The following letter was sent to Sussex County Council with a copy provided to the Cape Gazette for publication.
I’m writing to oppose the zoning change and development proposed by Belle Mead Farm to reclassify a rural portion of Route 24 from agricultural to commercial use.
I agree with many of the reasons already stated in over 200 letters of opposition sent to county council to date. Rather than restating those objections, I would like to offer a suggestion: Please consider allocating a portion of the county’s $7 million budget dedicated to preserving open space to purchase the Belle Mead property. Doing so would eliminate additional pressure on the infrastructure due to the rapid development already occurring on the Route 24 corridor, as well as support the goals stated in the comprehensive plan focused on protecting the natural environment and rural landscape of the county.
I’m grateful for county council’s commendable work in the past in achieving this goal, most recently the purchase of the Layfield property in Dagsboro, which was also slated for high-density development. As it did then and with other acquisitions, council could work with the Sussex County Land Trust to preserve the Belle Mead farmland, as well as reforest those areas of the property adjacent to the surrounding woodlands. Not only would this conserve the natural environment for the benefit of eastern Sussex residents, it would also continue to provide a thriving habitat for the diverse local wildlife which is struggling to survive as we continue to encroach on their homeland.
The property could also serve as an outdoor learning environment with walking trails for the students at Beacon Middle School adjacent to the property.
The need for housing in eastern Sussex, especially near town centers and major corridors like Route 1 and Route 24, should not eclipse the preservation of grasslands, forests and wetlands in those areas. The Belle Mead development should not be approved simply because it is located in a defined growth area. Even those of us who live in a high-density area should not be deprived of what little remains of the natural environment that once surrounded our homes.
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