SUSSEX COUNTY, Del.- A proposed large-scale housing development near Route 9 is still in the works, but Sussex County Planning and Zoning Commissioners said Wednesday the latest version of the plan isn’t ready yet.
On Wednesday, commissioners reviewed an updated site plan for the Northstar development. It's 433-acre project that would bring hundreds of homes, apartments and commercial space to the area near Beaver Dam Road.
The developer came back with revisions after the commission previously required several changes.
Those updates include removing a planned road connection within the neighborhood and reworking how some homes are laid out. The new design also creates more open space in one section of the development, expanding that area to about 60 feet.
But commissioners say the changes don’t fully meet what was originally required.
One of the main concerns is that several lots that were supposed to be eliminated to improve open space are still effectively in place, just reconfigured.
“I don’t see how we could approve it as it stands,” one commissioner said during the meeting.
There are also issues with required buffers. County rules call for a 30-foot forested buffer around the subdivision, but parts of the updated plan only show 20 feet.
Because of those concerns, commissioners voted unanimously to take no action on the plan for now. That means the developer will need to make additional revisions before coming back for further review.
Before the discussion began, the meeting also included an unusual moment. Officials paused proceedings to address attendees wearing costumes, reminding the public of rules requiring appropriate attire.
A man wearing a hedgehog costume at a Sussex County Planning and Zoning meeting was told to remove it or leave, as commissioners enforced rules requiring appropriate attire and preventing distractions.
One man — who had appeared at a previous meeting — was specifically told he could stay only if he removed his hedgehog costume.
The project is still in the preliminary stage and will require a final site plan approval at a later date.