The Sussex County Comprehensive Plan now under development serves many useful purposes, particularly with regard to laying out a vision for recreation and open space conservation.
But there's nothing "comprehensive" about the plan when it comes to growth and transportation, since there's no statutory linkage between development, which is regulated at the county level, and improvements to transportation infrastructure, managed by the state.
Moreover, only two of Sussex County Council's five members represent eastern Sussex County, which is bearing both the brunt of development, and the burden of worsening congestion because road improvements aren't keeping pace with population growth.
Of course, the three council members who represent central and western Sussex County don't have to deal with the consequences of their pro-growth votes, and they remain more than content to reap the benefits of increased tax revenues that come with development to the east.
Might it be time for concerned citizens and public officials to explore the pros, cons and feasibility of splitting Sussex County into two?
Sussex County is a dichotomy. With DuPont Highway as a rough dividing line, the western part of the county is predominately rural and agricultural, while the eastern portion - experiencing the highest rates of development and population growth in Delaware - depends on tourism, entertainment and a growing cohort of retirees.
With its own council, "Essex" could better throttle back commercial and residential development, and might even consider tolling Route 1, as New Castle and Kent counties have done, to generate revenue for transportation infrastructure improvements.
And the members of the "Wessex" council would be free to bring to their jurisdiction the sort of unrestrained sprawl they're currently inflicting on those in the eastern portion of Sussex County.
Comprehensive plans that aren't comprehensive, or initiatives such as the Henlopen Transportation Improvement District (which addresses just a fraction of eastern Sussex County's traffic problems), don't begin to address the worsening imbalance between infrastructure and growth throughout the region. It's time to explore more radical alternatives.
Peter A. Harrigan
Rehoboth Beach
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