HARRINGTON, DE- Hundreds of new homes are a big step closer to becoming a reality in Harrington.
On Tuesday, the Harrington City Council approved the final preliminary site plans for Ryan Farms, a proposed development that would bring 484 units and community amenities along the Milford-Harrington Highway. The project is slated for the properties at 6132 Milford Harrington Highway.
City leaders say a project of this size is needed to keep up with growth, but public safety officials warn it could have a major impact on the volunteer fire department and overall emergency response.
Norman Barlow, Harrington City Manager, said a project of this size will benefit not just the city, but also Kent County and the state as a whole by helping meet growing housing demand.
"People are moving from other states here. So it will help people find a place to live, and home growth is on the rise in Delaware and Kent County, especially Sussex County, too."
The project would include 284 single-family homes, 200 townhomes, and amenities such as a pool, clubhouse, and tennis courts—features Barlow said support the city's long-term growth and opportunity goals.
"We got our industrial park going. So hopefully that'll help create the jobs we want to. We've been working hard with our Parks and Rec center to bring amenities."
However, Mark Scribner, with the Harrington Fire Company, said rapid growth in and around the area is already straining operations.
"As we've already seen in the past year, we've jumped up over 50 calls already with the little impact we've had."
With hundreds more people potentially moving in, Scribner said that strain could continue to grow.
"It's a toll on our response times. And as far as personnel needed, it's going to take a big toll on our fire company."
Scribner said a project this large, located along the busy Milford-Harrington Highway and served by a volunteer fire company, could make it harder for crews to reach emergencies quickly.
"It's adding more traffic to an already increased traffic load that we have. So it's impacting our response times with the volunteers getting to the station to get the trucks out, let alone the trucks getting to a scene."
The project now moves into the next phase, where several agencies must review and approve the plans before they return to the city for further review. Officials say it could take about a year for the first construction permit to be issued.
