Sussex council sets Belle Terre public hearing June 28
Residents will get another chance to comment on a rezoning application for a housing project near Lewes during Sussex County Council's public hearings slated to begin at 1:30 p.m., Tuesday, June 28.
Developer Sussex Real Estate Partners LLC is seeking to amend the county's comprehensive zoning map from AR-1, agricultural-residential, to MR-RPC, medium-density-residential-planned community, for a 124-acre parcel on Dorman Farm Lane, southwest of Mulberry Knoll Road.
The preliminary site plan for the proposed Belle Terre calls for 378 units – 200 single-family lots and 178 duplexes for a density of 3 units per acre.
Density is sure to be a primary topic of debate. Jim Fuqua, the developer's attorney, says the density is less than what Sussex County officials anticipated for the parcel. Area residents say the anticipated density is out of character with other communities in the area, with several communities of less than two units to an acre.
The parcel is located adjacent to the new Love Creek Elementary School along Route 24 and the site for the new Troop 7 along Mulberry Knoll Road. Planning and zoning has yet to make a recommendation to council on the application.
During the April 28 county planning and zoning commission public hearing, Fuqua said an AR-1 parcel in a designated growth zone with central sewer should not be limited to the same density as a rural AR-1 parcel not in a growth zone. He noted county engineers have assigned the parcel a maximum sewer capacity of four units to an acre. “The county planned for higher density in this area,” he said.
Several residents testified during the planning and zoning commission hearing that the proposed density of 3 units to an acre does not match surrounding communities with fewer homes and more open space.
Bill Baydalla, president of The Retreat at Love Creek Homeowners Association, said no other community in the area comes close to the proposed density of Belle Terre. “This could set a precedent and determine what this part of the county will look like in the future,” he said. “This is inconsistent and not in character with the area.”
He said the average density in five area communities is about half that proposed for Belle Terre.
Part of parcel in Love Creek Natural Area
The project's potential environmental impact is also expected to draw criticism. State environmental officials strongly urged the applicant to consider permanent preservation of the woods and wetlands in place of the current site plan. “The forest and wetlands areas are part of the larger Love Creek Natural Area and can be dedicated as a state nature preserve,” the report stated.
The parcel contains 11 acres of wetlands, 55 wooded acres and 58 uplands acres. According to the state's preliminary land-use service report, 37 acres of the parcel's 55 wooded acres would be cut down. In its August 2015 review of the project, Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control officials urged the applicant to consider limiting development to the farm acreage, leaving the woods intact.
