LEWES, Del. - The Sussex County Land Trust has officially dedicated its newest conservation site, Chase Oaks Preserve, during a ceremony held Sept. 8 at the 32-acre property along Robinsonville Road.
Donated by Chase Oaks DE, LLC with support from DRB Homes, the land will be permanently protected and managed as open space and natural habitat. The preserve features 2,570 feet of road frontage, including approximately 25 acres of mature hardwood forest and 7 acres of cleared land.
“Public and private partnerships like this make our mission possible,” said Sara Bluhm, executive director of the Sussex County Land Trust. “Chase Oaks Preserve is a wonderful example of how thoughtful development and land preservation can coexist, leaving a lasting impact on Sussex County.”
To support ongoing preservation efforts, DRB Homes signed a developer agreement with the Trust, pledging to donate $500 from every home sold in the Chase Oaks community after July 1. The funds will be used to support land conservation across Sussex County.
Similar agreements have been signed with other regional developers. SCLT has active partnerships with K. Hovnanian at Tower Hill in Lewes and homebuilders at The Peninsula in Millsboro, and previously worked with Schell Brothers.
"It's our mission to help preserve and conserve land. We have a great team of board members to preserve this, and any opportunity you get a chance to preserve land in Sussex County, be it the eastern shore or the western shore of the county is a great opportunity for all Sussex Countians." said SCLT chairman Ring Lardner.
The dedication ceremony included remarks from representatives of the Land Trust, Chase Oaks DE, LLC, and DRB Homes, followed by a reception at the DRB model home.
In another year or so, Lardner said a master plan will start to be developed. Plans may be to keep the wooded property the way it is. However, he mentioned that with there being nearby hunting land, that it could also become an extension of the hunting lands as a way to preserve the land.