Sussex County Council has issued Ordinance No. 2474 that amends Sussex County Code Chapter 72. This chapter in the code defines the development of affordable housing in Sussex County. The changes to the code establish a formal Sussex County Rental Program. While there can be no question that there is a severe shortage of affordable housing, the ordinance gives county council sole responsibility to define locations, negotiate with developers and fast track the review and approval of site plans that exclude the public notification and comment process. A development project can be approved and construction initiated without any notification to the public. This is a significant problem. While it is understood that any project will be reviewed with the appropriate government agencies (state and local), public review and comment is a fundamental part of the process of approving any project that can impact surrounding communities.
Case in point: Chapel Branch is the first planned project under the new program. This project is for the development of an apartment complex that includes 84 units in four three-story buildings to be placed on a 7-plus-acre property located at the northwest corner of the Dorman Road-Route 24 intersection near Angola Road. It is well known that Route 24 is a significant transportation artery that is already overburdened, particularly during the summer season with nonresidents and tourists. In addition, there are currently two housing developments in the immediate area that will be impacted. Without the article written by Ron MacArthur that was published in the Dec. 26 edition of the Cape Gazette, no one in the surrounding communities would know about the project until construction began.
To be clear, this letter is not about the construction of affordable housing, which is desperately needed in Sussex County. It is about the under-the-radar creation of a program and process that eliminates public involvement and consideration of constituent concerns. County council should immediately place the Chapel Branch project on hold and consider public input before final approval. Members of county council are elected as representatives of their constituents to ensure constituent awareness, and that concerns are heard and addressed when possible. The new rental program does not support this role of county council.
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