Sussex County hearing draws widespread opposition to Cool Spring Crossing FLUM amendment; council keeps record open

Sussex County Council on [date not specified] closed the public hearing on a proposed amendment to the county's future land use map (FLUM) and related zoning and conditional-use requests tied to the 637-acre Cool Spring Crossing master plan, but left the record open for further technical questions to agencies including DelDOT, the Cape Henlopen School District, local fire companies and the State Forester.

Dozens of speakers, led by the Sussex Preservation Coalition (SPC), urged the council to delay any change until the county's comprehensive plan update, the Coastal Corridor/DelDOT studies and recommendations from the Land Use Reform Working Group are complete. "Not now, but not never," said Joe Pica, a Lewes resident and SPC presenter, arguing the scale of the proposal requires broader public deliberation.

The matter drew repeated concerns about transportation and concurrency. "The trip generation for the Cool Springs development is estimated to be 33,359 vehicle trips," said Rich Barrasso, a member of SPC, who presented mapping from DelDOT's permit tracker and argued the Cool Spring traffic impact study (TIS) did not fully integrate nearby developments and background buildout. Multiple speakers warned that Route 9 already faces capacity, safety and…