The elephant in Sussex comp plan

Most won't read the entire 300-page Sussex County Comprehensive Land Use Plan draft document. But in its own words, "The Future Land Use chapter is the centerpiece ...." It "creates a framework for achieving the ... overall vision and determining future development priorities."

That vision? "To provide for balanced and well-planned future growth and development that supports ... economic development goals while providing incentives to preserve the rural character ... and its natural resources."

It's a solid vision. "Balanced and well-planned future growth." "Supporting economic development goals." Preserving "rural character of the County and its natural resources." Good for us and our wildlife friends.

This chapter sets out goals and strategies. The heavy lifting will be crafting zoning ordinances to make it happen.

The most striking element of Chapter Five is the current land use map. It shows development: a total of 95,000 acres. It shows farmland and otherwise undeveloped land: 256,000 acres.

Then there's protected acreage. Many may be surprised by the total area protected from future development: lands in agricultural preservation programs, waterways, state parks, state forests, marshes, privately owned lands in conservation programs, wildlife management areas and federal refuges. They add up to 227,000 acres. Of Sussex County's total geography of 603,520 acres, that's 38 percent. A good starting point.

The proverbial elephant in the comp-plan room, however, is the 256,000 acres of unprotected land. Most of it zoned AR-1, it permits agriculture and, by right, two residential units per acre.

That's where most of the plan's attention is, and should be, focused. At least half should be preserved. Requiring an acre preserved in nongrowth zones for every acre developed in designated growth zones would accomplish that. That would still leave room for another 100,000 residential lots, enough to drive this development economy for another 50 years.

That farsightedness of requiring preservation would be praised in perpetuity by future generations.