Technology drives progress of Sussex development reviews
While one activist sees Sussex County’s probe of potential effects of the proposed Cool Spring Crossing residential and commercial development as groundbreaking, the county says it is merely part of an improving review process.
The county delayed a decision Nov. 4 on project applications to ask questions of the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control and the Delaware Department of Transportation. Replies were due by Dec. 2.
The county wants to know about any environmental concerns and traffic issues, such as how road improvements required by DelDOT will parallel progress of the development of the 1,922 houses and 450,975 square feet of commercial space.
Cool Spring Crossing is one of the largest development projects proposed in the county’s history.
It would follow the Northstar development planned a short distance to the east on Route 9 that includes 852 homes and 96,118 square feet of commercial space. The bulk of Northstar – 758 single-family homes – was approved in late 2024, and affordable housing and commercial development portions passed this year.
The county has asked the state about the effects of traffic generation from both projects. Opponents have insisted the cumulative effect of development should be weighed by the county when considering a project.
Rich Borrasso, a leader of the Sussex Environmental Coalition, said in a Nov. 22 email that he was impressed by the county’s efforts concerning the Cool Spring Crossing project. Borrasso was among members of his group to give a detailed presentation opposing the project during a Nov. 4 public hearing.
“Council's request for an in-depth analysis on the impact of traffic from the proposed development is groundbreaking,” Borrasso said in a Nov. 22 email.
“At no time in the past has Sussex County ever questioned to this degree DelDOT’s ability to plan for the impact and, more importantly, how the build out would be in coordination with the necessary infrastructure capacity improvements,” he continued.
County Council Vice President John Rieley said Dec. 1 he did not see a change in council's approach.
Rieley said councilmen have the opportunity to keep the record open to ask state agencies, school districts and other outside groups for information that is still lacking at the conclusion of public hearings.
“There have been cases in the past when we had additional questions,” Rieley said.
He cited the pending Atlantic Fields and Belle Mead mixed residential and commercial developments as recent examples.
“Generally speaking, the level of detail in plan reviews has increased over the last decade,” county Planning & Zoning Department Director Jamie Whitehouse said in a Dec. 2 email.
“This is not a reflection of any change in thoroughness or procedure, per se, on the part of the county,” Whitehouse added. “What has changed in the last decade is the exponential growth of digital information and electronic review tools available to plan reviewers at the federal, state and local levels.”
He gave examples of multi-layered digital mapping and high-resolution aerial photography that is updated far more frequently, which allow more detailed analysis of projects. That information can be readily shared between the county and outside agencies.
“Over the years, staff and the commission and/or county council have worked to apply the law as it is written and reviewed plans based on the information available,” Whitehouse said. “It’s the information and tools that are changing through time.”
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.
