The following letter was sent to Sussex County Council with a copy provided to the Cape Gazette for publication.
I am a member of Sussex 2030, a group that is advocating for protection from overdevelopment in Sussex County.
I am writing to you to highlight the deteriorating land use of the county. The new Master Planned Zoning ordinance is a dream for any developer. There is no concern for the overall environmental impacts for any of the developers’ proposals. The county needs an environmental commission. This commission would be made up of individuals across Sussex County who would give their assessment of any applications coming before the planning & zoning commission and county council.
Establishing a county environmental commission would give a better voice to the people who are living within those areas being targeted for massive developments. The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control does not walk these properties and is not writing comprehensive reports reflecting the areas.
To address the concerns of the people of Sussex County:
Establish a county environmental commission.
The stormwater management designs need major upgrades to include better filtration.
The total maximum daily load that is used for calculating the stormwater needs to include a pesticide calculation. This is not included. From the presentation that was given back in September it showed a forested area that filters all the stormwater run, but once it is cleared, it showed retention/detention ponds for these developments, which means all the pesticides used for those green desert lawns are going straight into the groundwater. No natural filter.
Municipal water and wastewater facilities need to realize the extraction of water from the aquifers for developments is not being replenished at all. What will be the cost of using these public utilities in the future? The answer is quite costly indeed.
Can the present-day grid handle these new developments? Hardly. What is the plan for upgrading these old substations?
What would be the actual cost of these affordable housing units? Probably far more expensive because of these needed upgrades.
What is the action plan for climate change?
As a concerned Sussex County resident and ex-environmental commissioner from New Jersey, I would like council to consider my request to establish a county environmental commission and the concerns I listed. If Sussex County Council is looking to lead the way for future sustainable development, this ordinance should not be passed in its present form.
-
A letter to the editor expresses a reader's opinion and, as such, is not reflective of the editorial opinions of this newspaper.
To submit a letter to the editor for publishing, send an email to newsroom@capegazette.com. Letters must be signed and include a telephone number and address for verification. Please keep letters to 500 words or fewer. We reserve the right to edit for content and length. Letters should be responsive to issues addressed in the Cape Gazette rather than content from other publications or media. Only one letter per author will be published every 30 days. Letters restating information and opinions already offered by the same author will not be used. Letters must focus on issues of general, local concern, not personalities or specific businesses.
