200 new homes coming after April land use decisions in Sussex County
About 200 new homes will be built in southern Delaware after three new subdivisions received approval at Sussex County Planning and Zoning Commission meetings in April.
In addition to the subdivisions, the commission approved an extension for Chappell Farms, an apartment and retail complex planned for Cave Neck Road and Coastal Highway in Milton, and a site plan for Long Neck Community Bank, where unmarked human remains were found days later.
Dozens of decisions were made by the commission in April, determining how land will be used in the state's southernmost and fastest-growing county. The News Journal/Delaware Online follows up on their decisions every month.
Here's what happened in April.
3 new subdivisions approved
Three new subdivision plans were approved for southern Sussex in April, one final and two preliminary.
Off Bayard Road in Frankford and directly north of The Hamlet at Dirickson Pond, the final subdivision plan for Brookland Farm was approved. Gulfstream Development is listed in planning documents as the developer of the 92-lot community.
On the 42-acre property, there are about 1.6 acres of wetlands along Bayard Road that will remain undisturbed, according planning documents. Most of the site is agricultural land, but 5,000 square feet of forest will be removed.
The preliminary subdivision plan for Smokey Hollow, also from Gulfstream Development, was approved as well. The commission approved 81 lots, instead of the requested 82, on Smokey Hollow’s about 67 acres off Johnson Road in Selbyville.
Three impacts to the property’s 16 acres of wetlands were proposed, each less than a tenth of an acre. Due to the denial of one lot by the commission, one of those impacts will presumably be unnecessary. The two remaining impacts are a road over wetlands and a culverted road over Bear Hole Tax Ditch. Both will require permits from numerous agencies before occurring.
The amount of forest to be removed was not listed in plans, but the amount of “forested uplands” on the site is listed at about 26 acres.
And finally, a preliminary plan was approved for Herring Run, a 28-lot subdivision planned for 14 acres on Honolulu Road in Frankford. The site is agricultural, with no forest or wetlands.
Long Neck Community Bank plan approved, unmarked human remains found days later
A revised final site plan for the Long Neck Community Bank property was approved, after an initial approval in December.
“At that time, the applicant intended on relocating the existing cemetery,” county staff planner Lauren Devore said at the April 10 meeting. “Now the cemetery is to remain.”
Planning documents included an April 4 ground-penetrating radar survey by Pennoni Associates, which found 10 anomalies “consistent with burial sites” outside the existing cemetery fencing.
Unmarked human remains were found on the active construction site April 19, but it’s not clear if they were any of those found in the ground-penetrating radar survey. Community Bank representatives have not responded to calls and emails.
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Chappell Farm permit extended
Chappell Farm developers were issued a conditional use permit in 2021 for four apartment buildings and three commercial buildings on the northwest corner of Cave Neck Road and Coastal Highway in Milton. Conditional use permits are valid for three years, with Chappell Farm’s set to expire in September.
The developer, Hudson Management LLC, was granted an extension at the April 10 meeting, citing ongoing Department of Transportation work at the intersection. Construction is now expected to be completed by the end of the year, planning documents said.
Other land use decisions
The Planning and Zoning Commission also made the following decisions in April.
The commission voted to recommend the County Council approve a draft marijuana establishment ordinance.
Lennar’s Acadia Landing is a 234-lot subdivision under construction off Robinsonville Road in Lewes. Developers requested changes to the conditions of Acadia’s plan, including minimizing buffers, which the commission denied, and extending the deadline for amenity completion, which the commission approved.
A revised preliminary amenities plan was approved for the 68-lot Sandpiper Cove, a cluster subdivision on about 52 acres off Zion Church Road in Selbyville. The clubhouse and pool were made slightly smaller, Devore said, and the clubhouse was reoriented on the property.
The preliminary and final amenities plan for K. Hovnanian’s Scenic Harbor, the 319-lot subdivision on Mulberry Knoll Road in Lewes, was approved. It features a pool, pool house, tiki bar, clubhouse, pickleball courts, playgrounds and more.
The commissioners voted to recommend the County Council approve conditional use permits for a small auto shop on Armory Road in Frankford, a tree service on Gravel Hill Road in Millsboro and a professional office on Route 9 in Georgetown.
The commissioners will recommend the County Council approve zoning changes for a self-storage facility on Route 13 in Delmar and an expansion at Rudy's Marine on Route 113 in Dagsboro.
A revised final site plan for a Plantations Medical and Professional office center was approved, which will add a fourth building to the property on Plantation Road in Lewes.
The preliminary and final site plans for a 27-acre Sunrise Solar farm off Clendaniel Pond Road in Lincoln were approved. Less than an acre of forest will be cleared at the site.
A preliminary site plan for a liquor store at Williamsville Country Village on Route 54 in Selbyville was approved.
A revised preliminary plan for 33 flex units and office space on about 4.5 acres on South Walnut Street in Milford was approved.
A preliminary site plan for Bethany Blooms Landscaping on Roxana Road in Frankford was approved.
Numerous minor subdivisions with lots of five or fewer were approved.
Shannon Marvel McNaught reports on southern Delaware and beyond. Reach her at [email protected] or on Twitter @MarvelMcNaught.
This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: 200 new homes coming to Sussex County after April land use decisions
