There have been many letters to the Cape Gazette in the recent past about the rampant overdevelopment in our area, and the resulting overload on our roads, schools and healthcare facilities. Among my neighbors, unchecked development and the degradation it is causing to our community is a frequent topic of conversation. Many people feel that the qualities that drew them to the area – the easygoing, relaxed character, the natural environment – are fast disappearing.
Things don’t have to be this way, and there is no reason for our area to be on this unsustainable path. Growth and development should be bounded by limits on natural resources, and should be matched by appropriate infrastructure investment. But Sussex County Council, which has the exclusive power to regulate property development, and which should the steward of Sussex County land and its inhabitants, is doing nothing toward this. Instead, council members seem to be serving the interests of a few businesses and developers, many of whom are not even based in Delaware.
It’s time for change on Sussex County Council. This November, we have a chance to elect Jane Gruenebaum to the council, representing District 3, which is where much of the development activity is occurring. Jane will work to ensure that development is balanced with protecting the public interest. That means protecting the environment, and ensuring that emergency responders, traffic systems, schools and other municipal services are funded, staffed and equipped to support population growth. To accomplish that, she will drive to create plans, and the regulations to implement them, with enforcement, which will ensure those goals are met.
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