Sussex2030 - Master Planned Zoning District (MPZ) Ordinance

New Public Hearing may be in order if many amendments are made.

The MPZ Ordinance must not move forward as proposed. And, when the final recommendation for amendments is made by the County Assistant Attorney, Vince Robertson, we may ask for a new hearing if many changes are proposed to the original draft - contrary to what was presented as public record.

Concerns:

• This is not a County-initiated, top-down, Master Planned Zoning designation, as one might assume, but it is a new zoning designed to help big developers create mega communities with higher density (up to 12 units/acre) and huge flexibility without much public participation.

• This gives developers and the County easy ways to sprawl out to the west without the restraints of the Investment Levels where infrastructure is not adequate to support huge developments.

• 200 acres is not big enough to create what they envision as walkable communities. For instance, Raley Farm, which P&Z approved on 9/28, is a 359-acre parcel, and it does not have what MPZ intends to create. The Eden Hill Farms, which is touted as a beautiful master-planned development in Dover, was initiated in 2005 and it still has only 83 townhomes built other than a medical building and a skilled nursing facility. It is not a successful walkable community to model after.

• Due to the Master Planned Community status, the developer will control the HOA board until 90% of approved lots are sold, which can take 20 years. During that period, developers may get some modifications to the original plan without the homeowners' input.

County Office Contact Info 

https://sites.google.com/view/sussex2030/important-contacts/county-office-contact