Letter: Eastern Sussex needs an Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance
The following letter was sent to the Sussex County Planning and Zoning Commission, with a copy submitted to the Cape Gazette for publication:
I add my voice to the thousands of county residents who are against the proposed development on New Road, called the Groome project.
This housing development is totally out of character for this area, and more importantly, the land is next to the Great Marsh, which is needed to help prevent floods and sea level rise in the area. The creek already floods in heavy rains, so it is not an area to build close to 300 homes - not to mention the extra 600 cars that would be added to a narrow small road.
It is bad enough that the church stopped 1,000 acres of land from being preserved, and now the developer wants to ruin the area forever.
Please stand up for the residents and tell the developer no. The road is too small, the area is in a flood plain, and the residents don’t want another unneeded development.
Please stop this development.
It is time to toughen our building codes. I strongly support the recommendation of SURGE (Sussex Union for Responsible Growth) for Sussex County to implement an Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance as soon as possible. The fact that Sussex does not have an APFO is amazing, since a majority of counties in Delaware and Maryland have one. No wonder we have unchecked development; we are not protected.
We need an APFO that has the power to stop the unplanned growth of new developments and the elimination of farmland and forest in eastern Sussex. This ordinance must ensure the developers cover all the costs of development, not taxpayers. New sewers, roads, schools, police, utilities, etc. should be part of the cost the developers need to pay for.
James Labella
Lewes
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