The cluster ordinance has garnered a lot of good conversation. That conversation and vote will have to wait until 2021 with remaining existing council and the newly elected members of county council. This is due to Delaware code that states public notice must be posted at least 15 days prior to a public hearing in two newspapers of general circulation. The planning and zoning hearing date was posted 14 days prior to public hearing in one of those newspapers.
I have great confidence in the ordinance passing because it is a very good common-sense ordinance. It mirrors the cluster ordinance passed in the AR district some 18 months ago with very little public input with the exception of the yield plan. The yield plan “yielded” some very interesting and emotional conversations, which I knew it would, and these conversations are good and are needed.
We all know the definition of insanity and we are all becoming victims of it as it pertains to land-use planning. If we do not begin to make collectively small planning steps to maintain the quality of life in Sussex County, we will surely become as the definition states. Our roads in coastal zone are at capacity. Our schools are at capacity. Open space purchases come at a premium. Our waterways are polluted. There are no silver bullets to these issues, but there is one thing for sure; if we keep doing the exact same land-use planning in this county, we will surely end up with the same results.
This council has taken extraordinary and unprecedented steps over the last four years addressing concerns raised in the Sussex County land-use plan. Some examples of these are the passing of an ordinance to stop allowing unbuildable wetlands to be used as part of density calculation; formation of a working group to address buffers; hiring of a consultant to bring forth possible ordinances to address workforce housing; the passing of the Henlopen TID; the initiative of master planning; the purchase of open space; the reintroduction of funding farmland preservation; updating a 30-year-old memorandum of understanding between the county and DelDOT; initiating Funding Accelerating Safety in Transportation or F.A.S.T which is an agreement between DelDOT and the county to speed up needed safety road improvements within the county; partnering with the Center for the Inland Bays to explore ways in which to clean up our bays and waterways.
These are all the baby steps taken by this council that I am proud to be a part of. I am certain that the new members of council will have their own view or the views of their supporters as it pertains to the comprehensive land-use plan. The cluster ordinance will be the first ordinance this new council will hear. It will surely give Sussex County citizens a view into future direction of this new council. I encourage everyone who has interest in the cluster ordinance to stay involved. It is an ordinance worth passing for all the citizens of Sussex county.
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