Clara's profile - coUrbanize

Commented on Cool Spring ^{2 years, 1 month ago}

Aaron – this is interesting data, thanks for sharing. Our Master-Planned Communities take many years (even decades) to complete, and are successfully governed by an HOA – not unlike a small town. Please stay connected and continue to share your ideas.

Commented on Cool Spring ^{2 years, 1 month ago}

Rich – we appreciate your insights. Thanks for the shoutout to the Freeman Arts Pavilion. It certainly is a coastal gem, and a stellar example of how the Carl M Freeman Foundation gives back to the communities in which we live and work.
Traffic and infrastructure is an ongoing concern. We are in the process of completing our Traffic Impact Study with the Delaware Department of Transportation. We are analyzing over 45 adjacent roads and intersections and are certain there will be many infrastructure improvements required to mitigate the traffic issues for the area. These will not be based upon a formula like you reference in New Castle County’s Unified Development Code. The site capacity and concurrency is a part of the approval process in Sussex County and again is not a formula but tied to the impacts of the project. We also believe that prescriptive codes like the UDC make it difficult to create special places and communities that with exceptional design.
Our goal at Cool Spring is to design a community that creates a healthy & active lifestyle that minimizes vehicular use by allow people to shop and received services right where they live. Cool Spring will be a pedestrian-and bicycle-oriented community with connectivity to the Lewes-Georgetown Trail.
Habitat and open spaces are critical to maintain and expand. Our initial concept preserves important habitat and woodlands that interconnects with large corridors of contiguous opens spaces, parks and a central parkway. Please stay connected with us.

Commented on Cool Spring ^{2 years, 1 month ago}

Caroline, thank you for your thoughtful comments. We love the idea about teaching ‘wildlife’ to the community. We are planning what is called a Residential Planned Community so we can provide multiple housing types. Allowing multiple housing types including rental and for sale unit is critically important to meet the need for workforce housing in eastern Sussex County. Cool Spring is not planned for tourists. The focus here is on convenience and having local shops and other amenities within walking distance. This community will be a pedestrian-and bicycle friendly with lots of beautiful pathways, trees and open spaces. Please stay in contact with us on this website as we update the community on ongoing developments.

Commented on Cool Spring ^{2 years, 1 month ago}

Claire, we’re working on that. What kind of entertainment would you like to see at Cool Spring?

Commented on Cool Spring ^{2 years, 1 month ago}

Cool Spring will be a pedestrian-and bicycle-oriented community with connectivity to the Lewes-Georgetown Trail. We are working with multiple stakeholder groups on several exciting additions to the trail including the connection to Milton and the crossing of Route 9. Our initial concept preserves important habitat and woodlands that interconnects with large corridors of adjacent opens spaces, parks and a central parkway. We are having many exciting conversations around the non-residential uses proposed for the project. As these progress we will continue to share updates. What type of entertainment venue would you like to see at Cool Spring? We hope you stay engaged with us as we move through the process.

Commented on Cool Spring ^{2 years, 1 month ago}

Claire – we agree! This the primary driver of rezoning and master planning the properties. They could all be separately developed as regular subdivisions with little to no public benefits. Master planned communities allow for a variety of uses, housing types and design creativity to provide these things.

Commented on Cool Spring ^{2 years, 1 month ago}

Claire – nice to hear from you. Our plan will take many years to develop. Much of the driving force behind the rezoning of the property is so that it can be master planned and so that we can include multiple housing types in our plan, including workforce housing. There is a desperate need in eastern Sussex County for housing dedicated to those that drive and support the area (teachers, nurses and first responders and other hard-working people). We also are working with the YMCA on providing a much-needed regional facility in the community which provides affordable childcare and wellness programing. The master plan will include linkages to the open spaces on and off-site along with a direct connect to the Lewes-Georgetown Trail. We are still in the very early stages of planning – check in with us on this site as we update information.

Commented on Cool Spring ^{2 years, 2 months ago}

Kelly - nothing like a pedestrian and bicycle orientated community with lots of open spaces and beautiful trees to create a 'casual vibe'. Even more importantly, our goal at Cool Spring is to design a community that creates a healthy & active lifestyle that minimizes vehicular use by allow people to shop and received services right where they live. Convenience and accessibility. Keep sharing your ideas!

