Northstar | Sussex Preservation

Northstar: Nightmare on Nine II

SPC Position Statement - Northstar

Sussex Preservation Coalition (SPC) opposes the proposal for a mixed-use development between Route 9 and Beaver Dam Road to be known as NorthStar. Included in this proposal are requests to rezone 12 acres from AR-1 to C-3 and for a conditional use permit of MR for 8 acres to accommodate multifamily units. SPC supports mixed-used communities as one effective means for lessening sprawl and for providing healthy, walkable communities. SPC supports such communities when built in accordance with County and State investment strategies and plans; in areas with sufficient infrastructure to support a large community; with sufficient environmental protections; and when designed well. NorthStar meets few of those conditions.

SPC opposes NorthStar for multiple reasons, including the following:

Highway infrastructure. Plans remain unclear for Beaver Dam Road and Mulberry Knoll Extension which run through residential areas east-west and north-south.
Safety. Both Beaver Dam Rd and Mulberry Knoll Extension are and will be heavily traveled, threatening the safety of pedestrians and cyclists residing in NorthStar. Directly contrary to the purpose of a master plan community.
Inappropriate zoning. Developer requests C-3 zoning for the 96,000 square foot commercial area to provide maximum flexibility in attracting tenants. C-3 would allow a wide range of businesses to locate next to a high-density residential area, including car lots, convenience stores/gas stations, self-storage facilities, warehouses, and manufacturing.
Sequestered housing. Workforce housing will not be integrated with the larger community. It will have a separate name, a different developer, and separate amenities. Will establish undesirable precedent for master plan communities.
Traffic. Traffic on Route 9 is now 15,000 vehicle trips (VT) daily. NorthStar will generate 13,359 daily VT, nearly doubling the already heavy traffic on Route 9 and creating potentially unsafe conditions for motorists.
Uninspected environmental threats. State agencies requested opportunities to inspect potential damage to environmentally sensitive areas and habitats, the presence of endangered species, and damage to mature trees. The developer refused access, arguing that their own experts’ opinions are adequate.

We urge the Sussex County Planning and Zoning Commission to recommend denial, and the Sussex County Council to deny the applications for NorthStar.

Northstar by the Numbers

431 acres on both sides of Rt. 9, Beaver Dam Road, and both sides of the proposed Mulberry Knoll Extension.
Projected to add 13,359 vehicle trips per day.
Zoned AR-1 in the Coastal Area, Northstar is seeking rezoning to a mixture of AR-1, C3, MR.
Northstar is looking to build 852 residential units
- 758 single family units
- 94 multi-family “Affordable, Includes Gov’t funds, deed and/or income eligibility restrictions.”
Northstar is .625 square miles and will be geographically larger than South Bethany (.5 square miles), Dewey (.3 square miles), and Henlopen Acres (.3 square miles).
If 2,130 residents1, Northstar will be 4x more populated than South Bethany, 17x more populated than Henlopen Acres, and 6x more populated than Dewey.
Will add approximately 2102 school age children to the CHSD
Will add 96,000 sf of commercial space, but no one knows what will occupy the space, so parking spaces needed are unknown and not accounted for in Preliminary Site Plan.
The site contains an Excellent Groundwater Recharge area which will be largely paved over by commercial parking.
The commercial area of the site is located near a wellhead.
5 of the 28 acres of forest is to be removed.
19.5 acres of non-tidal wetlands

1 Delaware households =3.08, Used a conservative multiplier of 2.5 x 852 residential units = 2130 residents.

2 Used primary residential rate as CSC @ 55%. 2130x.55=1,172 primary residents. Primary residents x factor .18 used for CSC = 210