Sussex County Council closed the public comment period on Northstar Properties’ project at its meeting Tuesday..
The developer filed two zoning change applications and one conditional use application.
County Council deferred a vote on the affordable housing project by Northstar Properties last month. The subdivision plan includes 852 housing units, including a 94-unit affordable housing complex for rent.
The Planning and Zoning Commission recommends approval for all three applications.
The vast majority of public comments online and in county meetings opposed the project with several mentioning concerns about overcrowded schools and roads.
But Sussex County Councilmember Jane Gruenebaum said officials with the Delaware Department of Transportation have not raised any substantial objections to the development.
“The public has responded differently,” Gruenebaum said. “The public is very concerned about whether those two roads can handle the traffic. Now, DelDOT does have plans to widen those roads, but that widening will take some years to complete. And so the people who live along those roads, or who travel those roads frequently, are concerned about the additional traffic.”
Gruenebaum said the development has generated a large response from the public.
“It's quite controversial because there are two roads that border it that are heavily traveled roads and roads used by other developments… All the comments and concerns raised by either pro or con are a matter of the public record now, and that's what we on County Council will base our decision on.”
Across the three applications, there are a total of 286 comments online. Several residents also spoke on the matter at Sussex County Council’s March 11 meeting. Most were in opposition.
Gruenebaum added this is part of a larger discussion about development in Sussex County.
“In the past election, three incumbents were defeated. And three of us are new, largely on questions related to development, the pace of development and the way in which it's been done,” Gruenebaum explained.
The public is concerned about how new developments will affect schools, roadways and the availability of physicians, according to the council member.
“They're paying attention now to developments like Northstar that in the past may not have gotten the public attention that they've gotten now.”
The next step is for County council members to vote on zoning changes that would allow this affordable housing and commercial development to move forward.
County Council has not yet set a date for that vote.
