LEWES, Del. - The Lewes Environmental Subcommittee met Monday morning to discuss the city’s wetland buffer ordinance. The subcommittee is looking into possible changes to the current wetland buffer ordinance to better protect the city’s wetlands from future development.
The Lewes Environmental Subcommittee is working with the Center for the Inland Bays to find ways to improve the current city wetland buffer ordinance and make it easier to understand. Any changes to the ordinance would only apply to future development within the city limits.
The Center for the Inland Bays has suggested several changes or items to discuss to the subcommittee. Some of those suggestions include adding signage to indicate where wetlands begin, changing buffer widths for different development types, changing mitigation, maintenance, and management requirements, and expanding the ordinance to pertain to all development within the city and not just major subdivisions which are only included today.
“Currently the wetland buffer ordinance only applies to newly developed major subdivisions, however wetlands exist without consideration for lot type”, explained Mikayla Rypkema, a member of the Lewes Environmental Subcommittee.
No changes to the wetland buffer ordinance were made today. More discussion on potential changes are expected at the next subcommittee meeting which will be held on Monday, March 25th.