State forester speaks against Grayrock Preserve
The Delaware Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service has gone on record in opposition to Grayrock Preserve, a proposed 94-lot subdivision on a 48-acre parcel off Wilson Road near Georgetown.
During the Aug. 10 meeting of the Sussex County Planning & Zoning Commission, State Forester Kyle Hoyd said the parcel should not be developed because of its proximity to Redden State Forest.
“There is a better place for these 94 homes than in between Redden Forest, especially the Eskridge Tract,” he said.
The 210-acre tract, which is a state remediation site for the Route 113 expansion project, provides habitat for the tiger salamander, a state endangered species. Hoyd said the site is monitored by Fish and Wildlife staff. “This is a research area for us,” he added.
Hoyd said the application was not reviewed by the Forest Service during the Preliminary Land Use Service process due to staffing issues.
He said the state tried to purchase the parcel but could not reach a deal with the property owners.
The Eskridge Tract ties into more than 2,000 acres of forest and is a valuable recharge area, he said.
Hoyd said if the property is developed, state officials would have to change management practices of the adjoining forest. “It would reduce the forest on our side because we would have to cut a 35-acre swath as a safety zone around the development to protect against fire threat, to preserve hunting and create a buffer for timber harvest,” he said.
David Hutt, the applicant's attorney, said the developer hired Watershed Eco of Middletown to conduct a forest habitat value assessment. He said after evaluating four areas of the forest, it was determined that the forest was deemed lowest quality. “The soils are too well drained. The trees are not mature and not old growth. Not all forests are created equal; some have more value than others,” Hutt said.
Hutt said the developer modified the site plan to preserve as many trees as possible. Plans are to preserve 17 acres of forest, or 42% of the nearly 40 acres of woodlands.
Hutt said more lots were moved to the farmland section of the parcel and away from the woods.
Following the hearing, the commission voted to defer a decision to a future meeting.
Grayrock Preserve plans
Plans for Grayrock Preserve, a cluster subdivision west of Sand Hill Road, include a 30-foot vegetated buffer near the entrance to the proposed project. The remaining perimeter buffer will be composed of existing trees.
Access would be from Wilson Road with sidewalks on one side of all streets, trails to connect the sidewalk, and a common area in the middle of the parcel. Hutt said density of the subdivision would be less than two units per acre, which is allowable in an AR-1, agricultural-residential, low-density area.
Hutt said the developer would contribute funds to an area-wide traffic fund and would be required to improve a section of Wilson Road with 11-foot travel lanes and 6-foot shoulders.
The attorney said the design is superior as required under the county cluster ordinance. Among design standards are 25 acres of open space, sidewalks and trails, minimization of mass grading, and tree preservation to the best extent possible.
Hutt said forest preservation would not be possible with 20,000-square-foot lots in a standard subdivision.
Question on access
Wilson Road resident William Sykes questioned plans for access off the road. He said property owners would not give away right of way to DelDOT.
Drew Boyce, a traffic expert with Century Engineering, said some right of way would be needed from property owners near the proposed entrance.
Sykes said the Redden Forest tracts around the parcel are frequented by deer hunters. He said that would require a 300- to 400-foot safety zone, which would mean the loss of a large section of the forest.
