Seaside surfaces at Route 1, Cave Neck Road
A developer presented a revised plan Nov. 21 to build more than 350 single-family homes on part of a 241-acre parcel near the intersection of Route 1 and Cave Neck Road near Milton.
The site has had several previous proposals for residential and commercial projects, such as Overbrook Town Center, that did not come to fruition.
Seaside would include homes in the $700,000-plus range, said Jake Booth, president and managing partner of Capstone Homes, at the Sussex County Planning & Zoning Commission public hearing Nov. 20.
The project now includes 359 houses, 13 fewer than were included in the company’s earlier proposal. The new plan doubles the acreage of the project, reduces the density to just under 1.5 units per acre and provides more open space than the previous plan.
Several residents raised concerns during the public hearing, mostly about potential traffic issues.
The Delaware Department of Transportation plans to install three roundabouts nearby, one east and one west of Route 1 to be built as part of an overpass at Cave Neck Road, and another on a planned service road adjacent to the highway in front of the site.
David Hutt, the attorney representing the developer, said the roundabouts should improve traffic flow around the development.
Rich Borrasso, who lives in Paynter’s Mill across from the site, said he’s worried about the cumulative effect of development on traffic, especially as it relates to the three roundabouts.
Commission Chair Robert Wheatley said the panel could only consider the pending Seaside project. Developers of future projects in the area would have to consider the additional effect of their projects on traffic, he said.
Ennio Mastroianni, who lives in Paynter’s Mill, echoed Borrasso’s points.
“Our community is very concerned about all the development along Coastal Highway and Cave Neck Road,” Mastroianni said.
The homeowners association in his development formed a committee to try to help residents get correct information about proposed projects in the area, he said. They have not been satisfied with information they have received from the Delaware Department of Transportation, he said.
Mastroianni also asked the Seaside developer for details about the three lots marked as future development along Route 1. Hutt said it has not yet been determined what will go there, and the decision may be influenced by other nearby development.
Zac Crouch, an engineer working for the Seaside developer, said only a recreational area will be developed in the 100-year flood plain on the property. There will be 43 acres of woodlands on the site.
The project would leave undeveloped land in the Great Marsh near Delaware Bay. An observation tower on that land will be among the amenities planned for the property, which also include clubhouse, swimming pool and pickleball courts.
Of the total acreage, 114.5 acres would need to be rezoned from AR-1, agricultural-residential, to CR-1, commercial-residential, to accommodate the development, Hutt said
The commissioners had few questions on the project. No one in the audience spoke in favor of the plan.
The commission deferred a decision until a Wednesday, Dec. 4 meeting to give Cape Henlopen School District and residents more time to submit comments.
