Residents encouraged by Sussex council plans to limit development
Several residents attending Sussex County Council’s Feb. 4 meeting praised council members for their plan to move quickly to consider restricting development, and one pressed for more decisive action.
During their campaigns, three council members elected in November emphasized limits on development.
The issue boiled over at a Jan. 14 council meeting when one of them, Matt Lloyd, called for a one-year moratorium on accepting applications for large residential development projects in rural areas.
An overflow crowd of developers, builders, real estate firms, bankers and others attended the meeting. Nearly all of the dozens of people who spoke during the public comment session opposed the plan, and Lloyd found no allies on council for his suggestion.
As he did at the Jan. 14 meeting, George Lodato of Laurel called again Feb. 4 for council to enact Lloyd’s moratorium proposal. Lodato said he disagreed with claims by many that a moratorium would devastate the construction industry and other businesses.
“I don’t feel it is a lot to ask to look at how it would affect our future,” Lodato said. “At the last public hearing that I attended in January, contractors, construction firms, Realtors and special-interest groups came up to the podium to say that it would put a lot of people out of work by stopping construction. But I do not believe Councilman Lloyd’s moratorium would do that, as he is not asking to stop construction.”
Lodato said he worries that without action, Sussex County will run out of room for new developments and construction jobs will then be lost.
Jill Hicks, president of the Sussex Preservation Coalition, and Richard Borrasso of Milton thanked council for giving attention to development issues.
Borrasso raised questions involving council’s vision for growth and development, identifying external factors that contributed to the current situation, the scope of potential land-use reforms and a plan to implement change.
Hicks questioned the reasons for burdens on roads, medical services, schools and emergency services. She also raised concerns about emergency evacuation plans, water quality, and loss of forest land, wetlands and biodiversity.
“We hear your commitment,” she told council. “Launching a work group with time-bound deliverables set by county council is progress in the right direction. We all want this done expeditiously and done right. We are here to work with you.”
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.
