The Costs of Sprawl in Delaware

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The Costs of Sprawl in Delaware

Table of Contents
Why a report on the costs of sprawl? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 The purpose of this report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 The costs of sprawl . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Farmland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Open space . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 Transportation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 Roads are expensive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 High growth in auto trips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 Public transportation provides a sustainable solution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 Master planning is the key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 Other forms of infrastructure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 Schools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 Utilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 Emergency and medical services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 Corporate subsidies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11 Affects of sprawl on the environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12 Biodiversity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12 Water quality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12 Air quality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13 Human environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14 Conclusions and recommendations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15 Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18 Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19

Acknowledgements
This report was prepared by: Chris McEvilly, Shiray Shipley, Jim Steffens and Boyd White. Special thannks to Hope Russell for her assistance and to Deron Lovaas for his support. This brochure was funded in part by the Sierra Club Challenge to Sprawl Campaign. Information was obtained from the State Planning Office, DELDOT, WILMAPCO, Department of Agriculture’s Farmland Preservation, United States Geologic Survey, the Department of Food & Resource Economics, College of Agricultural Sciences, University of Delaware. Publication design and production assistance by Debbie Heaton, McGann Design Company. Printing provided by Cedar Tree Press, Wilmington, DE. This report was printed on Genesis paper by the Fraser Paper Company which is a 100 percent deinked postconsumer waste paper. © 2000 Sierra Club All rights reserved. Permission to reproduce any portion of this publication must be obtained from: Delaware Chapter of the Sierra Club 1304 N. Rodney Street Wilmington, Delaware 19806 302-425-4911 Additional copies of this report can be ordered through the Delaware Chapter office for $5 each. This report is available on the web at http://www.sierraclub.org/chapters/de
On the cover: Aerial shot of Middletown from 1988 by the USGS, real estate sale sign photo by WILMAPCO and the road shot was provided by DELDOT.

The Sierra Club defines sprawl as low-density, automobile-dependent development that occurs at the fringes of the urban landscape. In a recent survey, the Pew Charitable Trust found that suburban sprawl, tied with crime, is the local issue with which most Americans are concerned. Those living in Delaware are no exception. The results of a recent questionnaire by the Delaware Chapter of the Sierra Club showed that our members feel land-use and openspace issues deserve the utmost priority. This is no surprise as Delaware is exceptionally susceptible to the damages caused by sprawl. Delaware holds a unique place in the battle against sprawl. We are the “Small Wonder,” and, with 1,955 square miles, we are second only to Rhode Island in size. Therefore, the race to stop sprawl must be run faster than in most areas around the country because we have less room in which to grow. And growing we are. This year, Delaware’s population is expected to reach 757,325 and the Delaware Population Consortium predicts that 184,000 more people will settle in Delaware over the next two decades. This puts our projected population increase from 1990 to 2020 at a staggering 28 percent. The cause for alarm is that the number of households is expected to increase by 47 percent.1 Delaware’s challenge is how to accommodate this growth while protecting our land, water, air, biodiversity and overall quality of life.

Why a report on the costs of suburban sprawl?

The purpose of this report
This report identifies and discusses several negative affects of suburban sprawl in Delaware. The first topics address the economic costs of sprawl and its effects on the land and our society’s costs for infrastructure. The second group addresses the environmental costs of sprawl and its effects on the human environment, or, in other words, the day-to-day conditions of Delawareans’ lives. The term “quality of life” is often used in this discussion. There are many ways of new schools, defining this term. Rather than defining “quality of life,” we ask our sewers, roads, readers to consider all the different ways in which our decisions fire/police regarding land use affect every aspect of the world around us. The report concludes with suggested solutions for Delaware’s future and some ideas of what concerned citizens can do to promote smart growth. The purpose of this report is to provide tools for those concerned about how sprawl is affectpopulation growth ing Delaware and its future. to underdeveloped
areas lack of growth management sprawling development

poor water quality poor air quality

$$$
loss of open space, forests, wildlife habitats & farmland alternate travel modes get minimal funding new communities get funding older communities get left behind longer trips growth of vehicle miles traveled

new roads, road widening, expanded intersections

inappropriate in fill development

The endless costs of sprawl
Sierra Club - Delaware Chapter 3

The costs of sprawl
Development of land for residential use rarely pays its own way, and the suburban sprawl model for growth is an expensive alternative to the economic efficiency of planned development. The American Farmland Trust (AFT) developed a method that communities across the nation have used to assess the costs associated with different forms of land use. The method involves calculating the total costs of infrastructure and comparing these costs to revenues received in the form of taxes. Categories of infrastructure include general government expenditures, public safety, fire protection, sheriff’s department, public works, libraries, and community development. “From 1992 to 1997 we lost over 18,000 acres of farmland, or over 3,000 acres a year.”
The results are consistent in every study conducted to date. Residential land use costs more in services than is generated in revenues. For example, in the Northeast, six AFT studies conducted in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New York showed that $1.15 was spent on community services in residential areas, compared with $1.00 of tax revenues generated by that land, a ratio of 1.15:1. Meanwhile, commercial/industry areas was 0.36:1 and for farmland was 0.34:1. Results in Delaware are comparable. A recent study of the Middletown-Odessa-Townsend area estimated that the ratio of expenses to revenue for residential land use is 1.2:1, while the ratios for business and farming areas are 0.7:1 and 0.5:1, respectively. These are fully in line with costs in other areas of the country.2 This study did not attempt to estimate the costs of transportation improvements in the area, since these costs are paid for out of state income taxes. Clearly in more settled areas where transportation upgrades have been carried out, the costs including state taxes, would be even greater.

Farmland in the Middletown/Odessa area.

Farmland
Agriculture is Delaware’s number one industry, bringing in over $800 million to the state’s economy. Although agricultural use of fertilizer and pesticides receives a lot of press, chemical inputs into farming are, with the exception of the heavy use of animal manure in southern Delaware, one-tenth the levels used by residential homeowners. With the proper employment of vegetated buffers along waterways to prevent these substances from entering streams, farming as a land use has impacts on water quality second only to undeveloped land. The low cost associated with maintaining this form of land use increases its value to our state. Unfortunately, due to sprawl, Delaware’s farmland is disappearing. From 1992 to 1997 we lost over 18,000 acres of farmland, or over 3,000 acres a year.3 Losses during this period were 5,261 in New Castle, 6,366 in Kent, and
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6,656 acres in Sussex. With the projected population growth, this trend will continue, if not increase, during the next twenty years. The state’s method of preserving farmland is a program for purchasing the development rights (PDR), that is, paying the farmer the difference between of the value of the land as developed property and land maintained in agricultural production. To date the PDR program has preserved 54,000 acres at a cost of $56 million. It is funded by money from the 21st Century Fund, which was established through funds received from the financial settlement of a law suit by the state of Delaware. Currently 204 farms, representing approximately 45,000 additional acres, have applied for the PDR program, but only $7 million remains in the fund. When farmers are admitted to the PDR program, they must maintain their land as farmland for ten years before they may voluntarily withdraw from the program. A bill currently under consideration in the General Assembly (HB516) would reduce the time restrictions
The Costs of Sprawl in Delaware

Photo courtesy of St. Andrew’s School, Middletown, DE

imposed by the Delaware Agricultural Land Preservation Act from ten years to four, an action that would significantly jeopardize the integrity of the program. Maintaining farmland also reduces spending on new infrastructure. “For every dollar we spend on agland preservation, we are going to save $10 in highway and road construction costs,” said Michael McGrath, Director of the Delaware Agricultural Lands Preservation Foundation.

