Two adjacent cluster subdivisions near Milton with a total of 268 single-family homes, proposed by the same developer, received preliminary approval July 2 from the Sussex County Planning & Zoning Commission.

The projects are Symphony Glen, with 219 single-family home lots on 110 acres, and Windscape Farms, with 49 single-family lots on 26.4 acres. Both are on the west side of Pettyjohn Road, less than a mile northeast of Prettyman Road.

The commission voted 4-0 in favor, with Commissioner Brian Butler absent. The project will still need final site-plan approval from the commission at a later date.

In presenting the plans at a June 4 public hearing, the developer’s attorney Jim Fuqua said the projects are separate because Ribera Development of Millersville, Md., reached agreements to purchase the properties and planned the projects many months apart. 

The developer’s 336-lot Four Winds subdivision is under construction just to the north. That was approved in January 2023. Roads would link the three developments.

Symphony Glen and Windscape Farms homeowners associations are expected to sign an agreement for Windscape Farms residents to use amenities included in the Symphony Glen development, and a path or sidewalk between the two will create access, according to the plans.

While commissioners expressed frustration at a June 4 public hearing for having to consider the projects independently, there was no mention of the issue at the July 2 meeting.

Nine of the Symphony Glen lots will be developed for affordable, owner-occupied homes constructed through the Habitat for Humanity program, according to the plan. 

In approving the projects, the commission noted the plans meet county rules and are better options than if the developer had simply pursued a subdivision.

Windscape Farms will preserve 5.5 acres of forested land as part of 13.5 acres of open space, or 51% of the site; while Symphony Glen will preserve 4.7 acres of forest as part of 53 acres of open space, or 48.2% of the site. Both are greater than the 30% minimum required for a cluster subdivision.

The projects would have vegetative buffers around property boundaries mostly ranging from 30 to 50 feet, while 30 feet minimum is required.

The developer will pay the Milton Fire Department $500 for each building permit before it is issued.

The developments will improve Pettyjohn Road in an agreement with the Delaware Department of Transportation. The commission noted that DelDOT did not anticipate the additional homes to significantly burden nearby roadways.