LEWES, Del. - Sussex County Council is set to discuss a request to rezone nearly 13 acres off Route 9 as part of the Northstar development.
The property is located on the southeast side of Route 9 and the northwest and southeast sides of Beaver Dam Road.
Northstar Property, LLC wants to change the zone from an agricultural residential district to a heavy commercial district.
The nearly 13 acres that the applicant hopes will become commercial space are part of a larger 433-acre project. In May, Sussex County Council approved a zoning change and conditional use application to pave the way for new 94-unit multi-family dwellings. In the decision, the council cited the need for more workforce housing and a desire to prevent future development of more expensive homes on the site. 758 homes are also part of the plan.
Sussex County Council will discuss this request at noon on Tuesday.
Local Kathryn Harrington-Hughes says she hopes Sussex County Council denies the rezoning request.
"Right now, I would say no more commercial space. Route 1 is all commercial, and we have a lot on Route 9 now. And more and more and going on Route 16, I mean, it's I don't really think we need more commercial."
Ron Ruksznis lives right near the land, and he says development approvals need to slow down.
"My biggest concern is traffic," said Ruksznis. "I mean, Route 9 is a parking lot now."