Commented on Cool Spring ^{2 years, 2 months ago}

Lynda, thank you for your comment. We know that traffic is always a concern. Our Traffic Impact Study with the Delaware Department of Transportation is almost complete. We are analyzing over 45 adjacent roads and intersections. We are certain there will be many infrastructure improvements that will be required to mitigate the impact traffic issues for the area.
Our goal at Cool Spring is to design a community that creates a healthy, active and convenient lifestyle. Vehicular use will be minimized by allowing people to shop and received services right where they live. Cool Spring will have beautiful open spaces, and is planned to be a pedestrian-and bicycle-oriented community with connectivity to the Lewes-Georgetown Trail. We are working with multiple stakeholder groups on several exciting additions to the trail including the connection to Milton and the crossing of Route 9. We will post updates to the project process as they happen, so please stay engaged with us.

Commented on Cool Spring ^{2 years, 2 months ago}

Rich, thank you for your comments. Cool Spring is being designed to protect on-site trees and a critical wildlife corridor along its eastern edge; this will be interconnected with large contiguous open spaces and a central parkway. As a master-planned community, Cool Spring is also being designed to include many of the services that require residents not to have to leave their communities. There will be a YMCA, grocery store, restaurants and other amenities within walking distance for most residents. The Community is also located adjacent to the proposed Bayhealth medical facility with which we hope to closely coordinate our planning and design. Cool Spring will offer a lifestyle that is convenient, peaceful, safe and with ample open spaces and great access to pedestrian and bicycle trails. We will continue to provide updates here so please stay connected with us.

Commented on Cool Spring ^{2 years, 2 months ago}

Great ideas Donna. What kind of workout equipment were you thinking of?

Commented on Cool Spring ^{2 years, 2 months ago}

The idea of a wildflower garden is popular - we will be sure to share these ideas with our team.

Commented on Cool Spring ^{2 years, 2 months ago}

We are very early in the process and have many steps to take before getting started. We would anticipate the project to start in the next 2-3 years. We expect the Cool Spring development to take place over many years as it is a Master-Planned community. As we move forward and once we know more, we will share an updated timeline with the community. Please check in on this website for new developments.

Commented on Cool Spring ^{2 years, 2 months ago}

Kelly - absolutely. Cool Spring also will include a variety of housing types, including workforce housing, senior living as well as single family homes. All of these are needed badly in our community.

Commented on Cool Spring ^{2 years, 2 months ago}

Great ideas Kelly. Cool Spring will be a pedestrian-and-bicycle-oriented community with connectivity to the Lewes-Georgetown Trail. We are working with multiple stakeholder groups on several exciting additions to the trail including the connection to Milton and the crossing of Route 9. Stay connected and continue to share your ideas.

Commented on Cool Spring ^{2 years, 2 months ago}

Thank you for your comments. We know that traffic is always a concern and we are in the process of completing our Traffic Impact Study with the Delaware Department of Transportation. As a part of those efforts we are analyzing over 45 adjacent roads and intersections. We are certain there will be many infrastructure improvements that will be required to mitigate the impact traffic issues for the area.
Even more importantly, our goal at Cool Spring is to design a community that creates a healthy & active lifestyle that minimizes vehicular use by allow people to shop and received services right where they live. Cool Spring will be a pedestrian- and bicycle-oriented community with connectivity to the Lewes-Georgetown Trail. We are working with multiple stakeholder groups on several exciting additions to the trail including the connection to Milton and the crossing of Route 9. We hope you stay engaged with us as we move through the process. We will post updates to the project process as they happen.

Commented on Cool Spring ^{2 years, 2 months ago}

Thank you for your comments. We have received the scope of our traffic Impact study for the project. We have completed summer traffic counts. We will be working with the Delaware Department of Transportation on improvements that we will be required to make to mitigate the impacts of our proposed community. Understand that a project of this size will be construction over many years and even decades. The transportation improvements are made in advance of construction. Aside from our direct investment in transportation improvement we all hope to see increasing capital investment by the Delaware Department of Transportation in Sussex County’s transportation network. Stay connected - we will be sharing updates regularly.

Commented on Cool Spring ^{2 years, 2 months ago}

Christof, thank you for your comments. The primary reason for this website is to get input from neighbors like you so that we can create a superior community that makes a positive difference to Sussex County and the Cool Spring area. We hope that uses such as the YMAC, great neighborhood retail, health services along with varied housing types will fill many needs in the area and will reduce the need for people to get into their cars for everyday services!
Our plan also includes an abundance of inter-connected open space, pedestrian and bicycle trails connecting with Lewes and Georgetown with discussions on-going how to link Milton and other adjacent areas into what will be a world class bike/pedestrian regional trail system. We invite you to stay in communication with us and keep challenging us to create a special community.

Commented on Cool Spring ^{2 years, 2 months ago}

John, the idea of a veggie garden and a garden attracting butterflies and birds sounds great and we welcome the idea of a partnership with the Delaware Botanic Gardens. Are you affiliated with the Gardens?

