Sussex should require better notice of land-use changes

An application to rezone a 114-acre tract along Route 1 for the proposed Overbrook Towne Center has been withdrawn, but the rezoning request may well be resubmitted.

When a large project such as this is proposed, most people assume Sussex County would clearly post the property and notify nearby neighbors.

That’s what one would expect, but that’s not what is required in Sussex County.

Developers are not required to do anything to notify the public. Under existing policy, Sussex County posts notification of public hearings, but the sign is exactly the same whether it’s for a single lot or a huge development. The small, yellow sign posted for Overbrook Towne Center was barely visible to traffic on Route 1, and certainly not legible to anyone driving past.

Sussex County also posts notice in a local newspaper, and as a courtesy, county officials notify property owners within 200 feet of the property. Application fees paid by the developer offset these costs, but the county posts the notices.

One result of existing rules is that residents of Paynter’s Mill development off Cave Neck Road were not individually informed that a 857,000-square-foot shopping center had been proposed, with possible plans for a highway crossover that would bring traffic within 150 feet of some units.

Large projects are by nature controversial, especially when they are likely to affect traffic and emergency services. Before another large project is proposed, council should review its rules for notifying citizens.

For starters, for any project of more than, say, 10 acres, the county should post an easy-to-read sign 4-by-8-feet or larger, stating a land-use change has been requested. Officials should also notify property owners within a half-mile or even a mile radius.

These are simple changes in county procedure that should not be controversial. People who pay taxes in Sussex County have a right to know when their properties and their lives may be affected by changes on neighboring properties.

Large, readable signs and required notification are reasonable and critically necessary improvements to the process.