LEWES, Del. - The Sussex County Council will hold a public hearing Tuesday to consider a proposed zoning change for more than 39 acres of land east of Route 24 near Lewes.
(Sussex County Documents.)
The applicant, Belmead Farm, LLC, is seeking to rezone two parcels from AR-1 Agricultural Residential to C-4 Planned Commercial to allow for future commercial development. The Sussex County Planning & Zoning Commission has recommended approval of the application.
Judyrose Seibert, spokesperson for the Route 24 Alliance, says the rezoning request doesn't meet the county's own requirements.
"Belmead is requesting a change of zone to C-4, and they do not meet the minimum district requirements two of them for a C-4. And therefore, the County Council must deny them."
Those in favor of the project argue it would bring much-needed affordable housing to the area and note that the proposal has received support from non-profits.
The County Council hearing began at 1:30 p.m. at the Sussex County Administrative Offices and lasted over four hours, with numerous members of the public attending and providing comments.
After closing the public hearing, the County Council deferred a vote on the rezoning request to allow for further review and input.
As part of the follow-up process:
Council members will have two weeks to submit questions to DelDOT and DNREC.
The agencies will then have two weeks to respond.
The applicant and members of the public will then have two additional weeks to respond to the agencies’ answers.
The applicant, Belmead Farm, LLC, is seeking to rezone two parcels from AR-1 Agricultural Residential to C-4 Planned Commercial to allow for future commercial development. The Sussex County Planning & Zoning Commission has recommended approval of the application.Â
(Sussex County Documents.)
As a result, the public record will remain open for at least six weeks before the council makes a final decision on the application.
Â