Proposed Subdivision: 'Scenic Manor'

Important News & Updates - 03/25/2021

Upcoming Public Hearing!!! The Sussex Planning & Zoning Public Hearing for Scenic Manor (formerly the Estates at Mulberry Knoll) is scheduled for April 8 starting at 3:00 pm! It is likely that the Scenic Manor portion will be after 6:00. This meeting is scheduled to be held at Room 540, Carter Partnership Center at Delaware Technical Community College, 21179 College Drive, Georgetown, DE You can also join the hearing by phone to make a comment. See more Public Hearing info below.

This development has NOT been approved by Planning & Zoning (P&Z). Your letters and participation could affect whether the development is approved. The public will be notified of the P&Z Hearing 2 weeks ahead of time by announcements in local newspapers and by public notice on the property.

American Kestrel, a DE endangered species, has been documented on the property. Kestrels are birds in the falcon family.

Actions Needed Now: Write letters of concern to P&Z , your county councilman, and Letters to the Editor. Click on the 'What Can I Do?' tab above for detailed information and to sign a petition.

Public Hearing Information: April 8, 2021 starting at 6pm

From the Planning & Zoning website:

The public is encouraged to view the meeting on-line. Any person attending in-person will be required to go through a wellness and security screening, including a no-touch temperature check. The public will be required to wear a facial mask. Seating capacity is limited and seating assignments will be enforced.

The meeting will be streamed live at https://sussexcountyde.gov/council-chamberbroadcast. The County is required to provide a dial-in telephone number for the public to comment during the appropriate time of the meeting. Note, the on-line stream experiences a 30-second delay. Any person who dials in by telephone should listen to the teleconference audio to avoid the on-line stream delay.

To join the meeting via telephone, please dial: Conference Number: 1 302-394-5036, Conference Code: 570176 Members of the public joining the meeting on the telephone will be provided an opportunity to make comments for those items listed under public hearings on this agenda.

The Planning & Zoning Commission meeting materials, including the “packet”, are electronically accessible on the County’s website at: https://sussexcountyde.gov/ If any member of the public would like to submit comments electronically, these may be sent to pandz@sussexcountyde.gov. All comments are encouraged to be submitted by 4:00 P.M on Wednesday, April 7, 2021.

If you plan to make comments by phone:

• The Scenic Manor portion of the hearing will start at 6:00 later.

Concerns:

The proposal for this site is for a 319-home subdivision on Mulberry Knoll Road south of Rt. 24, between Arnell Creek and the Dorman Branch of Love Creek. The 170-acre site presently includes farmland, 27 acres of forest, 18 acres of tidal wetlands and 5 acres of non-tidal wetlands.

Concerns about this development include:

Traffic:

• Will increase by 3,000+ vehicular trips per day at the intersection of Rt. 24 & Mulberry Knoll if this is built. (From the PLUS application, the total daily trips are estimated at3,032 vehicle trip ends per day and DeIDOT confirms this number. )

• Traffic along Rt. 24 corridor will increase by approx. 68,000 additional vehicular trips per day from the 6,800 homes that have been approved/under construction since Dec. 2016.

• The total number of additional vehicular trips per day in all of Sussex County resulting from subdivisions approved since December 2016 is 81,560 trips .

Flooding:

• Increased frequency of destructive flooding. Subdivision development increases impermeable surfaces and removes top soils; the compacted soils around new houses do not percolate. Removal of forested areas & their soils greatly reduces the property's ability to absorb water.

• Within the 100-year floodplain are: 96 of the proposed 319 lots (43 lots, entirely; 53 lots, partially), 6 portions of the roads, and half of the clubhouse.

• Some of the proposed stormwater management areas may not be effective because they are located where the water table is 0-3' below the surface.

Environment:

• Destruction of wetlands and wildlife habitat, including habitat for the American Kestrel, a species of falcon that is endangered in Delaware. The developer is proposing a 50' buffer to wetlands, while the State suggests a 100' buffer. The owner has denied DNREC inspection of the property.

• Destruction of habitat for American Kestrels, which are endangered in Delaware. This parcel is perfect habitat for kestrels - farmland for hunting and mature forest with dead trees for nesting holes. Two other large farmland properties adjacent to this one already have subdivisions approved, making the preservation of this habitat even more important. Hundreds of birds use this property during migration.

Investment Level 4:

• State policy does not support spending on Level 4 land, which is about 50% of the parcel. The DE Strategies for State Policies and Spending defines Level 4 land as "Rural and agricultural areas, suitable for natural resource protection, open space, and agricultural use, including agricultural industries."

Archaeological sites:

• There is a historical site which may have archaeological remains on the parcel. The landowner has not allowed State officials to explore the site.