Open space
Open space, or “green infrastructure,” should be considered of equal significance to roads and sewers. Across the nation, parks and protected open space are increasingly recognized as vital to the quality of life that fuels economic health. In the long term, economic advancement will go to communities that are able to guide growth through land conservation and other growth management measures.4 And yet, urban sprawl in the U.S. is consuming 160 acres of land every hour.5 Delaware is experiencing a similar rate of land consumption: in New Castle County 59 developments have already been approved outside the state’s designated investment areas, and plans for a $170 million sewer system could open up 70 miles of development between the C&D Canal and Odessa.6 In Kent County, development south of Dover has the potential to adversely affect the operational effectiveness of Dover Air Force Base. Sussex County is one of the fastest growing markets in the Mid-Atlantic States. County officials are issuing building permits at a rate of nearly 2,000 annually, and potential development could take up more than 37,200 acres over the next two decades.7 Open space has many benefits beyond scenic beauty. It is habitat for our native plants and animals, providing refuge for our threatened and endangered species. It protects waterways from sediments and pollutants. Instead of using unsightly stormwater retention ponds, properly conserved open space can serve as flood control areas. It provides sports and recreational space for our citizens, hunting and fishing opportunities, and a place of solitude away from the bustle of daily life. Although one sometimes hears criticism of money spent on wetlands protection, wetlands are an extremely valuable resource, serving as nursery grounds for a number of fish, nesting sites for resident waterfowl, and feeding and stopping-off areas for migratory water birds. Wetlands are nature’s number one and most effective pollutant filtration system. Unfortunately, they are disappearing from Delaware’s landscape at an alarming rate. Between 1951 and 1992, at least 44,000
Sierra Club - Delaware Chapter

acres of wetlands were destroyed.8 Since 1938, urban development has been the primary cause of tidal wetland loss.9 Removal of wetlands increases the amount of contamination that reaches our water supplies and destroys critical habitat for numerous plant and wildlife species that need wetlands to survive. Open space protection is a clear example of the lack of concurrence between county and state land-use planning because the selection and funding for open space acquisition must come from the state. For several years, Delaware provided funding from the 21st Century Fund. More recently, the funding has come from annual appropriations in the General Assembly’s Bond Bill. Currently, $10 million is allocated in the budget for 2001, $5 million of which is already committed. No permanent, ongoing funding mechanism has been established. In contrast, last year New Jersey enacted legislation for a $1 billion dollar open space acquisition program. Based on land area alone, Delaware would have to set up a program of over $260 million to be comparable.

The costs of different types of land use
For every $1 in tax revenue generated by land, $X is spent on community services to support this development.
Residential

$1.15 $1.20
Commercial/Industrial

$0.36 $0.70
Farmland

$0.34 $0.50

Transportation
Roads are the lifeblood of sprawl. When development is spread thinly over a wide area of land, an extensive system of roads is required to serve it. Keeping pace with sprawl has become Delaware’s major transportation challenge. New roads are built. Intersections are widened. New development moves in. Traffic increases and fills up road capacity. Transportation resources are sapped. By not taking the steps to curb sprawl, we are creating an endless cycle of demand for new and improved roadway infrastructure and more taxes to pay for it. Current draft estimates show Delaware’s road system has grown to 12,264.8 miles of road lanes.10 That’s almost two-tenths of a mile of road lane per registered driver in the state. In the past five years, 329.3 new lane miles have been constructed, a 2.7 percent increase.10 Much of the increase can be attributed to sprawl patterns of new housing development in New Castle County, where SR 1 is the only major roadway that has added a significant increase in lane miles.11 Expanding road capacity attracts unplanned growth. Route 1 entering the beach resorts in Sussex County was widened in the 1980’s to accommodate growing traffic. It also became a magnet for development. Instead of becoming an attractive “gateway to the beaches,” the landscape became cluttered with tripinducing commercial strip malls and marked by gridlock, driver frustration, and a lack of travel alternatives. On a busy summer Saturday, this section of Route 1 is plagued by stifling daily traffic volumes that have

American Farmland Trust Study Delaware - Middletown/ Odessa/Townsend area study

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“Had land
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use and transPERCENTAGE

Vehicle Miles Traveled Population Growth Rate

50 40 30 20 10 0 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020
Data courtesy of DELDOT

portation been thoughtfully integrated through comprehensive planning, we might enjoy today a more appealing entrance to our beach resorts and a better quality of life for local residents.”
Traffic on Route 13 in Dover
Photo courtesy of DELDOT

Population growth and vehicle miles travelled

reached 61,258 vehicles.11 Even on weekdays during July and August, an average of 54,709 vehicles traverse this section of road. Had land use and transportation been thoughtfully integrated through comprehensive planning, we might enjoy today a more appealing entrance to our beach resorts and a better quality of life for local residents. The Texas Transportation Institute (TTI), which has studied road congestion in major U.S. metropolitan areas for the last 16 years, describes this phenomenon as “induced travel”.12 It occurs when drivers flock to new or expanded roads, hoping to save time. TTI has also found that new roadways tend to encourage additional development, leading to even more traffic. Without long-term solutions, the cycle of sprawl is endless.

add transit, pedestrian, and biking facilities throughout the growth area in southern New Castle County.14 The spending plan will also help pay for an environmental impact statement for possible major road expansion in the future and for economic development efforts to bring jobs south of the C&D Canal. Widespread growth along Route 40 in New Castle County has gotten ahead of the area’s transportation needs. By 2020, 13,000 additional new households are expected to add to the corridor’s current traffic congestion. Transportation improvements to support continued sprawl along Route 40 could cost Delaware taxpayers up to $360 million over the next 20 years.15 High growth in auto trips Adding to the wear and tear of our roads is the skyrocketing vehicle miles (VMT) we travel. Fragmented suburban development requires an automobile trip for every errand. Studies have shown that residents of sprawling communities drive three to four times as much as those living in planned mixed-use communities.16 Most of this increase comes not from new drivers, but from more driving by the people already on the road. Auto traffic in Delaware is increasing faster than the population.11 In 1999, area residents drove 8,165,000 miles, a 93 percent increase in miles traveled on state roadways over the past 20 years.10 In the past 10 years, the VMT increased 27 percent while the state’s population grew approximately 13 percent10 (ten cars per hour on one mile of a one-lane road are equal to a VMT of 10). The geographical mismatch between workers, jobs, and places to do errands adds to the level of VMT. Most of Delaware’s commuters drive to work alone. The last available numbers were from the 1990 census, which showed over 258,000 workers fell into this category.10 Organizations such as Transportation Management Association (TMA) are providing successful alternatives by implementing carpool, ride sharing,
The Costs of Sprawl in Delaware

Roads are expensive
Despite the pace of growth and the miles of new roadways, Delaware has taken a sensible approach by emphasizing a “maintenance first” policy to refurbish existing aging roadways. One-shot windfalls of federal highway dollars have helped states achieve that goal. A recent report of the Surface Transportation Policy Project (STPP) in Washington, D.C., on federal transportation spending practices noted that Delaware is second of all the states in the increase of federal highway funds spent on repairing roads and bridges.13 However, while Delaware will continue to grow, we will not always be able to count on extra federal funds to pay for maintenance of the state’s ever-growing system of roads. Taxpayers already pay a high cost to build the roads needed to support sprawl. Over the next six years, taking care of transportation needs will cost $1.6 billion, or approximately $2,100 per capita.14 Building more roads puts a squeeze on budgets for maintenance and repair, which costs taxpayers tens of millions of dollars per mile. As part of the six-year budget, Delawareans will spend $59 million to improve secondary roads and

6

Fairplay Station at Churchman’s Crossing

and other commute options to help reduce the VMT. Some Delaware corporations provide jitney service to employees. In the fast-growing area of southern New Castle County, traffic levels will be compounded by large lot suburban reserve land-use standards. In this region, bounded by the Maryland line and US 13 and from I-95 to just south of Middletown, new homes sitting on large lots away from services, jobs, and schools are forecasted to grow 76 percent to over 70,000 by 2020.17 The majority of jobs and shopping will remain to the north, forcing people to drive more miles between home, work, and services. The growth of these homes will occur incrementally, which will make it all the more difficult to keep up with transportation needs. Total traffic volume south of I-95 on Route 896, Route 7, and Route 1 is projected to increase from just fewer than 88,000 vehicles per day to almost 176,000 vehicles by 2020.17 Despite plans to improve transportation in this area, commuting time from south of the canal toward Wilmington is expected to increase about 3 to 5 percent. Noise levels are also expected to worsen. The benefit of road improvements could be negligible because of the increased population and back and forth commuter traffic.

the last 10 years, even though it has decreased as a percentage of overall mode choice due to the tremendous increase in VMT.11 Use of the SEPTA R2 commuter rail service grew from 475,040 in 1995 to 645,808 in 1999.20 And yet, in a recent study by the STPP Delaware was ranked in the “Offering Few Options” category, and among the lowest average annual spending per capita for transit, bicycle, and pedestrian facilities. Delaware spent only 0.3 percent of flexible federal funds for alternative modes between 1992 and 1999.13 Delaware’s transportation challenge is its landuse policies. Decentralization of activities hamper our ability to build community centers where public transportation and walking are convenient options. Churchmans Crossing has the potential to become Delaware’s first suburban model for mixed use development where vital transportation options intermingle with retail, restaurants, and other convenience services. New mixed use transit-oriented development models could be possible if Delaware adopted statewide community design standards for pedestrians and public transportation and provided incentives for the developer. In established communities such as the Route 40 area, it would then be possible to pull together fragmented development through comprehensive master planning, and future growth and transportation could be jointly designed to enhance the existing community.

