The Sussex County Planning and Zoning Commission met for the second time in seven days on Wednesday, Oct. 17, to conclude several items of old business and various other cases from recent hearings.
The first item on their agenda Wednesday afternoon was a previously-deferred decision on the condition-use application from Michael Orndorff for 16 multi-family units on 4.1 acres of land in the GR General Residential District northeast of Road 358 (Sandy Cove Road) and northwest of Road 357 (Cedar Neck Road).
Commissioners unanimously recommended approval of the request, noting that the property is in an area where other residential development has occurred, including single family, multi-family, mobile home and camping developments. They also agreed with Orndorff that the project is consistent with those developments and will essentially be an in-fill development in this area of Cedar Neck.
Of note, commissioners said, is that the project currently contains approximately 27,000 square feet of woodlands and the design with 16 townhomes preserves a great deal of those woodlands and open space. The perimeter of the site will be buffered with existing trees and additional trees where necessary.
The recommendation for approval was subject to several conditions:
• Amenities, including gazebos and tot lots, shall be constructed and open for residents to use within two years of issuance of the first building permit for the project.
• The project will be served by a county sewer district, which requires it to be constructed in accordance with the requirements of the Sussex County engineering department. The project will be served by a public water system.
• Stormwater management and erosion settlement control shall be constructed in accordance with applicable state and county requirements and the project shall utilize the best management practices to construct and maintain these fixtures. Individual trash cans or carts will be used, rather than a central Dumpster.
• Sidewalks along at least one side of the street and street lights will be installed. A landscape plan defining the proposed tree and shrub landscape design as well as buffers will be submitted.
• Construction, site work, grading and delivering of materials will only occur between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
• Street naming and addressing shall be subject to the review of the county mapping and addressing department.
• The final site plan shall be subject to review and approval of the Planning and Zoning Commission.
Commissioners on Wednesday also gave unanimous approval recommendations on a previously deferred decision for a conditional use for Bridget M. Nicholson, for new and used furniture sales, a thrift shop and office space on a parcel of 23,899 square feet at the southwest corner of Road 370 and Road 384 in Bayard, the location of Uncle Sugar’s Thrift Shack, which Nicholson explained during the public hearing on the request was no longer home to the moving business associated with the site.
Commissioners noted that the site had a previously approved conditional use for a cabinet shop and that there are other commercial uses and conditional uses within the immediate area.
The approval is subject to the following conditions:
• The use shall be limited to new and used furniture sales, a thrift shop and office.
• The hours of operation shall be Tuesday through Saturday from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. on the weekdays and 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. on Saturdays.
• There shall be no more than two employees associated with the use.
• The present, existing two non-lighted signs shall be permitted. No further signage shall be allowed.
• The existing concrete slab shall only be used to display grills and outdoor furniture.
• Areas designated for parking shall be shown on the final site plan and shall be clearly marked on that site plan.
• There shall be no dispatching of moving vans from that site.
• The final site plan shall be subject to review and approval of the Planning and Zoning Commission.
Commissioners on Oct. 17 also unanimously recommended preliminary approval for the application of Mandarin Homes for subdivision of 27.4 acres of land in the AR-1 Agricultural Residential District (Environmentally Sensitive Developing Area overlay), west of Road 381, north of Route 54 and south of Dirickson Creek, into 56 lots.
They noted that the proposed subdivision density is in accordance with the density permitted by the existing AR-1 zoning and in the environmentally-sensitive developing district.
The recommendation for approval was subject to the following conditions:
• All interior street designs shall comply or exceed Sussex County standards with sidewalks on both sides of each street. A system of street lighting shall be provided by the applicant.
• No wetlands shall be included within any lot lines.
• The development shall be served as part of a Sussex County sanitary sewer district in accordance with Sussex County engineering department specifications and regulations. Additionally, the development shall be served by central water.
• The applicant shall maintain undisturbed as many existing trees as possible. These undisturbed forested areas and contiguous canopy trees shall be shown on the final site plan.
• All amenities and recreational facilities shall be constructed and open to use by the residents within two years of the issuance of the first building permit.
• The amenities of the community bath house and swimming pool shall be relocated away from Old Mill Bridge Road and to a more central area within the community boundaries.
• The location of the bus stop shall be on the west side of Old Mill Bridge Road and further coordinated with the local school district transportation manager. That final location is to be shown on the final site plan.
• Street naming and addressing shall be subject to the review and approval of the county mapping and addressing department.
• The final site plan shall contain the approval of the Sussex Conservation district for the design and location of the storm water management facilities and the erosion settlement control facility.
• The community may be served by a crabbing or fishing pier, if permitted by appropriate regulatory agencies, to be located on the east side of Old Mill Bridge Road. There shall be no individual, co-shared or community piers, boat ramps or docking facilities of either a temporary or permanent nature that are within the community boundary that is west of Old Mill Bridge Road.
• The final site plan shall be subject to review and approval of the Planning and Zoning Commission.
Preliminary approval was also unanimously recommended on Wednesday for the application of Bethany Woods LLC, for subdivision of 12.2 acres of land in an MR Medium Density Residential District, south of Road 360 and west of Coastal Highway, into 19 lots. The project is located within the Environmental Sensitive Developing Area overlay.
Commissioners noted that the proposed 19 lots within the project are less than the allowed density for an MR subdivision on the land. Under current MR zoning, up to four units per acre is permitted. They also pointed out that there are already similar projects on neighboring and adjacent parcels.
The project is located within a county-operated sanitary sewer district and will be proposed by central water.
The commission recommended approval subject to the following conditions:
• All interior street designs shall comply or exceed Sussex County standards with sidewalks on one side of each street. A system of street lighting shall be provided by the applicant.
• No wetlands shall be included within any lot lines.
• The owner of lot No. 19 shall enjoy both the benefit and be financially responsible for the perpetual maintenance burden of the wetlands area east of lot No. 19.
• Additionally, the proposed bridge shall comply with the necessary radii for turning into the project, as well as any specifications from the state fire marshal as to construction materials and load-bearing capabilities.
• The applicant is further encouraged to cooperate with the Department of Natural Resources, Environmental Control, and DelDOT in locating a bike or multi-modal pathway within the property, ideally located off McCoy Way.
• The final site plan shall contain the approval of the Sussex Conservation district for the design and location of the stormwater management facilities and the erosion settlement control facility. A certified arborist will be hired to review all construction.
• The final site plan shall be subject to review and approval of the Planning and Zoning Commission.
The commission is scheduled to meet next on Thursday, Oct. 25, at 6 p.m. in council chambers off The Circle in Georgetown.