Northstar faces hearings March 11
The message, “Stop Northstar Development,” is illuminated on a digital sign along Beaver Dam Road outside the Cape Henlopen Elks Lodge.
While the Elks are objecting to zoning changes needed for the 852-unit Northstar housing development that would surround its property and a neighboring horse farm, a trustee conceded March 5 the effort seems futile.
Sussex County Council has scheduled three public hearings beginning at 1:30 p.m., Tuesday, March 11.
The project requires an ordinance to amend the comprehensive zoning map from AR-1, agricultural residential, to C-3, heavy commercial, for nearly 13 acres of the site; a zoning map amendment from AR-1 to MR, medium-density residential, for a nearly 8-acre section; and a conditional-use application to allow 94 multifamily dwellings on nearly 8 acres in a medium-density residential property.
“We don’t have any illusions about trying to stop the project,” said Ralph Patterson, a trustee and past president. “We want to express our displeasure and maybe influence a future project.”
The lodge, which has about 1,500 members, and a neighboring horse farm are the only two properties within the project site that did not sell to the 380-acre project. Much of the development is between Beaver Dam Road and Route 9, west of Lewes. Some is south of Beaver Dam Road.
The preliminary site plan, which has received approval, includes 758 single-family homes, 94 apartments along Route 9, and 12 acres of land on Route 9 for restaurants, offices and other commercial uses.
The Elks have requested the county require the developer to build a 6-foot privacy fence to screen the view of the development from the lodge.
Vehicles from the project will worsen traffic on Beaver Dam, which already bottlenecks at Dairy Farm Road, Patterson said.
Delaware Department of Transportation has plans to widen the road to four driving lanes between Dairy Farm Road and the roundabout at Five Points. The Elks worry that the project may take a third of its lot, which has 75 parking spaces, the electronic sign and a flagpole.
The main entrance to Phase 1 of the Northstar project would be less than 50 feet from the entrance of the Elks property at 18544 Beaver Dam Road. The lodge building was constructed 50 years ago.
Elks leaders spoke at the county planning & zoning commission’s Oct. 7 meeting, and they plan to address Sussex County Council at its March 11 public hearings, Patterson said.
“It’s a poster child for overdevelopment,” he said of Northstar.
With many other ongoing housing projects in the area and lots of other land that could also be developed, the Elks are concerned about road congestion and other issues, Patterson said.
Dave McGuigan, a resident of Coastal Club off Beaver Dam Road, not far from the Northstar site, said March 6 he has mixed opinions about the project. He’s worried about additional traffic the project will create, but he’s glad it will add a restaurant and other commercial space that would be convenient for nearby residents.
“I’m not in favor of stopping all progress,” McGuigan said. “Just do a well-planned job and don’t let the infrastructure lag.”
“Please do not approve the monster Northstar development project,” said Richard Morgan in an Oct. 10 email to county officials. “There are so many reasons not to approve this project, but I’ll focus on a few of the most important. First, this project is way, way too large. The infrastructure cannot support this development [roads, traffic, utilities, etc.]. Traffic is already horrible in Lewes – this project should be built way west of Lewes. Lastly, the quality of life and open space will be totally compromised.”
“Aside from the incredible stress that development has placed on the area’s infrastructure, we are irritated by the wait time of weeks or months to get an appointment to see our primary care physician. We would like to see a moratorium on development in Sussex County, including Northstar,” said Daryl Ashton and Fran Heineman in a letter to the county in February.
Development, and the associated burdens on roads and other infrastructure, healthcare, schools and emergency services, has become a hotly debated issue in Sussex County, the fastest-growing county in the state in recent years. Sussex County Council is forming a working group to study the issue and propose zoning changes and other laws to help curb growth.
