Has Sussex County grown too fast?
Much of the public believes the answer is a resounding yes.
Most home builders believe the answer is a resounding no.
What do your eyes tell you every day as you drive on Route 1, Route 9 or Route 24?
What does your calendar tell you every time you try to schedule a doctor’s appointment?
What does the line at the pharmacy tell you when you try to fill a prescription?
What do your children, grandchildren or their teachers tell you when they talk about how many students there are in their classrooms and in their school?
What do volunteer firefighters tell us when they report the number of calls they respond to and why they need to consider reducing the ambulance service?
The gap between local services and demand grew as low taxes, tourist attractions and beaches lured thousands of new residents to retire here.
Sussex government responded slowly, not believing it was responsible for roads, schools, fire service or healthcare. But the county’s land-use decisions are responsible for more cars on the roads, more kids in schools, more patients on waiting lists and in waiting rooms.
Now the county is playing catch-up, hoping to fix the gaps in safety, fire/EMS and classroom space. We can expect a period of trial and error.
Traffic is almost a 24/7/365 never-ending frustration. DelDOT tries to plan, but delays are inevitable between establishing the need, planning, funding, engineering and constructing. Better coordination between local and state decisions might shorten delays, but that has been difficult to achieve.
Healthcare problems are complex: Practitioners are retiring, and medical insurance is a growing hassle. Simply providing more housing closer to medical workplaces will not solve these fundamental challenges. The dream of a medical school in Sussex County remains out of reach given the state’s financial strains.
In the face of these challenges and uncertainties, it makes no sense to follow the same policies that got us here in the first place. Sussex needs plans that align growth with infrastructure capacity. Other places have done this, including New Castle County. Why can’t Sussex?
If you agree, go to sussexcountyde.gov/county-council and let your elected county officials know that future land-use decisions must protect Sussex residents’ health, safety, welfare and quality of life by preventing development from exceeding the carrying capacity of existing public facilities. This is not rocket science.
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