Photo courtesy of WILMAPCO

Master planning is the key
A growing number of communities and developers around the country are looking at new arrangements of development that emphasize making access by proximity rather than mobility by transportation. This can work for both established and new communities. National developer Post Properties Inc. is shifting toward mixeduse residential communities serviced by commuter rail.21 To attract buyers, Post is employing a combination of good design,

Public transportation provides a sustainable solution
The sheer volume of vehicular travel diminishes the value of transit. In 1995, vehicles represented 90.8 percent of personal travel in the United States.18 However, public transportation consumes less land and provides a long-term solution for congestion and sprawl. One full bus takes 45 single-passenger vehicles off the road.19 Delaware’s transit system has demonstrated a clear ability to help reduce vehicular trips and has provided a viable choice for Delaware commuters. Total public transportation ridership has increased by 44 percent over
Sierra Club - Delaware Chapter

Graphic courtesy of DELDOT

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“By shifting community design models toward mixed-use development and cluster housing, Delaware can make a preemptive strike against the continuing climb in auto traffic. This will take a statewide effort – up to 25 years – to plan for growth and transportation.”

open space, lighting, trees, landscaping, and close proximity to transit stations. Neighborhood centers that combine homes, shops, restaurants, banks, libraries, and parks with pedestrian, biking, and transit links are able to serve large segments of population that include the very young and the elderly who cannot drive. Delaware’s new neighborhood school initiative will depend on safe walking and biking facilities. This also offers an opportunity for communities to work together to reduce the VMT. The state’s wealth of on-grade parking lots lining wide roadways surrounded by strip centers are a source of raw land for new housing and attractive walkable mixed-use neighborhood centers served by public transit. Focusing on use of vacant lands and redevelopment within existing urban service boundaries are a means to reduce traffic and create more affordable transportation solutions. Other innovative programs are helping to reduce auto traffic: Maryland created a “Live Near Your Work” program that provides a cash incentive for employees to live near their work in targeted neighborhoods.22 The City of Chicago set up a pilot project with four banks for location-efficient mortgages for people to capture the financial benefits of living in a neighborhood that offers easy access to public transportation, pedestrian, and bicycle facilities, and is close to shops, stores, and cultural amenities.23 Seattle’s Key Bank, with 30 branches in the area, lowered the VMT of its employees by allowing them to switch their place of employment to bank branches closer to home.24 Policies for “least-cost” capital facilities have been crafted by the state of Washington so that local governments can give priority to investing in areas already developed where growth can be supported most efficiently.24 Funding goes toward high-quality “livability infrastructure” including street trees, sidewalk improvements, transit stops, greenways, traffic calming (i.e., means of reducing the average speed of traffic), neighborhood parks, public art, landscaping, and other neighborhood level improvements. Fees are waived or reduced for development that enhances already developed areas. Sprawl is at the heart of the Delaware’s transportation dilemma. By shifting community design models toward mixed-use development and cluster housing, Delaware can make a pre-emptive strike against the continuing climb in auto traffic. Furthermore, new infrastructure investments should be directed toward existing communities. This will take a statewide effort – up to 25 years – to plan for growth and transportation.

Septic fields, water supply and the burgeoning development in southern New Castle County.

Other forms of infrastructure
Schools
Our children experience the same traffic congestion and long rides on their way to school that adults experience going to work. Schools are also struggling with the burden that sprawl has placed on their shoulders. Money that should be spent to provide our children with the best education possible goes instead to cover the effects of sprawl. Enrollment in Delaware’s public school system increased by almost 8,000 students in the four-year period from 1994 to 1998. Schools in some areas have filled beyond capacity, forcing students to learn in the atmosphere of cramped trailer classrooms. For example, at the end of the 2000 spring term, Redding Middle School, in the Appoquinimink School District, added six classroom trailers to those already in use. Middletown Middle School is also adding trailer classrooms to handle the increasing number of students being bussed there. While the middle schools are currently bearing the brunt of this problem, these children soon will be going to the local high schools. This creates an awkward situation of deciding which age group will receive money from the districts’ budgets to handle the influx of students. At the same time, older schools in existing communities will suffer or close down as money is spent to build new schools on the outskirts of these communities. Just as with transportation, sprawl has created an endless cycle of spending for new schools. In Maryland, the exodus of residents from urban centers has caused one county to close over 60 existing schools, only to build the same number in outlying areas, at a cost of $500 million over a 20-year period.25 It is difficult to pay teachers what they deserve and provide students with up-to-date materials when a
The Costs of Sprawl in Delaware

8

Photo courtesy of Debbie Heaton

St. Jones River dam at Silver Lake.

district must focus on constantly building facilities and paying the added costs associated with bussing children further distances. Planned development can make a difference in providing our children a quality education. Using our sister small state as an example, a study produced for “Grow Smart Rhode Island” mapped out two different scenarios: the first, sprawling development, the second, revitalization of existing cities and towns. The study showed that if communities opted for smart growth development, they would save $31 million for school facility expansion during the next 20 years. The money saved can then be spent on improving the current educational system instead of playing catch-up with the increasing population.

Utilities
Development of land outside existing urban boundaries requires the extension or installation of sewer and water utilities. Much of the residential construction on large lots throughout Delaware uses wells for water supply and septic systems for water and waste disposal. Essentially all of the public and private drinking water supply south and east of I-95 is ground water, and most private wells are relatively shallow. In southern Delaware, where soils are sandy and aquifers are thin and shallow the heavy use of septic systems is having detrimental effects on water quality.26 Septic systems in the same aquifer can contaminate the water supply. Although bacteria are filtered out after relatively short travel distances through the ground, recent studies in the coastal plain of Maryland indicate that viruses can travel much further. Over half of the fresh water supply to the Inland Bays originates as ground water from seeps or springs. Nitrogen and phosphates from septic systems, agricultural application of animal manure, and nitrogen oxides from the atmosphere are
Sierra Club - Delaware Chapter

the three major factors contributing to the nutrient load affecting water quality in our Inland Bays. Runoff from fields travels to the bays fairly quickly via surface water, but nutrients and pesticides in ground water take a long time to work their way out of the system.27 Even if all inputs stopped today, it would still take decades for the high levels of nutrients to flush from the ground water in southern Delaware. New housing development requires the extension of sewer and water lines. Making these utilities available, however, is a two-edged sword. Although sewer systems help protect ground water and ultimately surface water quality, their construction necessitates a significant infrastructure cost, both for the lines and for the water treatment facility. Their availability acts as a magnet for greatly increased rates of residential construction. As an example, a project is currently being planned for the town of Kenton, which is located 4 miles from the closest existing infrastructure. The cost to provide the needed sewer system will run close to $2.5 million dollars and service only 100 homes. Drinking water supply is another resource issue affected by sprawl. Municipal water supplies in Delaware are obtained from surface intakes on White Clay Creek (City of Newark), Brandywine Creek and Red Clay Creek (City of Wilmington), and the Christina River (United Water Delaware). The City of Wilmington uses Hoopes Reservoir as a reserve; it takes water from Brandywine Creek, stores it, and releases it into Red Clay Creek. All of the remaining municipal water supplies in Delaware are ground water. One issue raised during the drought in 1999 was the possibility of expanding the capacity of Hoopes Reservoir, but it is surrounded by country estates, which would be flooded by raising water levels in the reservoir. The City of Dover recently developed a new well field in the unconfined aquifer to relieve some of their dependence on the deep Piney Point aquifer, the city’s main water supply. Excessive water withdrawal from the Piney Point aquifer has lowered the pressure head by as much as 140 feet at the city’s main wells.28 The effect of this water drawdown in the Piney Point extends under the Delaware Bay into New Jersey. Water from the unconfined aquifer, however, is of lower quality and must be treated for iron and acidity and must be disinfected before being introduced into the city’s water supply. Yet new developments and an increased demand for water continue unabated around the periphery of Dover. The situation in northern Delaware is even worse. Here, extensive ground water withdrawal from the Potomac aquifer has sparked complaints from the State of New Jersey to the Delaware River Basin

Photo courtesy of Dan Soeder

“Development of land outside existing urban boundaries requires the extension or installation of sewer and water utilities.”

