Plan calls for 183 homes off Cool Spring Road

State agencies raised concerns about continuing growth in rural areas while a local fire official cited increasing strain on resources Dec. 18 during the initial review of a plan to build 183 single-family homes off Cool Spring Road southeast of Harbeson.

Developer Schell Brothers is pursuing the project on land owned by Sterling V. Street of Millsboro that is zoned AR-1, agriculture/residential. The 95.5-acre project includes 30.7 acres of open space. There are less than a half-acre of non-tidal wetlands on the site, which will not be affected by the development, according to the project application.

The Preliminary Land Use Service review offered state agencies, Sussex County and the public their first opportunity to comment on the project. It is the beginning of the approval process.

The site is located in a state Investment Level 4 area, where Delaware planners want to preserve the agricultural character and natural resources.

“The state objects to the subdivision of this property and the development based on its location in Level 4,” according to a statement by the Office of State Planning Coordination read at the meeting. “Continuing to approve additional development in this area could undermine the ability of the state to provide the infrastructure needed to support the current residents.”

The agency elaborated on the long-term expense of such development.

“The cost of providing services to development in rural areas is an inefficient and wasteful use of the state’s fiscal resources,” the agency noted. “Over the long term, the unforeseen negative ramifications of this development will become even more evident as the community matures and the cost of maintaining infrastructure and providing services increases.”

Carleton Hall, a cultural preservation specialist and historian with the Delaware State Historic Preservation Office, noted there are indications of a historic cemetery and buildings on the property that should be investigated.

The development would have an immediate burden on the Lewes Fire Department, said incoming department President Andrew “Wally” Evans. He is calling for the developer and homebuyers to contribute to the cost of operating the department.

After the meeting, he said Lewes Fire Department Inc. is hoping for contributions in the short term and for creation of a fee established by Sussex County Council. Such fees were recently authorized by the state.

“Our whole fire district is exploding with development,” said Evans, who has been a volunteer firefighter for 51 years. “At the present time, we’re not going to be able to fulfill that project without them doing an impact fee to the fire department and also each one of the lots put money out to help support the Lewes Fire Department.”

The department spends about $2.5 million annually on salaries alone and struggles to find enough volunteers to respond to emergencies faced by a growing number of residents.

“Each one of these homes,” he said. “We’re getting sick people, we’re getting automatic fire alarms, we’re getting injuries, we’re getting construction injuries. At this time, we cannot support this type of project without some kind of funding to the fire department.”