second of three projects for which GMB won the bids in the last four years. I would like to thank Morgan Helfrich, Deane Townsend, and the entire GMB Team for their attention to detail, great communications skills, and mindfulness of budget. They are impressive to watch as they make great progress in the development of construction documents for our newest facility in Federalsburg. I look forward to the continued utilization of their knowledge, experience, and architectural skills to complete our Federalsburg project. I highly recommend GMB to anyone contemplating a building or renovation project of any size.

Brett Meyers

Facilities Director

Choptank Community Health System, Inc.

Harper & Sons, Inc.

For over 35 years, our firm has appreciated the outstanding engineering and architecture that GMB can be trusted to deliver. Project after project, we have found their designs to be sound and thoughtful. We’ve experienced the same successful outcomes while executing design-build and traditional general contracted projects – a ‘nuts and bolts’ design approach with excellent constructability, functionality, and pleasing atheistic that benefit both the constructor and project owner. We highly recommend GMB for any commercial, institutional, or civil construction project.

Benson Harper

Vice President

HARPER & SONS, INC.

Town of St. Michaels, MD

In 2020, GMB completed a DNR funded Harbor and Stormwater Infrastructure Study for the Town of St Michaels. This valuable study projected the flooding and sea level rise by 2050 and then identified at risk areas and associated mitigation strategies for our main harbor and adjacent infrastructure. This was the valuable foundation the Town Commissioners needed for their planning and developed community awareness and support. Building on this study, the Town of St Michaels created the Climate Change/ Sea Level Rise Commission to pursue grants to implement these mitigation plans. Thanks to GMB’s study, the Town has been successful in pursuing grant funding.

Roy Myers

Chair, Waterways Management Advisory Board

Town of St. Michaels, Maryland

The City of Seaford, Delaware

GMB routinely deploys a highly efficient design team that places a high emphasis on problem-solving, client needs, and budget goals. Based on my past professional experiences with GMB, I would highly recommend this firm.

Charles Anderson

City Manager

The City of Seaford, Delaware

Sussex County Emergency Medical Services

Sussex County Emergency Medical Services (SCEMS) has been very satisfied with the quality of GMB’s work and we look forward to working with the firm for years to come. In addition, GMB engineers and architects take a personal interest in the betterment of our community.

Robert (Bobby) Schoonover, AA, NRP

EMS Manager of Logistics

Sussex County Emergency Medical Services