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“The size and placement of emergency services are driven by the need for short response times, but spread-out community design makes access difficult.”

Commission. Water purveyors in New Castle County were supplying over 20 million gallons per day (mgd) in 1995, pumped from the Potomac Group aquifers.29 This volume has increased over the past five years. The New Jersey complaint alleges that ground water levels in the P-R-M aquifer units (equivalent to the Potomac aquifer) in Salem and Gloucester Counties have been lowered by pumping in Delaware to the point where New Jersey has placed a moratorium on water permits for new construction in these counties.30 Continued rural residential development in New Jersey, Delaware, and Maryland strains the system even further. Ground water supplies in southern Delaware are hampered by a thin unconfined aquifer at the surface and a lack of thick, productive confined aquifers at depth. At present, ground water has been sufficient for the needs of the public water supply, industry, and agriculture, with withdrawals in Sussex County averaging 93 mgd in 1995. However, the lion’s share of this water is used by agriculture and industry, with only 11 mgd going for public supply. Increased residential, commercial, and resort developments planned for Sussex County will have to compete with agriculture and industry for water supplies. Because it is in the southern part of the state and the main confined aquifers dip to the south, wells in Sussex County must be drilled deeper to tap into these aquifers. But this leads to another concern: the quality of the water in these aquifers degrades with depth. Dissolved minerals and salts are present in greater abundance in the aquifers at lower depths. To add to the problem, wells tapping into these aquifers further north tend to draw the mineralized water up

from depth due to the pumping, thus degrading the water quality in the southern part of the state even further. The Piney Point aquifer, for example, cannot be used for drinking water south of Milford, because heavy pumping in Dover has brought salinities at the EPA drinking water limit of 250 parts per million northward to the Kent-Sussex line.31 Coastal areas of Sussex County also have to be aware that over pumping the unconfined aquifer can cause saltwater intrusion from the ocean. This is a problem in Ocean City, Maryland and Wildwood, New Jersey, and will happen in Delaware if coastal areas are over developed.

Emergency and medical services
Unrelenting sprawl can also have negative impacts on Delaware’s police, fire, and emergency medical services. No one knowingly wishes to place his or her safety in jeopardy, but far-flung development does just that. In order to meet demands, resources for emergency services must extend over wider service areas. Although police and fire stations place smaller demands on land consumption, they entail sizable operating costs. They require personnel to be on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The size and placement of emergency services are driven by the need for short response times, but spread-out community design makes access difficult. Many communities have had to raise taxes to add emergency stations. While New Castle County and municipalities have their own police departments, the Delaware State Police provide security for Kent and Sussex Counties and the major highways in New Castle County. The size of the state police force is fixed by the General Assembly and

To understand groundwater…
one needs a brief description of the geology of the state. Northern Delaware consists of fractured, metamorphic bedrock of the piedmont, overlain by thin soils. On a line roughly parallel to I-95, the ancient rocks of the piedmont plunge to great depth, and are overlain with sediments deposited by rivers and by coastal processes. These sediments consist of sands and gravels, interlayered with fine sediments like silt, mud, and clay. The sands and gravels produce water readily, and are known as “aquifers.” It is much more difficult for water to move through the impermeable, fine-grained silts and muds, which are known as “confining units.” From central New Castle County to southern Sussex, the geology consists of these alternating layers of coarse and fine sediments, with the layers dipping gently toward the south-southeast. The entire sediment column is thousands of feet thick. At the ground surface, a younger layer of sediments is present, which sits horizontally on the dipping layers like a cap. These sediments were deposited during the ice ages when the great glaciers to the north periodically melted and huge volumes of melt water came down the Delaware and Susquehanna River valleys. This upper unit ranges from 50 to 100 feet thick in Kent and New Castle counties and 30 to 50 feet thick in Sussex County. It is known as the “unconfined aquifer” or “surficial aquifer,” and it is a major source of ground water in all three counties.

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The Costs of Sprawl in Delaware

Cycle of Subsidies
Company asks state, county or city for a tax break, subsidy or land grant to either encourage it to relocate or to build a new facility. Many times this involves moving an established business from an existing development to the fringe.

State, county or city to build its tax base and attract jobs, grants the company major tax breaks and subsidies. They often also provide infrastructure – like new roads, water lines and sewage service – to the new development. Since it’s easier to build on undeveloped land, many states also often offer open space to entice business to move.

The cost of providing the infrastructure and subsidies to the new business turns out to be greater than the economic benefit provided. To make up for the revenue shortfall, the city, county or state feels compelled to bring more business to the area and develop more open space.

is not indexed to population increases or rising crime and accident statistics. Sprawl has created a need for a larger police force. Between 1995 and 1998, the Delaware State Police reported a 130 percent increase in the number of complaints they received.32 Coupled with the increased traffic along our roadways, this means longer delays in response time to reach those in need of assistance. Also, building new roadways, specifically the opening of new sections of Route 1, requires additional police patrol, further straining the personnel resources. According to Captain Joseph Papili, State Police Director of Planning, putting one officer on patrol over a 24-hour period requires the hiring of five full-time police officers. The costs associated with the first year of a single officer’s employment total around $88,451. This cost is higher the first year because of the training and equipment costs that are not repeated until the fourth year of employment. During the intermittent years, the costs are around $50,668. Thus, the needs of the community are not the sole factor in increasing Delaware’s police force; it is also a question of obtaining the necessary funding.

Corporate subsidies
Ending sprawl is not about stopping development and growth, but rather about what direction economic development should take. Explosive growth at the exurban fringe coupled with slow growth in older urban centers leads to traffic problems and evaporation of sense of community. Growing numbers of metropolitan areas throughout the country are beginning to address these challenges by thinking and acting more like cooperative metropolitan regions. They are also developing more integrated approaches and practical solutions than in the past. To achieve balance, transit and mixing land uses are tools used to encourage an environment where

activities and centers of interest are closely located, easily accessed, and provide the workforce and residents broader housing options. As more and more people are attracted to Delaware as a place to live and work, further strain is placed on the infrastructure. States and metropolitan areas create a cycle of corporate subsidies by feverishly competing to lure corporations and development projects that create jobs. At the expense of taxpayers, companies are offered a host of enticements, from undeveloped land to tax discounts, utility deals, massive road projects, and, in some cases, straight cash. Companies shop around for the best deal, and states grant the subsidy package, build local tax bases, and provide new jobs. Because it is easier to build on undeveloped land, open space is offered as a bonus. Unfortunately, the cost of providing the infrastructure and subsidies to the new business turns out to be greater than the economic benefits provided. Despite the push to attract new business, there is no guarantee a company will stay. When traffic congestion takes over and little open space is left, the overall quality of life is seriously compromised. That is when corporations think about moving. Abandoned by business, the community is left shouldering the high costs of services and salvaging the job market. The cycle of sprawl starts over as impacted local communities must find ways to compensate for tax revenue shortfalls in order to pay for additional infrastructure and services to serve the growth. Subsidies only play a marginal role in where companies choose to locate. A survey was conducted of chief executives and top managers at 118 foreignowned companies with operations in North Carolina.33 The survey showed that when corporations decide to move, they tend to look more at factors like the quality and availability of labor and transportation, the overall quality of life, and general business climate as the critical factors in their decisions.

