Business, residential land uses don’t mix well

During election years, a recurring theme is the call for more and better-paying jobs in Sussex County.

Locals who grew up here would like their adult children to have the opportunity to raise their own families in the Cape Region and throughout the county.

This will require a robust and diverse economy, not overly dependent on a couple of industries.

That’s what most people say they want. It’s not the direction we’re heading.

Recent newspaper stories highlight a trend that, long-term, could discourage economic growth. They deal with business expansions and the concerns of nearby residents.

One issue involves Mountaire Farms, a poultry company with 6,000 employees in Delaware, Maryland and North Carolina. It recently opened a healthcare clinic in Selbyville for its employees and their dependents.

The clinic, as you might guess, was not controversial, but the same couldn’t be said for a proposed office building west of Millsboro. About 100 employees would work at the site.

Used to be, this kind of announcement would be greeted as unalloyed good news, further investment in our region by a major employer.

The problem is, there are residents in nearby housing developments who don’t want the office building. They’re afraid Mountaire could some day decide to put a chicken processing plant next door.

Mountaire says it’s planning only office space for the site, but it’s hard to argue against anxiety.

People have retired, moved here and in many cases invested a large portion of their life savings in their houses. They fear any potential harm to that investment.

Which is understandable.

Sussex zoning laws allow residential development just about anywhere and they allow conditional uses just about everywhere: Who knows what will go next door?

Something similar is unfolding around the former Vlasic pickle plant in Millsboro. Allen Harim, another poultry company, has purchased the property and announced plans to invest $100 million in the site and employ as many as 700 people.

Again, it sounds like great economic news. And it is. A 480,000-square-foot plant, which has been empty for a couple of years, will be put back into productive use. (By comparison, the three local Tanger outlet centers comprise 568,000 square feet.)

But again, nearby residents are complaining.

We’re getting to the point where it will be hard to find sites for any kind of business. Residential developments pop up everywhere, filled with newcomers who like the idea of retiring to the countryside, but not always the reality.

Many don’t want to live near farming operations, which generate dust and odors and come accompanied by large, slow-moving tractors that tie up traffic.

State planners recognize this problem. They have designated four levels, with Level 4 being areas where the state plans virtually no investment in new roads or infrastructure. These are open space areas where agri-businesses such as Mountaire are supposed to operate.

Kent and New Castle counties have followed state planning guidelines. According to the Office of State Planning Coordination 2014 report to Gov. Jack Markell, the two counties, from 2008 through 2013, approved 75 homes in Level 4 areas.

Sussex County has followed its own path. In those same years, according to the report, Sussex has approved 3,800 homes in Level 4 areas.

To be fair, there is some good news. State Planning Director Connie Holland said that while Sussex has a much higher rate of Level 4 approvals, “I see a trend changing.”

People in Sussex, she said, are beginning to “locate closer to infrastructure and services.” The 2014 report bears this out. In 2011, Sussex County approved 1,448 homes in Level 4 areas as opposed to 24 and 161 in 2012 and 2013, respectively.

Let’s hope that continues. Sussex County has a lot of land, but we’re filling up space that used to be available for farming and related businesses. What if we get to the point where Sussex no longer appears welcoming to these operations?

Development, of course, provides many jobs, as do related tourism industries. But we can’t afford to put too many eggs in too few baskets. We need farming, and we need other businesses too. We need them to provide the jobs people need to raise a family.

Depending too much on one industry, development, risks harming not only our natural heritage, but also our efforts at sustaining long-term economic growth.