MILTON, Del. - A decision on the proposed River’s Edge development in Sussex County has been deferred for a second time by the Planning and Zoning Commission.
The proposal calls for a 187-home cluster subdivision off Cave Neck Road in Milton. Subdivision applications are reviewed by the Sussex County Planning and Zoning Commission and do not go before County Council, according to county code.
A proposed housing development off Cave Neck Road in Sussex County is on hold after planning officials raised concerns about environmentally sensitive land at the site.
The project has also drawn attention following a dispute involving public comment at recent meetings. A Sussex County man says he was improperly removed from a public meeting after wearing a hedgehog costume to raise awareness about wildlife concerns tied to the development.
Joaquin Cortez attended a Planning and Zoning Commission public hearing on March 4 dressed in the costume, which he said was meant as symbolic speech highlighting animals that could lose habitat if the land is developed.
“I view the hedgehog as a symbolic speech,” Cortez said.
At the commission’s next meeting on March 18, Cortez said he was told the costume violated meeting rules and was asked to leave.
“We cannot have folks showing up to meetings in costume,” a speaker said during the meeting.
Joaquin Cortez dressed as a hedgehog while addressing commissioners, saying he wanted to highlight the potential impact development could have on wildlife.
Cortez later sent a complaint to the Planning and Zoning Commission, arguing he was improperly removed. “On March 4, the same people were there, same onesie, you know, and I was not a distraction. I was just sitting there with no issues. And then on March 18, all of a sudden distraction,” Cortez said.
Attorney Glenn Mandalas, who represents the River’s Edge developers, said the project complies with Sussex County development requirements. County documents show the plan includes 76 acres of open space.