Sierra Club - Delaware Chapter

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Affects of sprawl on the environment

Delaware’s size makes the issue of open space an important one. While we spend many billions of dollars to plan and build our infrastructure, our failure to plan for and protect our “green infrastructure” condemns it to inevitable destruction. The importance of open space to our environment and balance of life cannot be over emphasized. It is necessary to preserve our state’s environmental health and biological diversity, which in turn protects the health of our citizens. Preserving open space provides local communities retreats for physical and spiritual recreation and at the same time preserves the natural heritage of our land. “Delaware leads the nation in the loss of native plant and animal species…”
Biodiversity
Delaware has lost prime farmland, forests, and wetlands to sprawl. It is difficult to imagine that the land we now call Delaware was once almost entirely forested with immense stands of hardwoods, bald cypress, and white cedar. Even 20 years ago, at most 3.5 percent of the land remained in anything like its original state.36 We will never return to the original condition of our land. Yet we have a duty to ourselves and our children to preserve what diversity we have inherited. Sadly, Delaware leads the nation in the loss of native plant and animal species,35 and 41 percent of its existing plant species are considered rare or endangered.36 The remaining undisturbed land is comprised of scattered, isolated areas of open space where their small size does little to help preserve Delaware’s native species. In order to survive, Delaware’s native plant and animal life require somewhat large undisturbed areas. Of Delaware’s more than 1,600 native plant species, more than 10 percent are believed to be extinct; another 10 percent are extremely rare; and another 20 percent are uncommon.37 These percentages are likely to rise as fragmentation allows exotic species to take a firmer hold, further closing out and preventing the continued survival of native species. Delaware’s native animal population is not fairing much better. According to the Division of Fish and Wildlife, 84 percent of our native freshwater mussel species are either extinct or extremely rare; 50 percent of our native reptiles and amphibians are extremely rare; 31 percent of our native fish species are uncommon; and nearly 20 percent of bird species naturally nesting here are considered rare or extinct.38 industries are major sources of income in our state. However, the resource on which this industry is based is in a perilous state. While the EPA has classified 41 percent of our nation’s waterways on average as being drinkable, fishable, and swimmable, Delaware is much worse: only 14 percent of our waters receive a favorable rating.39 As of 2000, with regard to Delaware’s rivers and streams, an estimated 71 percent cannot fully support fish and wildlife, and 96 percent do not support swimming.40 In northern New Castle County, only the White Clay Creek receives an acceptable rating for consumption of unlimited quantities of fish. All other streams are rated either as unacceptable for any fish consumption or for a maximum of one 8-ounce serving a year. The problems of the Inland Bays have received considerable attention; excess nitrogen and phosphorus have produced massive blooms of an alga known as sea lettuce, previously rare in the bays. Sources of pollution in Delaware’s waters vary greatly. The Delaware, Brandywine, and Christina Rivers were once used as industrial sewers. The Clean Water Act has done much to eliminate point source pollution from industries, to the extent that water quality in the Delaware has improved greatly in the last 10 to 15 years. Evidence of past practices remains in the form of heavy metal and persistent organic residues in river silt and mud. Many older cities were built with connected systems of storm water and sewage systems to handle runoff from major storm events. This situation persists in Wilmington, where even 0.1 inch of rain in a limited period can lead to raw sewage running into the Brandywine and Christina Rivers. Other water bodies receive bacterial contamination, nitrogen, phosphorus, and pesticide residues from agricultural activity, particularly because forested strips along stream banks – which act as buffers to filter out these contaminants – have been removed. Population growth, leading to
The Costs of Sprawl in Delaware

Water quality
In addition to providing drinking water, Delaware’s waterways provide recreation and sources of income from fishing. In fact, the recreation and fishing
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Wetlands along Roy Creek to be developed by the proposed Americana Bayside Project.

increasing number of dwellings and paved roads, driveways, and parking lots, has resulted in greatly increased levels of stormwater runoff with attendant sediment in the streams as well as contamination from petroleum products. It is known that, over the years, waste from National Priority List Superfund sites leaches into the soil and ends up in our groundwater; Delaware is home to 17 of these sites.40 Construction within flood plains and the channelization of streams have exacerbated these problems. For example, a one-acre parking lot generates 16 times more polluted runoff than a meadow, washing toxic chemicals and hydrocarbon pollutants into our streams, lakes, and coastal areas. Population growth has major impacts on water quality in a number of ways. In addition to the effects already noted for northern New Castle and eastern Sussex Counties, the projected growth in southern New Castle and northern Kent Counties in the next ten years will have major impacts on the waterways. Because of a suit brought by the American Littoral Society and the Delaware Sierra Club against the EPA in 1997, the state of Delaware is required to produce assessments of water quality for each of the major river systems in the state and then to propose implementation plans for water quality improvement. Already the assessments are provoking resistance, particularly from communities faced with water treatment issues. The implementation plans will likely be at least as contentious. However, the water quality assessments that DNREC is providing are merely snapshots in time of the condition of state waters now. Increases in population – for example, large projected increases in single-family home construction within the Appoquinimink watershed – will have major
Sierra Club - Delaware Chapter

implications on the quality of this river. Older residents around Middletown and Odessa have already noted a significant increase in sediment in the streams and tributaries. DNREC recently completed water quality data collection for the Inland Bays watershed and is currently implementing similar data collection in the Appoquinimink and Nanticoke watersheds. Data collection points are located in areas with different types of land use: agricultural, forested, residential, and urban. The hope is that the data will eventually reveal how differences in land-use practices contribute toward the preservation or decline of a watershed.

Photo courtesy of Terri Usuki

“…a one-acre parking lot generates 16 times more polluted runoff than a meadow, washing toxic chemicals and hydrocarbon pollutants into our streams, lakes, and coastal areas.”

Air quality
The EPA has ranked Delaware as having the second worst level of air quality in the nation. According to DNREC, Delaware meets all National Ambient Air Quality Standards for toxic pollutants set by the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 except for ground level ozone. Delaware exceeds the national standard for this pollutant, resulting in public health risks and potential threats to continued economic development and future transportation investments. New Castle and Kent counties are classified as “severe” ozone non-attainment areas, one class lower than Los Angeles, which is in the “extreme” category. Sussex County currently has marginal non-attainment area status. Any lapse in meeting conformance requirements could pose serious consequences to the state. Motor vehicles traveling on Delaware roads contribute over 24 percent of the total emissions that make up ozone, according to the Delaware Department of Transportation. In New Castle County, emissions of smog-producing nitrogen oxides exceed the allotted budget for transportation conformity by 1.5 tons. This is

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“In New Castle County, emissions of smog-producing nitrogen oxides exceed the allotted budget for transportation conformity by 1.5 tons. This is equal to approximately 150,000 one-mile trips per day.”

equal to approximately 150,000 one-mile trips per day. Contributing to the state’s non-conformity status are recent changes of lower mobile source emission budgets for 2002 and 2005, speed limit increases to 65 miles per hour on SR 1 and I-495, and projections of continued growth of suburban sprawl in New Castle and Kent counties. Delaware is now under pressure to establish a program to demonstrate its ability to meet compliance by 2005, with deadlines for solutions by each county falling in 2001. Judy Katz, Director, Air Protection Division, EPA, Region III, recently provided a warning to the Air Quality Mobile Source Committee that Delaware must now make the hard decisions or funding for major transportation expansion projects may be held up. Ground level ozone is the major component of smog. While ozone in the upper atmosphere occurs naturally and protects life on earth from harmful ultraviolet radiation, ozone at ground level is a noxious pollutant. Ground level ozone is formed by the reaction of oxides of nitrogen (NOx) and volatile organic compounds (VOC) in the presence of sunlight. Ozone is a severe irritant, responsible for choking, coughing, and stinging eyes associated with smog. It can damage lung tissue, aggravates respiratory disease, and makes people more susceptible to respiratory infections. Children and senior citizens are especially vulnerable to ozone’s harmful effects, as are people with existing disease. Besides health problems, ozone harms vegetation, resulting in crop loss, increased tree and plant susceptibility to disease, and potential long-term effects on forests and ecosystems. The connection between suburban sprawl and air quality has long been recognized. The American Lung Association declared as early as 1974 that land use policy is crucial to controlling air pollution. As suburban sprawl increases the number of roads, the vehicles on them, and the length of time spent driving, our air quality will only get worse. The EPA estimates that the tremendous growth in driving throughout the United States will begin to overtake all the gains we have made reducing air pollution through applications of cleaner fuels. “Americans are driving their cars almost 60 percent more than in 1990,” according to the EPA’s Livable Communities Initiative. With inadequate options for transit, biking and pedestrian connections, Delaware has limited its ability to comply with Clean Air Act requirements. A long term vision of bold new transportation and land use strategies is needed to improve our air quality and keep ahead of future projected increases in auto emissions. The only real solution is reducing vehicle miles traveled, which can only be done by shifting

the sprawl paradigm toward more centered growth.

