LEWES, Del. - The Lewes City Council held a public hearing Wednesday to discuss updates to the city’s open space ordinance, seeking input from locals in the area on how best to handle the growing demand for land preservation in new developments.
City leaders are considering increasing the amount of open space required in both residential and non-residential projects. Under the proposed changes, new residential developments would be required to allocate at least 25 percent of their space to open areas like parks or playgrounds. Non-residential projects would need to include at least 10 percent open space, with exceptions in town center zones.
Duke Brooks, who lives in Lewes, emphasized the importance of thoughtful planning.
"Open space is very valuable if it adds to the value and the price of something in the perception of the people that buy the houses," Brooks said.
Another local, Joe Farsetta, stressed the need for transparency and accountability from developers, "We need to hold the developers to account...they need to be solvent and transparent with what it actually is going to cost to maintain the community." Farsetta said.
Wednesday's meeting was just a public hearing, with no official decisions made yet.