Sussex County Council will begin work to update its comprehensive plan a year earlier than planned as it works to more quickly enact a committee’s proposals to control booming housing growth. 

Earlier this year, council formed the land-use reform working group to draft recommendations to limit sprawl; encourage more housing types, including affordable housing; and protect farmland and the environment.

The recommendations the group offered require action by county council. Some could be enacted fairly quickly, while others would take years and may be included in the next county comprehensive plan update. 

At an Oct. 14 workshop at which 20 working group suggestions were discussed, Councilman Steve McCarron proposed beginning work immediately on the comprehensive plan.

The plan that is adopted every 10 years serves as a blueprint for county and state development policy and county ordinances. The next version is due by the end of 2028, and work was not expected to begin until at least late in 2026.

“It was clear from the discussion Oct. 14 that the council does not want to wait until the later part of 2026 into 2027 to begin the comprehensive plan update,” said County Administrator Todd Lawson at the Nov. 4 meeting. “Therefore, we are going to start the comp plan process immediately.”

Rapid housing development in recent years has placed incredible strains on roads, schools, emergency services, healthcare providers and the environment. It has transformed the landscape and politics, and put pressure on the council to act.

Last fall, candidates McCarron, Jane Gruenebaum and Matt Lloyd ran campaigns calling for limits on growth as they unseated council incumbents.

Lawson also announced Nov. 4 that the Delaware State Housing Authority informed the county Oct. 31, that it would receive funding through a state pilot program. It will fund a process to create a local ordinance related to land-use reform. That project will begin early next year, Lawson said.

“I think Sussex County’s selection to receive this free third-party consulting will overlap nicely with efforts in considering both the work group recommendations and the future comp plan update,” he said.

Council will have to choose which of several options to pursue for the state-funded project.

County staff is working on proposals for change that can be enacted soon, Lawson said. 

“We intend to seek your input in drafting ordinances immediately for the manageable recommendations, including [Sussex County Rental Program] program, master plan zoning and improving the subdivision code known as 99-9C,” he said.

Creation of a new comprehensive plan will take many months, and include public workshops and hearings. But first the county will have to determine the scope of the project and hire a consultant to help with the process, Lawson said.

Vince Robertson, a county lawyer, told the county planning & zoning commission Nov. 5 that some of the previous plan could be updated, but there are four new sections that must be drafted.

Jamie Whitehouse, the county planning & zoning director, said at the meeting the county has to collect updated population figures for the project.

The working group proposals will be at the heart of many of the anticipated changes, both short term and long term.

“I think many of the recommendations made are important for us to pursue with all deliberate speed,” Gruenebaum said Nov. 4, thanking Lawson for his work on the issues.