Human environment
In order to achieve their suburban dream, Delaware citizens have abandoned their once vibrant cities and towns. Fleeing our urban centers leaves us with failing urban economies, diminished quality of life, and the financial burden of social services to serve the needy. Hardest hit are the poor and the elderly. This is a long-term trend in Delaware. In 1920, one out of two Delawareans resided in Wilmington. Today, one in ten does.43 Wilmington’s population was stable between 1920 and 1950 but had already begun to decline noticeably by 1960, prior to the city’s racial problems. As people move away from urban locations, local employers and service providers follow. Urban dwellers are left with fewer employment options and must travel further distances to jobs. Insufficient transit routes and poor transit connections penalize those without personal transportation and may even preclude them from entering the workforce. Additional time spent commuting adds another layer of expense on before- and afterwork childcare, an expense that some families may not be able to afford. These are ways that sprawl contributes to economic and racial segregation. Sprawl puts the elderly at risk, often leaving them isolated and unable to be self-sufficient. Many of the businesses and services on which they depend have relocated to suburban areas and are no longer accessible from their communities. Abandoned neighborhoods not only affect those that remain behind, they also affect Delaware’s cultural history. About 90 percent of the historical buildings in Delaware are found within town limits.44 As people continue their flight from these areas, historic properties often become derelict. Delaware can become more aggressive in saving buildings with historic significance by listing them on the National Register and providing incentives for their revitalization. Sprawl also affects the quality of life for those in the suburbs. Parents with long commutes to work and the need to do errands after work leave children in daycare or at home alone for long periods of time. Lack of transportation alternatives, and an ever-increasing distance to parks and schools, leave children dependent on parents for outdoor activities. Young adults lacking community centers or areas for organized programs have too much free time and little opportunity for exposure to positive activities and role models. As a result, we have generations of children who spend more time indoors watching TV and playing video games rather than engaging in constructive activities with other children and adults.
The Costs of Sprawl in Delaware

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Conclusions and recommendations
“Instead of debating whether growth will occur, communities should be discussing the patterns of development: where we put it, how we arrange it, and what it looks like,” said Edward T. McMahon, Director of the American Greenways Program of The Conservation Fund. Because of the pressures of projected population growth over the next 20 years, the history of Delaware’s land use decisions, and the nature of our physical environment, Delaware confronts enormous challenges that require novel approaches for preventing continued haphazard development and destruction of our natural resources. The problems are statewide and in all three counties. Any solution to growth management must face the overriding issue in our state – the discrepancy between county and municipal decision-making and state control of major elements of the planning matrix, namely transportation, natural resources, and agriculture. “Insanity can be defined as doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.”
The following are recommendations for a more rational and integrated approach to land use planning. will provide tax revenues to counties and at the same time reduce trip miles in areas already over capacity.

The governor must provide clear and decisive leadership to reshape Delaware’s thinking on land use
As a summary of the Delaware Land Use Summit held in the spring of 1997, the Choices for Delaware Study Committee produced a document containing a number of recommendations for changes in the way our state approaches land use and infrastructure decision-making.45 After nearly three-and- a-half years, very few of these recommendations have been acted upon. It is clear that leadership at the highest state level must be present to encourage changes in state, county, and municipal responsibility for planning. Since each governor can practically select only one or two areas for emphasis during his or her administration, we strongly encourage the future governor to adopt land use planning as the key issue in the next 4 to 8 years. Effective land use planning will necessarily include economic growth and natural resource conservation. Studies have repeatedly shown that an attractive physical environment and adequate infrastructure are key inducements for companies to locate in a particular area. Thus, effective land use planning will reap important benefits in the state’s efforts to attract new business. Instead of attempting to attract computer chip fabricating facilities, which consume millions of gallons of precious water a day, Delaware should adopt the strategy of neighboring Pennsylvania in seeking out new businesses aligned with computer software, biotechnology, and pharmaceuticals. By locating these companies in attractive destination parks where shared services and commuter travel options are available, these new businesses

Establish concurrence in planning between different levels of government.
Delaware must solve its core problem of growth management: the split between municipal and county land use planning and state resource planning. The jealousy with which the counties guard their decision-making prerogative is palpable; yet the counties will never have the resources to deal effectively with transportation, open space, and farmland preservation. A solution must be found if we are to achieve truly comprehensive planning.

Establishing concurrence has many elements. The following are all important.
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Re-establish the Office of State Planning Coordination as a cabinet-level function, adequately staffed and funded. Establish mechanisms of achieving concurrence between the Delaware Conservation, Development and Redevelopment Plan (DCDRP) and the county comprehensive plans along the lines recommended in the Choices for Delaware Study Committee Recommendations. Key elements in this will be to ensure that adequately funded open space acquisition and farmland preservation (see below) be coordinated across state and county jurisdictions, that plans for transportation infrastructure be harmonized with county development plans, and that growth areas within counties be coordinated with school districts. Require municipalities to have comprehensive growth plans. Provide planning expertise to the cities and towns as dictated by the financial burden of the planning function.
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Sierra Club - Delaware Chapter

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Establish mechanisms for achieving intergovernmental coordination between counties and municipalities, such that plans for annexation do not conflict with county growth plans and that comprehensive plans in the border regions are coordinated. Through the agency of the Delaware Office of State Planning Coordination, establish mechanisms of coordination between the Departments of Agriculture and of Natural Resources for preservation of farmland and open space. This is particularly important with regard to the preservation of critical natural areas not yet under state or county control. Bring the Delaware Economic Development Office under the umbrella of the Delaware Office of State Planning Coordination. While economic development is important to the state, this program must be coordinated with state and county land use planning.
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Photo courtesy of WILMAPCO

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SEPTA R2 commuter rail at the Wilmington Train Station.

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placement of infrastructure, necessary highway improvements prior to development, plans for public transportation and alternative transportation, and areas for commercial and industrial designation. Provide incentives for new forms of development. The assumption is that all people living in a suburban environment demand at least a quarter acre. Yet, there are examples of successful cluster housing that preserve open space in a setting that fosters community spirit. At the Land Use Summit in 1997, promoters of the Whitehall development in southern New Castle County (a large development involving multiple housing types, areas for commercial establishments and considerable open space preservation) asked the question of environmentalists at the meeting, “What do you find objectionable in the Whitehall plan?” There is nothing inherently wrong with the Whitehall concept if watersheds and sensitive areas are preserved. In fact, a strong argument can be made for this concept’s being the preferred form of development. But if Whitehall is an island in a sea of tract housing, then we have achieved no truly comprehensive development plan for the region. Within the framework of 25-year build-out plans, coordinate the preservation of open space, forests, and stream corridors. By doing so, larger areas of open space can be preserved, providing beneficial habitat protection and making possible systems of walking and biking trails. In some cases this kind of coordination will allow the use of existing terrain features for stormwater control, rather than relying almost exclusively on stormwater retention basins. Develop zoning as a mechanism for achieving smart manageable growth, rather than for promoting sprawl. Zoning should be used to direct growth into urban centers with established urban growth boundaries. By creating zoning and design standards for mixed use and by using zoning to curtail the spread of commerThe Costs of Sprawl in Delaware

Provide long-term funding for open space acquisition and farmland preservation.
A meaningful open space program will require $250 million dollars over ten years. This number is derived from scaling the program recently developed in New Jersey to the land area of Delaware. No effort has been made to correct differences in land values. While the value of land in northern New Castle County approximates that of land in the developed sections of New Jersey, land values in southern Delaware are lower. A program for purchase of farmland development rights will need $200 million over 20 years. We must be creative in thinking of ways to fund open space acquisition and farmland preservation. One solution is to create a large bond bill specifically for these purposes. But other means exist. Pennsylvania is obtaining $40 to $50 million a year from a 2¢ cigarette tax. Currently, the cigarette sales tax difference between Maryland and Delaware is 26¢. Using half the difference for land acquisition would provide an adequate program.

