I was pleased to see the article about the Route 24 Alliance appealing the rezoning for the Belle Meade development. As former president of the Citizens Coalition, a Sussex County nonprofit community action organization that frequently challenged county council and its often closed-mind zoning decisions for almost 20 years, I support Sussex County citizens who are seeking common sense regarding the flagrant ignoring of the people who live here and are against developers who want to kill the golden goose just to make money.
The issue here is not simply traffic or infrastructure, but the idea that council and planning & zoning are complying with outside interests that threaten to end our sense of place. I’m not a born-here local but have lived in Delaware for 65 years and in Sussex for more than 35. Yes, there is nothing more constant than change, but what has happened in eastern Sussex County has been occurring at light speed and has not been effectively managed.
The mission of Citizens Coalition, which had more than 350 household members, was “responsible land use, sustainable development and managed growth.” Citizens were urged to participate in state, county and town public hearings to support growth and development that comply with Sussex County’s and other municipal comprehensive land-use plans and their intent. Obviously, community leaders Seibert and Selway are doing what we advocated, but more residents, not just Route 24 folks, should be standing up against rezoning issues like this that threaten to create a place that degrades safety, removes open space and pleasing vistas, and looks like everywhere/anywhere USA.
Sussex County is like a beautiful quilt whose fabric displays many elements and features a variety of pleasing and attractive attributes. But unmanaged development is tearing away at our quilt. We cannot let the heavy hand of unneeded or misplaced development destroy this precious fabric.
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