Letter from the Delaware Chapter Chair

Continued from Page 1
Chapel Road; or Routes 8, 10, or 16; or Hazlettville Road
in Kent County and you see houses going up like mush-
rooms, with driveways feeding into two-lane roads (some
without shoulders). Similar situations must exist in Sussex
County and in the yet-unbuilt areas of New Castle County.
Adequate rights-of-way need to be dedicated as part of the
development approval process to reduce the costs of
widening the roads when the projects are built out.
Stream corridors need to be preserved, through coordi-
nated project development plans as with the Uniform
Development Code in New Castle County. This notion ties
into the need to improve stream quality – the unending
battle over Total Maximum Daily Loadings (TMDL) that
the State is under a consent decree (court order?) to
resolve. If you protect the streams it is easier to improve
the water quality.
Solid waste disposal is still before us, and solutions to
this problem require a statewide solution, also. This can be
solved in a way that does not require penalties on the pub-
lic, since it is clearly a case where good conservation is
good economics. But it requires massive public education
so the public insists on a correct solution.
It is time to get organized for next January when the
legislators return. If we truly want to stop sprawl, improve
stream quality while reducing flooding potential, set aside
open space, and offer the public acceptable solid waste
alternatives, we must be ready in January and that means
starting to plan now.
It is our hope to use the annual membership meeting in
September as a starting point to have a program in focus
by January. Members are encouraged to check the
Chapter’s web site (www.delaware.sierraclub.org) for
updates and opportunities for feedback.
In summary, good land use saves both energy and
money and simultaneously provides open space and the
opportunity to improve stream quality. It is that simple and
straightforward. It only gets complicated when interests
that aim for short-term profit torque the process.

The Sierra Club’s

Annual Meetings
The Sierra Club's DE Chapter and
Southern Delaware Group extend an invitation to
members and the general public to attend the
Sierra Club’s Annual Meetings:
New Castle County
Friday, September 22nd, 7:00 p.m.
Odessa Fire Hall
302 Main Street, Odessa, DE
Sussex County
Tuesday, September 19th, 7:00 p.m.
Sussex County Council Chambers
The Circle, Georgetown, DE
Kent County
Wednesday, September 20th, 7:00 p.m.
Kent County Administration Bldg., Room 220
Bay Road, Dover, DE
Annual Meetings Agenda
Introduction
Comprehensive Land Use Plan Updates
Adequate Public Facilities Ordinances
(APFOs)
Air Quality
Water Quality
“Takings”