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Establish county comprehensive plans as true planning documents
The state legislation that instituted the system of county comprehensive plans imbued them with the force of law. Yet, if Delaware is to achieve true land use planning, then additional elements will be required. We shall need to:
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Identify centers within designated growth areas (e.g., Rehoboth Beach-Lewes, Milford, suburban Dover, southern New Castle County, Bear-Glasgow, Hockessin) and establish for each a 25-year build-out plan. Such plans should include maps of open space and farmland targeted for acquisition or preservation,

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cial strip malls along major transportation arteries, commercial development can be directed into more esthetically pleasing commercial parks that may also serve as transportation hubs providing transit.
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Effective statewide sunsetting laws must be established. Sunsetting is a program of time limits following approval of a subdivision plan for development to begin. If the development is not started within the designated time, it must be resubmitted for approval to insure that the subdivision complies with existing code and zoning laws. However, current legislation will not affect most developments that have been applied for or where construction has begun and has remained uncompleted, even for years.46 This is a statewide problem. Effective land use planning requires that planners have control over dormant plans and subdivisions.

Brandywine and Christina Rivers during even minor rain events, will require money from state and federal sources to be solved quickly and completely. In other cities and towns, such as Dover, Middletown and Milford, careful design of housing options within the existing municipal boundaries will preserve these town centers and help keep the surrounding areas from development. Rather than municipal annexation of county land, we should consider establishing green belts as ways to preserve and enhance the urban environments.

Delaware’s Inland Bays and coastal areas must be protected.
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It is not too late for smart growth planning for northern New Castle County. The county has an abundance of shopping malls that have lost out to the even larger shopping malls in the area. A successful idea in California has been to convert these older malls into condominium developments, reserving enough space for public transportation hubs and commuter parking, and commercial space for many of the needs of commuters (e.g., childcare facility, drugstore, dry cleaner). To be successful, the counties must work proactively, to retool these underutilized existing resources.

Delaware’s Inland Bays are an incomparable economic resource for tourism, recreation, and commercial fishing. We risk squandering this resource if we do not act promptly to conserve it from the effects of excessive and unmanaged development. The state should assume some responsibility for the protection of its Inland Bays as one of its most important resources. Improving the water quality in the Inland Bays will not happen overnight. It will demand more resources than Sussex County alone can muster, particularly with regard to wastewater treatment and discharge. The dilemma of how to deal with residential sewage continues to plague us. Proliferating septic systems threaten shallow aquifers in sandy soils and ultimately the Inland Bays themselves. Once installed, sewer systems act as magnets for increased development. One alternative is a contained residential sewage system that is pumped at regular intervals. Rather than pay a sewer fee, homeowners would pay a periodic pumping fee. The Senate and House of the General Assembly are currently considering bills SB273 and HB 446, which would regulate housing developments in the Coastal Zone. These bills would provide an uncommon level of state oversight of county land use decisions. Without a clear and timely county plan for coastal land protection and voluntary coordination between the county and the Department of Natural Resources, such legislation will be necessary. Delaware is unique among states in having in place the Coastal Zone Act regulating industrial activity. The danger today is excessive residential development that threatens air and water quality and wetland destruction in the same way that industrial activity did in the past. Unmanaged, Delaware’s coastal resources will disappear.

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Urban renewal and redevelopment must be elements in overall land use planning.
At the Land Use Summit in 1997, the City of Wilmington gave an impassioned plea for redevelopment of the city as an element in Delaware’s growth strategy. Wilmington already has in place most of the needed infrastructure and yet its population decline is approximately equal to the projected growth in the state over the next 20 years. The location of major banks and corporate offices in Wilmington has marginal impact, since these buildings tend to be self-contained islands that have little affect on the city as a whole. Ideally, businesses attracted to the city should provide employment opportunities to residents of the city. For renewal to be successful, an alliance of city, county, state, and federal interests must be formed. Neighborhoods must be reclaimed, involving community input at all stages, to provide a mix of low- and middleincome housing in a safe and attractive environment. An aggressive brownfields program is needed that will help revitalize existing neighborhoods and industrial areas, preventing unnecessary sprawl, and providing new economic development opportunities. The combined sewer overflow problems, resulting in raw sewage entering the
Sierra Club - Delaware Chapter

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Notes
1 These population statistics were taken from D. A. Ames & R. Dean, Projected Population Growth and New Arithmetic of Development in Delaware 19902020, 1999; citing various U.S. Census publications and the Delaware Population Consortium, Annual Population Projections. Version 1998.0, January 1998, Dover, Delaware. 2 T. C. Thomas and J. Mackenzie, “Farmland Preservation in the MiddletownOdessa-Townsend Area of Delaware.” Department of Food & Resource Economics, College of Agricultural Sciences, University of Delaware, 1996. 3 Delaware Office of State Planning Coordination, “Gross Land Use Changes in Delaware, 1992 to 1997.” http://www.state.de.us/planning/info/lulcdata/ change/lulcchng.htm (1999). 4 “The Economic Benefits of Parks and Open Space”, The Trust for Public Land, 1999. 5 Eben Fodor, “Better Not Bigger”, New Society Publishers, Gabriola Island, B.C., Canada, 1999. 6 “As Delaware dawdles, farms fade away. Other states move to preserve farmland as First State’s efforts lose momentum,” News Journal, 6/6/99, reported by John Long. 7 “Southern Delaware Changing With Rush of Development”, AP Wire Service story by Christopher Thorne, as picked up in the May 11, 2000 issue of the Smart Growth News (www.smartgrowthnews), the electronic newsletter of the Urban Land Institute. 8 Delaware Office of State Planning Coordination, Shaping Delaware’s Future: Managing Growth in 21st Century Delaware, Strategies for State Policies and Spending, 1999; citing U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Status and Recent Trends of Wetlands in Five Mid-Atlantic States, 1986; and an updated U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service inventory. 9 Environmental Law Institute, Protecting Delaware’s Natural Heritage: Tools for Biodiversity Conservation, Washington, DC: ELI, 1999. 10 “Delaware Transportation Facts”, State of Delaware, Department of Transportation, Office of External Affairs, Dover, DE, 1999. 11 Information from Ralph Reeb, Deputy Director, Delaware Department of Transportation Office of Planning. 12 1999 Urban Mobility Study, Texas Transportation Institute (TTI), Texas A&M University, College Station, TX; the 16th annual study is available at http:// mobility.tamu.edu. 13 March 2000 Report: Changing Direction, Federal Transportation Spending in the 1990’s and 1999 Tools of the Month. Surface Transportation Policy Project, Washington, D.C. 14 Capital Improvement Program, Fiscal Years 2001-2006, Delaware Department of Transportation, Dover, DE. 15 Route 40 Corridor 20-Year Transportation Plan, Delaware Department of Transportation, Dover, DE, June 19, 2000. 16 Eben Fodor, Better Not Bigger, New Society Publishers, Gabriola Island, British Columbia, Canada, 1999. 17 Greater Route 301 Major Investment Study Final Report, Delaware Department of Transportation and the Wilmington Area Planning Council, prepared by Vanesse Hangen Brustlin, Inc., Boston, MA, January 21, 2000. 18 Part of a presentation by Robert Cervero, Professor, Department of City and Regional Planning, University of California, Berkeley, at “Moving People: Transportation Options for Delaware,” sponsored by the University of Delaware, March 17, 2000. 19 I-95 Is Closing Planning and Survival Guide, Delaware Department of Transportation, Dover, DE, March, 2000. 20 Profile, Delaware Transit Corporation, Delaware Department of Transportation, Dover, DE, 1999. The Corporation’s website is http://www.DartFirstState.com. 21 Information about Post Properties, Inc. was obtained through the Urban Land Institute, Washington, D.C., and through their website, http://www. postproperties.org. 22 State of Maryland, Department of Housing and Community Development, Annapolis, MD, Live Near Your Work Program Legislative Initiatives, January 15, 1997, session of the Maryland General Assembly.

