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Sussex council wants input on drafts of comp plan

Seek to offer input as P&Z commissioners write new document
June 26, 2017

Sussex County Council members want to see draft chapters of the 2018 comprehensive land-use plan as planning and zoning commissioners finish them.

That's not been the process in the past, but this time around, officials have rewritten the book on their procedures. The commission has held workshops over the past several months and has solicited public comment at each one, as well as during regular meetings.

Councilman George Cole, R-Ocean View, said as planning and zoning commissioners reach a consensus on each of the 11 chapters in the plan, council should do likewise. “We should do it in public. It should be an agenda item with a presentation,” he said. “It’s important as a group for us to discuss it. There should be a conversation here.”

Cole said the public and commissioners need to know council's thoughts on the plan. “They need feedback about what council members are concerned about, or we are just running around in circles,” he said.

County Administrator Todd Lawson told council there will be subjects in the plan that the council and commission will not agree on.

“Each time they get a draft, we get it. That’s all,” Cole said, adding he knows there are going to be differing opinions.

By state law, commissioners are charged with writing the plan and making a recommendation to council. However, it’s council that takes the final vote. Also by law, the county must update its plan every 10 years.

Council President Mike Vincent, R-Seaford, said seeing a synopsis of each chapter would be helpful.

County Administrator Todd Lawson said he would need time to wrap his arms around that idea because the commission has held eight workshops so far totaling about 75 hours with 16 sessions of public comment, not including comments made during regular commission meetings.

Assistant county attorney Vince Robertson warned against slowing down the process as officials work toward a June 30, 2018 deadline.

He said the draft chapters need to be completed in time for council to read them and offer comments. At that point, he said, one option is for council to discuss chapters individually or in small groups in the same manner the commission has done.

Council members want input earlier in the process

“We need to read the draft ahead of time, and then you can get comments from council to take back to the commission for the final draft,” Vincent said.

Planning and Zoning Director Janelle Cornwell said council will soon receive a copy of the 25-page historic preservation chapter, the plan’s introduction and the 45-page economic development chapter. She said commissioners are finishing up the community design and utility chapters. The historic preservation chapter has been published on the county's website.

Councilman I.G. Burton, R-Lewes, agreed he would rather see pieces of the plan than the entire plan at one time. He and Councilman Rob Arlett, R-Frankford, asked Cornwell about the public comment process.

She said the public can comment during planning and zoning commission meetings, at commission workshops and on the county website. She said commissioners receive copies of all public comments on each chapter, and she would provide those comments to council members.

The public will have an opportunity to comment during two public hearings when the final draft is completed. Go to sussexplan.com for more information.

 

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