Commented on Cool Spring ^{2 years, 2 months ago}

We love those ideas Donna, thank you.

Commented on Cool Spring ^{2 years, 2 months ago}

Lynda, you bring up an important issue. One of the reasons we are proposing to rezone the property to a Residential Planned Community is so that we can provide multiple housing types. Allowing multiple housing types including rental and for sale unit is critically important to meet the need for workforce housing in eastern Sussex County. This housing is dedicated to teachers, nurses and first responders to name a few. We also are working with the YMCA on providing a much needed regional facility in the community which provides affordable childcare and wellness programing.
We also believe in giving back where we do business. Established by our founder and namesake, the Carl M. Freeman Foundation has invested millions into Sussex County infrastructure, health, educational and emergency services (examples include funding to Roxana Fire Station, Beebe Hospital, local schools and libraries).
We invite you to stay connected and continue to share your ideas with us as we go through the process.

Commented on Cool Spring ^{2 years, 2 months ago}

Thank you for your comments. We have received the scope of our traffic Impact study for the project. We have completed summer traffic counts. We will be working with the Delaware Department of Transportation on improvements that we will be required to make to mitigate the impacts of our proposed community. Understand that a project of this size will be construction over many years and even decades. The transportation improvements are made in advance of construction. Aside from our direct investment in transportation improvement we all hope to see increasing capital investment by the Delaware Department of Transportation in Sussex County’s transportation network. Please stay connected - we promise to keep you all updated.

Commented on Cool Spring ^{2 years, 2 months ago}

Sharon, we are working the YMCA on providing a much needed regional facility; amenities will definitely include the ever popular pickleball. Stay connected as we share more information.

Commented on Cool Spring ^{2 years, 2 months ago}

Stephanie Talino, we could not agree more about the importance of schools & emergency services. Thank you for your thoughtful comments. We are proposing to rezone the property to a Residential Planned Community so we can provide multiple housing types which includes rental and for sale units to meet the critical need for workforce housing in eastern Sussex County. This housing is dedicated to teachers, nurses and first responders to name a few. We also are working with the YMCA on providing a much needed regional facility in the community which provides affordable childcare and wellness programing.
We also believe in giving back where we do business. Established by our founder and namesake, the Carl M. Freeman Foundation has invested millions into Sussex County infrastructure, health, educational and emergency services (examples include funding to Roxana Fire Station, Beebe Hospital, local schools and libraries).
We agree that traffic is a concern in Sussex County. We are in the process completing our traffic impact study with the Delaware Department of Transportation. As a part of the study we are analyzing over 45 roads/intersections. This will determine the improvements we will need to make to mitigate the traffic impacts of Cool Spring.
Cool Spring will be a pedestrian- and bicycle-oriented community with connectivity to the Lewes-Georgetown Trail. We are working with stakeholders on connecting the trail to Milton as well as crossing Route 9 and into Hudson Park.
Please stay engaged with us as we go through the planning process.

Commented on Cool Spring ^{2 years, 2 months ago}

Patricia, open spaces in Sussex County have their own beauty, we absolutely agree. And that is why we have created a development that is both convenient and nature-centric – lots of peaceful open spaces, pedestrian and bike paths, and all environmentally sustainable. People will not have to get in their cars very often. We are bringing the amenities to local residents. Traffic is a challenge in Sussex County, and we have commissioned a comprehensive study for the area – those results will be shared on this website as soon as we get them. We have solved some pressing traffic issues with major infrastructure changes. We invite you to stay engaged with us as we go through the planning process.

Commented on Cool Spring ^{2 years, 2 months ago}

Jess – we appreciate your thoughtful comment, thank you. We have a long history of environmentally responsible development. Every project we have developed in southeast Sussex County has elevated the quality of life of the residents and protected the natural beauty of the landscape. Infrastructure is always a challenge when there is positive growth. We are planning to make significant infrastructure improvements to the local roads and traffic patterns on this project. Please stay engaged with us as we update the community on ongoing developments.

Commented on Cool Spring ^{2 years, 2 months ago}

Thank you for your comments. Our goal is to create a thoughtfully designed, master-planned community that is convenient, peaceful, nature-centric, and encourages walking or bicycling rather than driving. Amenities and shops will be hand-picked and accessible to the entire neighborhood. Carl M Freeman Companies has been creating wonderful places to live for 75 years – Cool Spring will be our proudest moment. Do you have a favorite grocery store you would like to see in Cool Spring? What other amenities interest you? We invite you to stay engaged with us as we go through the planning process and share your thoughts and ideas.