23 Center for Neighborhood Technology, Chicago, IL, 1999-2000 Location Efficient Mortgage Partnership, and on their website at http://www.cnt.org/lem. 24 Redevelopment for Livable Communities Program. Energy Outreach Center, Olympia, WA, 1997. 25 Robert. W. Burchell, Maryland Department of Planning, Impact Assessment Study of Maryland Schools, 1999. 26 Judith M. Denver, Effects of Agricultural Practices and Septic-System Effluent on the Quality of Water in the Unconfined Aquifer in Parts of Eastern Sussex County, Delaware Geological Survey, Report of Investigations, 66 pp, 1989. 27 Robert J. Shedlock et al., Water-Quality Assessment of the Delmarva Peninsula, Delaware, Maryland and Virginia: Results of Investigations, 1987-1991. U. S. Geological Survey Water Supply Paper 2355-A, 41pp, Reston, VA, 1999. 28 Pierre J. Lacombe and Robert Rosman, Water Levels in, Extent of Fresh Water in, and Water Withdrawals from Eight Major Confined Aquifers, New Jersey Coastal Plain, 1993. U. S. Geological Survey Water Resources Investigation Report 96-4206, Reston, VA, 1996. 29 Judith C. Wheeler, Freshwater Use in Delaware, 1995, U.S. Geological Survey Fact Sheet FS-126-99, Reston, VA, 1999. 30 Erika Hobbs, “Rural growth putting NJ in hot water,” Philadelphia Inquirer, August 21, 2000. 31 Pierre J. Lacombe and Robert Rosman, Water Levels in, Extent of Fresh Water in, and Water Withdrawals from Eight Major Confined Aquifers, New Jersey Coastal Plain, 1993. U. S. Geological Survey Water Resources. Investigation Report 96-4206, Reston, VA, 1996. 32 Delaware Office of State Planning Coordination, Shaping Delaware’s Future: Managing Growth in 21st Century Delaware, Strategies for State Policies and Spending, 1999. 33 Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise Survey, as noted in the News and Observer (Raleigh, North Carolina), November 5, 1999. 34 L. M. Fleming, Delaware’s Outstanding Natural Areas and Their Preservation. Delaware Nature Society, Forward, 1978. 35 DNREC, State of Delaware: 1998 Watershed Assessment Report (305(b)), DNREC: Dover, DE. III 4-6, 1998. 36 W. A. McAvoy, Rare Native Plants of Delaware, DNHP, DNREC: Smyrna, DE, 1998. 37 Delaware Office of State Planning Coordination, Shaping Delaware’s Future: Managing Growth in 21st Century Delaware, Strategies for State Policies and Spending, 1999. 38 Ibid. For a thorough discussion of the threats to Delaware’s plants and animals, see Environmental Law Institute, Protecting Delaware’s Natural Heritage: Tools for Biodiversity Conservation, Washington, DC: Environmental Law Institute, 1999. 39 Environmental Law Institute, Protecting Delaware’s Natural Heritage: Tools for Biodiversity Conservation, Executive Summary, Washington, DC: ELI, 1999; citing DNREC, Division of Water Resources, 1998 (305(b)) Watershed Assessment Report, p. I-4. 40 DNREC, Division of Water Resources, 2000 (305(b)) Watershed Assessment Report, p. 3 and 123-126. 41 Delaware Office of State Planning Coordination, Shaping Delaware’s Future: Managing Growth in 21st Century Delaware, Strategies for State Policies and Spending, 1999; citing Delaware Department of Transportation Plan, 1996. 42 Wilmington Area Planning Council, WILMAPCO Emissions Calculations Summary, July Scenarios, August 14, 2000. 43 Statistics from the Delaware State Data Center. 44 Ibid.; citing State Historical Preservation Office. 45 Choices for Delaware Study Committee, Program Recommendations, prepared by Siemon, Larsen & Marsh, May 19, 1997. 46 “Under wide open spaces, suburbia may reside.” Wilmington News Journal, August 7, 2000.

18

The Costs of Sprawl in Delaware

Resources
For years, Delawareans have exercised their civic responsibility by commenting on zoning changes and development plans in their areas. But, the adopted system of incremental decision making stifles our ability to achieve sustainable and cost effective solutions. Thus, the multiple layers of government structures that we have inherited have resulted in continuous cycles of poor land use decisions and expensive infrastructure upgrades. This has lead to areas of congestion such as Concord Pike and Kirkwood Highway in the Wilmington area, Route 40 in BearGlasgow, Route 13 in Dover, and Route 1 in the Rehoboth Beach-Lewes area. Collaboration and building relationships across city, county, and state boundaries is essential to resolving the dysfunction and high cost of sprawl through effective land use management programs. The proposals in this brochure are aimed at an entirely different approach, one that is both regional and predictive, where suburbs and cities are not at odds but are part of an integral plan. Population growth and development will occur; the future of Delaware depends on how they occur. We must establish a large and vocal constituency for effective land use management. Make known to this year’s candidates for governor your concern for smarter ways to manage growth. Request that they share their plans for land use planning and the degree to which they are prepared to provide leadership for change. Make their views part of your criteria for choosing a governor. Hold the successful candidate accountable for his or her proposals. Address your concerns to state and county candidates for office. Demand that effective land use legislation be part of their agenda in the coming years. Monitor their commitment to this agenda. Citizens are most powerful when organized. Ask your neighborhood association to take a stand on effective land use management. If your association is not part of, or active in, a coalition of neighborhood associations and maintenance corporations, ask that it designate a representative who will carry your views to that group. Ask that your state senator or representative, and County Council or Levy Court representative meet with your organization to hear your views. Elected officials will respond to a clear voice for change. Become knowledgeable about state and local land use policies. Attend at least one County Council and County Land Use Planning Committee meeting, in order to understand how decisions are made. Members of the Sierra Club are available to meet with your organization to discuss land use planning issues.

Telephone numbers and contact information:
New Castle County Information Kent County Levy Court Planning Dept. Sussex County County Council Planning Dept. Wilmington Area Planning Council State Planning Office DE Economic Development Office DelDOT Information DNREC State of Delaware Delaware elected officials Tracking legislation EPA Green Communities Program American Farmland Trust Urban Land Institute Smart Growth News
Sierra Club - Delaware Chapter

www.co.new-castle.de.us 302.395.5555 www.co.kent.de.us 302.744.2305 302.744.2471 www.sussex.de.us 302.855.7743 302.855.7878 www.wilmapco.org www.state.de.us/planning/ 302.739.3090 www.state.de.us/dedo/ 302.739.4271 www.state.de.us/deldot/index.html 302.760.2080 www.dnrec.state.de.us/frame1.htm www.state.de.us www.state.de.us/contacts.htm www.aosta.state.de.us www.epa.gov/greenkit www.farmland.org 202.331.7300 www.uli.org

Smart Growth Network Maryland Smart Growth Initiative Trust for Public Land

www.smartgrowth.org www.op.state.md.us/smartgrowth www.tpl.org

Sierra Club reports on sprawl: www.sierraclub.org The Dark Side of the American Dream. The Costs and Consequences of Suburban Sprawl., 1998 www.sierraclub.org/sprawl/report98/ Solving Sprawl. The Sierra Club Rates the States, 1999 www.sierraclub.org/sprawl/report99/ Sprawl Costs Us All. How Your Taxes Fuel Suburban Sprawl, 2000 www.sierraclub.org/sprawl/report00/ Surface Transportation Policy Project Other phone numbers: Wilmington Area Planning Council: Senate Democrats (Receptionist) Senate Republicans(Receptionist) House Republicans (Receptionist) House Democrats (Receptionist) Governor’s office in Wilmington Governor’s office in Dover Dover/Kent Metropolitan Planning Office 302.737.6205 302.739.5086 302.739.5048 302.739.4171 302.739.4077 302.577.3210 302.739.4101 302.739.5359 www.transact.org

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