Sussex eyes new regs for special events

The public will have its say on possible changes to management of special events in Sussex County.

Sussex County Planning and Zoning Commission will have a public hearing on proposed amendments to the short-term special-events ordinance. The meeting gets underway at 6 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 26, in the county administration building, 2 The Circle, Georgetown. County council's public hearing will take place at 1:30 p.m., Tuesday, Nov. 28. (The time for the planning and zoning commission hearing has been corrected from a previous post.)

Sussex Councilman I.G. Burton, R-Lewes, said the amendments are not aimed at one specific use or location but are needed to update an old ordinance.

The proposed ordinance would give the county's planning and zoning director more discretion, clarity and guidance in determining whether to approve a special-event request in the office or require the applicant to seek a conditional use. That process includes public hearings before the planning and zoning commission and county council.

Possible events requiring a conditional use would be those that occur on a regular basis or that have a greater impact on surrounding property or roadways.

Criteria in the ordinance include crowd size; parcel size and location; parking requirements; traffic access; hours of operation; noise; light and dust; and the number of consecutive days for an event. The director may impose conditions on the management of an event.

One of the proposed regulations would be no more than three special events on one parcel per year.

More than any other, that proposed regulation has ignited a groundswell, supported by Christian Hudson, to get people to attend the public hearing.

Hudson, president of Hudson Management, has mounted a Save Hudson Fields campaign over the past few weeks. Hudson Fields, north of Lewes along Route 1, has been used for special events and sporting events since the 1950s.

Hudson, who is the third generation in his family to allow the 200-acre site to be used for events, said he's not sure how events would be counted; there are definitely more than three events at the site each year – and that's nothing new, he said.

Hudson said the proposal would severely regulate land usage for events such as concerts, charity runs, fire companies, VFWs and many other organizations.

Summer concerts at Hudson Fields raised the ire of some nearby residents, prompting county officials to look at revising the ordinance to add new restrictions.

See a complete agenda at sussexcountyde.gov.