Improve density calculation, widen buffers

At the request of Sussex County Councilman I.G. Burton, council has begun a long-overdue discussion of two elements of the zoning code: How density is calculated, meaning the number of units permitted on a parcel, and the appropriate width of undeveloped buffers along waterways and along the perimeter of developments.

Burton pointed out Sussex has calculated density based on the total area of a parcel, even if the acreage contains wetlands where nothing can be built. He proposed calculating the number of units based only on the acreage that can be built on, and not counting wetlands or other unbuildable areas in the calculation.

Burton also reopened discussion of wider buffers along waterways, a proposal raised a decade ago, when state officials, based on an analysis by Delaware Center for the Inland Bays, developed pollution-control strategies for the Inland Bays watershed.

Council fought the state to maintain the right to control land-use policies such as the width of buffers.

After winning that battle, council should use that right to require buffers wide enough to protect our waterways and improve water quality. Burton suggested 100-foot buffers as a starting point.

Along the perimeter of new developments, Burton proposed doubling the currently required 20-foot buffers, in the hope that wider buffers would encourage developers to reject clearcutting the entire parcel and to maintain large trees near the edges of the property that not only improve the vista from the roadway but also help mitigate runoff.

Is either of these policies a land grab that will deny landowners the right to their property? Not at all.

These are simply sensible steps to reduce excess density and improve water quality in the Inland Bays watershed.

Wider buffers will also provide habitat for the diverse wildlife that enriches our quality of life and is key to Sussex County's rural character.

Council should move quickly to refine and adopt the measures Burton has proposed.