A new proposal is entering the debate over renaming a street in Dover after Martin Luther King Jr.
Councilman Adam Perza is expected to introduce a plan to the Legislative, Finance and Administration Committee Tuesday night that would re-designate the section of road which splits around Legislative Hall as an alternative for honoring the late civil rights leader. The alternative stretch of road would include Court, Duke of York, and William Penn streets
"It’s a smaller stretch; it’s intended to be an equally prominent stretch. Division [Street] cuts through the city east to west. It touches all segments of the communities in the city. The Court Street stretch is also intended to be a prominent location that supporters of the King Street move will find to be equally visible to the community,” said Perza.
Efforts two months ago to change a stretch of Route 8 through town that includes Division Street have been met by objections from some business owners and residents who would be required to change their addresses and street signs. Perza believes his plan addresses those concerns.
“The new proposal which is focused on Court Street will not impact any private businesses. It will not impact any private residences. There are residences that are situated on Court Street, but the way the plan has been designed, there will be no individual private ownership addresses that will have to be changed as a result of the proposal," said Perza.
Perza adds that there is also a historical argument for the new plan. Division Street has a longer history, dating back to the mid 1800s while William Penn and Duke of York Streets were established in the 1930s.
