EQUITY IN AGRICULTURE: PRESERVING THE VALUE OF DELAWARE'S RURAL LANDS
Equity in Agriculture • Resources • Commentary • Myths and Misconceptions • Frequently Asked QuestionsLarge "Town Scale" Subdivisions Don't Fit in our Rural Areas
Despite the fact that the state and local governments have planned areas for growth and areas that should remain more rural in nature, many large developments have been recently proposed in remote, rural areas. These subdivisions sometimes contain hundreds or even thousands of homes, and if built would be larger than the towns nearest them.
One example is known as the Village of Isaac's Glen, which has been proposed in the midst of preserved agricultural lands between Milford and Milton. This subdivision includes 1,592 housing units on approximately 800 acres. The project would essentially be a small town with a mixture of residential, commercial and institutional land and a potential future population of over 4,000 residents. If approved and completed, Isaac's Glen would have a larger population than nearby Milton, which had a population of 1,657 according to the 2000 Census.
Another example is located along Millington Road, several miles west of Clayton where a developer has proposed two large subdivisions across the road from one another. These developments, called Silver Oak Farms and Westminster Chase, would have a combined 547 lots and share a community wastewater system located on the northernmost parcel. Combined, these two subdivisions could have over 1,400 residents. Clayton, which had a population of 1,273 in 2000, is concerned that these developments will strain the local police resources and the volunteer fire company.
Farmington is one of Delaware's smallest towns, with a 2000 population of just 75 people living in 41 houses. It is a historic railroad town tucked in the largely undeveloped corner of southwestern Kent County. Large scale development did not seem likely in or near Farmington because of its remote location and lack of physical infrastructure, such as sewer and water. Yet, just outside of town, a developer has proposed two subdivisions called Grey Dawn Acres and Meadowland Estates. Combined, these two developments would have a total of 251 houses located in the midst of horse and poultry farms east of town. The approximately 650 new residents of this settlement will have to contend with narrow, crowded rural roads containing dangerous curves and odors from existing poultry houses adjacent to the property. To overcome the limitations on the infrastructure in the area, the developer has proposed a private sewer and water system.
These rural subdivisions all have a few common features. First, they will result in settlements containing hundreds or thousands of people. Second, these people will be living in remote areas far from schools, shopping, institutions, local police protection and emergency services that are common in the state's towns and growth areas. Third, the new residents will be required to rely upon private automobiles to fulfill virtually every daily need. This is despite the fact that the road networks serving these areas are designed and maintained to meet the needs of the rural area, not to sustain the traffic caused by the thousands of automobile trips made necessary by these new suburban developments. And finally, in each of these cases the scale and density of the development is enabled by State regulations that allow developers and private companies to construct private sewer and water infrastructure in remote, rural locations.
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