Sussex council fills P&Z, board of adjustment seats
Sussex County Council unanimously appointed new members Feb. 3 to the planning & zoning commission and board of adjustment.
Chuck McClure was appointed to a three-year term representing District 5 on the board of adjustment that expires June 2028.
David Pettyjohn was named to fill the final four months of a three-year term on the P&Z commission being left vacant by the resignation of longtime member Bruce Mears after about 35 years. There will be an opportunity for appointment to a full three-year term in June.
McClure is the president of Atlas Industries in Georgetown.
“I bring some good business sense and thoughtfulness to this position,” he told council. “I would also like to build some relationships between the county and the community.”
“I believe Mr. McClure will bring quite a bit of judgement, life experience,” said Council Vice President John Rieley. “He’s a man of good character, and I believe that all of those will be valuable, and I think he will serve with honor.”
Pettyjohn owns an appliance sales and service business, Boulevard Appliance, in Milton. Pettyjohn said he is a native of Milton but now lives in Millsboro. He also said he is a past elder at the Sussex County Bible Church in Harbeson.
Pettyjohn grew up in a farming family and married into one, he said.
“That’s given me firsthand appreciation for agriculture’s importance in our area,” he said. “Farmland is irreplaceable. It’s a resource that supports jobs, preserves the rural character and should be protected through the appropriate zoning and compatible land-use policies.”
Pettyjohn joins P&Z at a time of great change as the county struggles with the consequences of an ongoing housing boom that has burdened roads, schools, emergency services, healthcare providers and the environment.
A working group formed early last year by council finalized 20 recommendations to rein in growth. The more manageable suggestions are being shaped into draft ordinances for P&Z and council to soon consider. Both council and P&Z will hold public hearings as part of the approval process.
More difficult changes proposed by the working group will be considered during preparation of the next 10-year county comprehensive plan, due to be completed by the end of 2028. Both council and P&Z will be involved in that process.
“I’m excited about it,” Pettyjohn said of the coming changes after his appointment. “I grew up here. I have a great appreciation and love for this county. We all have a responsibility to protect it.”
Mears will serve on the commission until Sunday, March 1, then be replaced by Pettyjohn. The term ends in June, and then another vote of council would be needed to give Pettyjohn a full three-year term.
“Bruce Mears has done a great job with everything he has put his hand to regarding the county, and we very much appreciate his service,” Rieley said. “I think we’re going to have a good replacement.”
The five-member P&Z considers requests for subdivision, conditional use and zoning change applications. P&Z serves as an advisory board to council on change-of-zone and conditional-use requests, but the commission makes final decisions on subdivision applications.
The five members of the board of adjustment hear requests for variances or special-use exemptions to the county code.
Kevin Conlon came to the Cape Gazette with nearly 40 years of newspaper experience since graduating from St. Bonaventure University in New York with a bachelor's degree in mass communication. He reports on Sussex County government and other assignments as needed.
His career spans working as a reporter and editor at daily newspapers in upstate New York, including The Daily Gazette in Schenectady. He comes to the Cape Gazette from the Cortland Standard, where he was an editor for more than 25 years, and in recent years also contributed as a columnist and opinion page writer. He and his staff won regional and state writing awards.
Conlon was relocating to Lewes when he came across an advertisement for a reporter job at the Cape Gazette, and the decision to pursue it paid off. His new position gives him an opportunity to stay in a career that he loves, covering local news for an independently owned newspaper.
Conlon is the father of seven children and grandfather to two young boys. In his spare time, he trains for and competes in triathlons and other races. Now settling into the Cape Region, he is searching out hilly trails and roads with wide shoulders. He is a fan of St. Bonaventure sports, especially rugby and basketball, as well as following the Mets, Steelers and Celtics.
