State planners review three area projects
State and county officials reviewed three area housing projects during the Jan. 22 Office of State Planning Preliminary Land Use Service meeting.
Four corners
Four Corners is a proposed cluster subdivision with 902 residential units on 451 acres on Harbeson Road between Rust and Forest roads between Milton and Georgetown.
Dorothy Morris, Office of State Planning circuit rider for Sussex County, said the property is located in a Level 4 State Strategies for Spending area where subdivisions are not supported. Level 4 areas are intended for preserved land, agricultural land and farm-related activities.
Even so, the Sussex County Planning & Zoning Commission and Sussex County Council make all land-use decisions, not the state.
During the review, the developer’s engineer Jason Palkewicz said the project would be four interconnected sub-communities with separate secondary amenities as well as main amenities serving the entire community.
According to the PLUS application presented by developer NVR, plans include a 20- to-30-foot perimeter buffer, two entrances, 230 acres of open space with active and passive recreation, stormwater management and wildlife habitat.
Of the parcel’s 337 acres of forest, 220 acres would be removed, leaving 117 acres of woods.
The parcel has 38 acres of nontidal wetlands, and the developer will need a wetland permit to construct a road crossing in the southern section of the parcel.
Owner of the property is J.G. Townsend Jr. & Company.
At build out, the average weekday traffic would be 8,750 vehicle trips. State transportation officials are requiring a traffic-impact study to determine property access and off-site road improvements.
Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control and Delaware Forest Service officials expressed concern with the number of acres of woodlands to be removed, including some mature forest.
Officials recommended a 100-foot buffer along waterways and nontidal wetlands, and a 50-foot buffer along areas adjoining farm fields.
Belle Meade
Belle Meade is a proposed C-4 master plan project with mixed-use development on 40 acres along Route 24, including 480 multifamily rental units and 125,000 square feet of commercial development, adjacent to Beacon Middle School.
The property is currently an equestrian facility.
The conceptual plan presented by developer Capano Management of Wilmington includes five commercial lots along Route 24, seven 24-unit apartment buildings and 24,000 square feet and 15,600 square feet of mixed-use areas with commercial on the bottom and 122 apartments above.
The parcel is within the Henlopen Transportation Improvement District, requiring the developer to contribute funding based on the number of residential units and the square footage of commercial space.
Plans include Route 24 frontage road improvements and a boulevard-style entry. A shared-use path would be required along Route 24.
Mike Riemann, the developer’s engineer, said commercial tenants are to be determined. Amenities would include a clubhouse and pool.
The final number of parking spaces will be dependent on the commercial businesses built in the project.
The property is included in the county’s coastal zone area where master plan zoning is appropriate.
Sussex County planner Mike Lowrey said the proposed percentage of commercial and residential space, and interconnectivity are concerns.
Soens Property
The Soens Property cluster subdivision application includes 70 single-family home lots on 35 acres on the west side of Beaver Dam Road near the Hollymount Road intersection between Lewes and Long Neck.
State planners are opposed to the project because the parcel is in a Level 4 State Strategies for Spending area where farming and agricultural-related activities are supported.
The property is in an AR-1, agricultural-residential zone and is in a low-density area.
Developer Shoremark Ventures of Millsboro plans the houses to be sold at entry-level, market rate and as second homes.
The conceptual plan includes 17.5 acres of open space with a small area of wetlands, and 3.2 acres of removed woodlands of the 8.6 existing forest.
State transportation officials are not requiring a traffic-impact study, but the developer must contribute funds to an area-wide study fund. The entrance is planned along Hollymount Road.
State officials said existing septic systems on the parcel must be removed according to state standards. Officials asked the developer to leave front lots undisturbed and to provide a 50-foot vegetated buffer along the southern, eastern and western borders, which are adjacent to farmland preservation easements.
Lowrey said some lots may have to be revised to meet requirements for farmland buffers. He said the developer must provide a 30-foot vegetated perimeter buffer.
The Office of State Planning Coordination will provide the developers with their comments on or before Wednesday, Feb. 19, and they will be posted on the website soon after.
County council will also have access to the comments before public hearings are scheduled.
