Sussex council approves Belle Mead rezoning
Sussex County Council narrowly passed a zoning change Dec. 16 for a project to build 344 multifamily units and 72,000 square feet of commercial space on a horse farm on Route 24 near Rehoboth Beach.
The 3-2 vote came after council unanimously approved eight amendments to conditions set by the county planning & zoning commission. Among them, they tighten requirements for forest preservation and sediment control, coordinate timing of infrastructure improvements and increase the amount of affordable housing in the project.
The recommendations were offered by Councilwoman Jane Gruenebaum. She and council Vice President John Rieley cast the only votes in opposition to changing the zoning from AR-1, agricultural-residential, to C-4, planned commercial district.
“Despite the amendments that I just proposed – and I appreciate their support from my colleagues – which I believe will improve this development meaningfully, should it be approved, I still have concerns,” Gruenebaum said.
“They center around three critical issues – infrastructure, safety and precedent,” she added. “As the first project to be approved under the C-4 zoning district, this application is precedent-setting. Council must find that adequate infrastructure exists to ensure that the development would not imperil the safety, health and well-being of the county residents.”
Gruenebaum said the road system will not be adequate to handle the increased traffic created by the project, and congestion is a safety issue near two schools on Route 24.
Traffic projections on Route 24 after Belle Mead is built are expected to increase to 18,000 daily trips, exceeding the 11,900 to 15,900 trip capacity in a state manual for similar roads, she said.
Delaware Department of Transportation estimates did not include the approved-but-not-built Northstar development with 852 homes and 96,118 square feet of commercial space off Route 9, or proposals for Cool Spring Crossing with 1,922 homes and 450,750 square feet of commercial space on Route 9 and Atlantic Fields with 665,000 square feet of commercial space on Route 24, Gruenebaum said. But the state took them into account in plans to mitigate traffic congestion, she said.
It is unclear when construction will begin or end on a planned Route 24 widening project between Love Creek Bridge and Indian Mission Road, Gruenebaum said. There is also no schedule for widening the bridge, a traffic chokepoint on Route 24.
Gruenebaum further cited environmental concerns about pollution runoff, which could reach Rehoboth Bay.
”At this time, in this place, this development dangerously burdens an already-stressed road infrastructure, adds to existing threats to our waterways, imperils the safety of schoolchildren and thus sets a poor precedent for future C-4 applications," she said.
Councilman Steve McCarron said the project would support goals of the Sussex County Land-Use Reform Working Group to create affordable and workforce housing near where people work, which he expects will reduce traffic. It will provide housing for current county residents, he said.
The county and state identified the site as a growth area a decade ago, McCarron said.
The developer will provide $2 million to road infrastructure improvements, he noted.
The project is where development should go, on a major collector road with direct access to an arterial road, near medical facilities, schools, a state police barracks and paramedic services, Councilman Matt Lloyd said.
“This is not a leapfrog development out in a rural field,” he said. “This is where planned, centric growth in an area mapped for commercial and mixed use is in our comprehensive plan.”
DelDOT and other state agencies have planned and budgeted a total of $375 million in Route 24-area improvements for more than 40 intersection improvements between 2027 and 2032, Lloyd said. Belle Mead would be built during that period.
Rieley backed Gruenebaum. He said he believes she overstated the environmental threats but underestimated the road issues.
“I can’t, in good conscience, support a project that is going to overburden even further roadways that are pushing the limits, if not overburdened currently,” Rieley said.
“This is exactly what the land-use working group … asked for,” said Council President Doug Hudson, ticking off a list of benefits.
“This is in a [Transportation Improvement District],” Hudson said. “We will receive the funding of transportation improvements immediately. It’s in state [investment] Level 2. They agreed to save a significant amount of the forest, and Route 24 just got widened right there. I also agree with Mr. McCarron’s points and Mr. Lloyd’s points. I vote yes. The motion carries.”
Kevin Conlon came to the Cape Gazette with nearly 40 years of newspaper experience since graduating from St. Bonaventure University in New York with a bachelor's degree in mass communication. He reports on Sussex County government and other assignments as needed.
His career spans working as a reporter and editor at daily newspapers in upstate New York, including The Daily Gazette in Schenectady. He comes to the Cape Gazette from the Cortland Standard, where he was an editor for more than 25 years, and in recent years also contributed as a columnist and opinion page writer. He and his staff won regional and state writing awards.
Conlon was relocating to Lewes when he came across an advertisement for a reporter job at the Cape Gazette, and the decision to pursue it paid off. His new position gives him an opportunity to stay in a career that he loves, covering local news for an independently owned newspaper.
Conlon is the father of seven children and grandfather to two young boys. In his spare time, he trains for and competes in triathlons and other races. Now settling into the Cape Region, he is searching out hilly trails and roads with wide shoulders. He is a fan of St. Bonaventure sports, especially rugby and basketball, as well as following the Mets, Steelers and Celtics.
