More time for public comment on Sussex-DelDOT pact
The public will have another chance to comment on the proposed memorandum of understanding between Sussex County and the Delaware Department of Transportation for land development coordination.
At its July 14 meeting, Sussex County Council voted to post the current MOU draft on the county website to allow for written comments by 4:30 p.m., Tuesday, July 28. The public can comment in person on the memorandum during a Tuesday, July 28 meeting.
Following the meeting, the record will be closed, and the final memorandum draft will be placed on a future council agenda for a decisive vote.
Councilman Irwin “I.G.” Burton of Lewes and Council President Mike Vincent of Seaford said the public should have more opportunity to comment due to the amount of time that has passed since public hearings in January. Assistant county attorney Vince Robertson said the COVID-19 state of emergency had derailed the initiative.
Sussex County Planning and Zoning Commission recommended approval of the memorandum at its Jan. 23 meeting. Robertson said based on comments from commissioners, the memorandum was rewritten in a better format and more logical order. The MOU is posted at sussexcountyde.gov. The last agreement was signed in 1988.
The memorandum includes updates to reflect changes over the past three decades, including clarified definitions, master planning, clearer definitions of a traffic-impact study, phasing, traffic operational analysis and area-wide study, intersection level-of-service requirements, and more emphasis on the traffic-impact study review letter provided by DelDOT officials.
The proposed agreement includes subdivisions, residential planned communities, rezonings, and residential conditional-use applications. The previous agreement covered only rezonings.
Robertson said the proposed memorandum would provide county officials with transportation information earlier in the land-use application process but that Sussex County officials still control all land-use decisions.
