Workshop expected to set course for Sussex development rules
Sussex County Council scheduled a workshop for Tuesday, Jan. 27, to begin considering rule changes concerning the rental housing program, density of development, building height limits and forest preservation.
The meeting is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. at the County Public Safety Complex at 21911 Rudder Rudder Lane, Georgetown.
Council has been looking to change the direction of development as a continuing housing boom has put pressure on roads, emergency services, healthcare providers and the environment.
A land-use reform working group in September offered a list of 20 recommendations that included shifting development from rural areas to more densely developed ones, promoting diverse housing types such as affordable housing and protecting farmland and open space.
“This is the next step to the work we did last year,” said Sussex County Administrator Todd Lawson Jan. 21. ”It’s a significant code update related to the code that dictates land use.”
“We’re going to narrow down the suggestions by the working group and go from there,” said Council President Douglas Hudson Jan. 22. “It will probably not be a long time before we introduce some ordinances. Some of their suggestions are really good.”
County staff have for the past two months been drafting ordinances for council to consider, he said. The Jan. 27 meeting will be a chance to discuss them and see which ones have the support of a majority of council.
The priority will be rule changes that can be implemented relatively quickly, Lawson said.
That will allow the county to move forward with the process of adopting them, including public hearings before the planning & zoning commission and county council.
The plan is to move quickly from recommendation to draft ordinance to enactment, Lawson said.
Broader changes for development that will require more analytical work will be considered as the county comprehensive plan is drafted and approved by the end of 2028, Lawson said.
Council decided late last year to begin work on the comprehensive plan early this year, moving up the schedule by months, to begin making progress toward change more quickly.
Chip Guy, county communications director, cautioned that the anticipated snow and ice storm this weekend could cause lasting disruptions on roadways. He urged anyone who plans to attend the Jan. 27 meeting to check the county website in advance to make sure it is not canceled due to the weather.
Guy said he still clearly recalls the widespread problems that occurred during and after a 1994 ice storm that shut down the county and region.
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.
