Sussex County Council leaves record open on North Star rezoning, affordable housing after hours of testimony

Sussex County Council delayed final decisions Monday on three linked North Star applications — a change-of-zone to C-3 heavy commercial, a change-of-zone to MR medium-density residential and a conditional-use request for 94 affordable multifamily rental units (the Willows at North Star) — after more than two hours of public testimony and questions from council members.

The council voted to leave the hearing record open for two weeks to allow members to submit written questions to the Delaware Department of Transportation and to give DelDOT two weeks to respond; the public and applicants may then file written replies. Council members then voted, unanimously, to defer action on all three applications pending that information.

The deferment follows detailed presentations from the applicant and its consultants about financing and program details for the proposed affordable apartments, public comments from community groups and residents raising traffic, safety, stormwater and equity concerns, and technical testimony about the Henlopen Transportation Improvement District (TID) and DelDOT timing for road projects. The applicant said it has applied for Low Income Housing Tax Credits through the Delaware State Housing Authority and that the award process and construction schedule are tied to strict timelines.

The applicant’s representative described the affordable housing proposal to council and said the project is intended to be 100% rental housing financed through the low-income housing tax credit program administered by the Delaware State Housing Authority. Natalie DiFilippo, vice president of development with Ingerman (the developer), said, “A 100% rental. There's no conversion to home ownership at the end,” and confirmed the project would accept Section 8 vouchers. She told council the developer submitted a tax-credit application in April and that the application round is competitive and time-limited.

Why it matters

The North Star plan combines a 758-lot cluster subdivision, roughly 96,118 square feet of proposed…