Council defers vote on 116-unit ‘Creekside’ development amid resident concerns over buffers, runoff and traffic

Sussex County Council heard presentations and public comment on two consolidated applications from Rudder Road LLC — a change of zone from AR-1 to MR for roughly 30.57 acres on Banks Road and a conditional-use request for a 116-unit residential project (75 townhomes and 41 single-family lots, the applicant calls the project "Creekside"). After extended technical presentations and numerous resident objections, council members moved to defer action on both applications.

Attorney David Hutt, representing Rudder Road LLC, described the two applications and the proposed site plan: "This second application ... is a request for a multifamily project to be constructed on the property consisting of a total of a 116 units. That's a mixture, of 75 town homes and 41, single family lots." He said the site sits near existing medium- and higher-density residential uses, is designated as a coastal growth area under the county’s future land-use map and lies in Level 2 on the State Strategies Map, which the applicant argued supports medium-density residential development.

Technical…