Sussex Preservation Coalition to meet April 9 in Lewes
Mark Chura, executive director of the Sussex County Land Trust, will be the featured speaker at the Sussex Preservation Coalition’s monthly public meeting from 7 to 8:30 p.m., Tuesday, April 9, at Lewes Public Library, 111 Adams Ave., Lewes.
Updates will be provided on several controversial development issues pending before Sussex County Council.
Meetings are free and open to the public; people may attend in person or via Zoom. All are asked to register by emailing spcde.org@gmail.com. Zoom information can be found at sussexpreservationcoalition.org.
Chura will provide an overview of Sussex County Land Trust activities. Since 2001, SCLT has purchased, protected and managed open-space parcels throughout Sussex County. It is dedicated to protecting natural, cultural, agricultural and recreational resources through land preservation, stewardship and education. The land trust partners with county council, and state and nonprofit conservation agencies to raise money and protect more than 6,000 acres.
SPC Vice President Jill Hicks and board member Joe Pika will provide an update on the Cool Spring Crossing and Northstar development projects. Public hearings for these projects are still pending. Cool Spring Crossing is a 637-acre, 1,900-home multiuse development planned for Route 9 and Cool Spring Road near Milton. The nearby Northstar project is a proposed 433-acre, 758-home multiuse development located between Route 9 and Beaver Dam Road.
Rehoboth resident Steve Sinclair, retired former director of forests for Vermont, will provide an update on the perimeter buffer ordinance also pending before county council. The purpose of a buffer ordinance is to protect woodlands around development projects. The current ordinance, officials agree, needs to be strengthened to prevent clear-cutting.
SPC is a coalition of local environmental groups in Sussex County dedicated to preserving and protecting local ecosystems. Its mission is to increase the impact of groups and individuals by working together to educate, organize, advocate and act.
