The following letter was submitted to Sussex County Council, with a copy sent to the Cape Gazette.
I was happy to see that council and planning and zoning attended the workshop addressing land use. The article in the Cape Gazette covered the topic of forest preservation and perimeters quite extensively. The overdevelopment of Sussex County has residents complaining about long waits for doctor’s appointments, crowds at restaurants, traffic (especially on Route 24), et al.
Two critical areas get little attention: 1. Density: If we continue to allow developers to put six homes on an acre and build condos where the density is worse, we will endanger the water table, which is item 2. A solution could be to change density regulations to at best one home on 1/3 acre. 2. Water table: There is news around the country of water rationing and reservoirs at low levels. Surely, we all take for granted that when we turn on the faucet, water will flow. When Sussex County is developed to maximum levels, what assurance is there that the water table can and will handle it? If that dam breaks and there is not enough water to go around, that will fall squarely in your laps.
The solidarity shown by the construction industry at the workshop as they all wore pro-development shirts cannot supplant the entire population of Sussex County who will suffer when the developers pull up stakes and move to the next area of the country to do the same.
Mark Stransky
Millsboro
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