Georgetown planning commission approves Habitat for Humanity preliminary site plan, grants three waivers

The Georgetown Planning Commission at its meeting approved a preliminary site plan for a 3,200-square-foot, one-story office and warehouse to be built by Sussex County Habitat for Humanity at 404 Kimmy Street and granted three waiver requests related to parking surface, fence height/chain-wire, and building façade materials.

The site plan, presented by Mark Davidson, principal land planner with Pennoni Associates, covers about 2.03 acres on the east side of Kimmy Street, roughly 100 feet north of Tracy Street. Davidson said the proposal is for an office/warehouse building with about 44 square feet devoted to office use and the remainder to storage and warehouse functions and that the project would connect to town water and a force main across Kimmy Street using a small grinder lift station. "This pond, as an infiltration, will also handle off‑site drainage," Davidson said, describing a larger infiltration pond sized to accept some roadway runoff and portions of adjacent backyard drainage.

The commission's site-plan approval was conditioned on addressing the town engineer's outstanding comments and obtaining required agency approvals before final sign-off. The applicant reported that the fire marshal and the Sussex Conservation District have already approved the site plan package.

Why it matters: The site will be in the town's UB1 zoning district and faces residential and light-industrial neighbors, including the Townsend property and a nearby wastewater facility. Commission members placed emphasis on setbacks, buffering, traffic sightlines and stormwater management because the plan accepts off-site drainage and includes a gated, fenced yard for storage of Habitat vehicles and trailers.

Key details from the plan and commission discussion: - Location and zoning: 404 Kimmy Street; Sussex County tax parcel referenced in the application; property approximately 2.03 acres; zoned UB1 (Urban Business district as applied by the town at rezoning in 2022). - Building and site layout: single-story, about 3,200 square feet; building setback about 44 feet from the Kimmy Street right-of-way (the code-required front setback for UB1 is 0 feet), and roughly 21 feet from the nearest side yard (code requires 20 feet). - Parking and circulation: code-required parking shown as six spaces; the applicant proposes 17 standard spaces plus five trailer spaces and four spaces adjacent to the front entrance for staff/volunteers. Davidson described the site as largely for Habitat staff and volunteers and not open to the general public. "We didn't think that it was necessary for the entire parking lot at this time to be paved, so that's why we're asking for the stone requirement," Davidson said when explaining the requested parking-surface waiver. - Stormwater: an on-site infiltration pond sized larger than typical because of shallow groundwater; the applicant said the basin is sized to accept some off-site road drainage and some adjacent backyard runoff. A swale along the south side of the parking lot drains to the pond. - Utilities: connection to a new water main being installed as part of a town road and water rehabilitation project on Kimmy Street; sanitary service proposed via a small grinder lift station tying into an existing force main opposite Kimmy Street. - Buffers and security: the plan proposes Buffer Type 3 around the perimeter, including a six-foot fence with landscaping; the applicant also wants an electronic gate and angled security wire atop portions of the fence for added protection.

Waivers and commission votes (as recorded in the meeting): 1) Parking-surface waiver (code section cited in application: 2-31-51(a)) — the applicant requested permission to use properly maintained, weather‑resistant stone for most of the parking area and pave only the entrance, handicap landing and certain pads. Motion to approve by Commissioner Bridal; second by Commissioner Cates. Roll call recorded: Commissioner Bridal — yes; Commissioner Cates — yes; additional commissioners indicated approval during roll call. Outcome: approved (motion carried).

2) Fence-height/chain-wire waiver (code section cited: 2-30-16) — request to permit a six-foot fence in the front-yard area and the use of angled security wire above the fence; applicant noted nearby properties use similar fencing. Motion to approve by Commissioner Lecates; second by Commissioner Briggs. Roll call recorded: Commissioner Lecates — yes; Commissioner Briggs — yes; additional commissioners indicated approval during roll call. Outcome: approved (motion carried).

3) Building façade materials waiver (design standards manual, page 4) — the design standards list specific exterior materials (brick, stone, stucco, fiber cement, etc.). The applicant requested to allow a pole building with metal siding, supplemented by a stone veneer wainscot across the street-facing frontage. Motion to approve (mover not explicitly named in the transcript for the motion text); second by Commissioner Cates. Roll call recorded: Commissioner Cates — yes; Commissioner Briggs — yes; additional commissioners indicated approval during roll call. Outcome: approved (motion carried).

4) Preliminary site plan approval — motion to approve the preliminary site plan "addressing the engineer's comments and obtaining agency approvals" passed after a motion and second; roll-call votes included multiple commissioners indicating support and a stipulation referenced by Commissioner Lecates. Outcome: approved (conditional on addressing engineer comments and securing required agency approvals).

Distinctions between discussion and decisions: The commission's approvals documented formal votes on the three waiver requests and conditional preliminary site-plan approval. Technical clarifications and explanations of drainage, setbacks, and materials were given by the applicant's planner (Mark Davidson) during discussion; no substantive changes to the site layout were recorded during the meeting. The commission asked staff to ensure outstanding engineer comments are addressed before final approval.

Next steps and outstanding items: The commission's preliminary approval requires the applicant to respond to the town engineer's final comments and supply any outstanding agency paperwork before final site plan approval. The transcript also records that the applicant has obtained fire marshal and Sussex Conservation District approvals for the submitted plan package.