Sussex council will not enact a moratorium
As it works to create new subdivision rules, Sussex County Council decided March 17 not to enact a moratorium on cluster subdivisions served by public sewers in rural areas.
The decision came after council and representatives of two state builders’ groups cited the county’s work in recent months to create rules to redirect housing growth.
“I fear the ordinance proposed today will disrupt the good work we have moving forward and serve as a disruption in a very positive and necessary process,” Councilman Steve McCarron said.
The idea of a temporary halt to reviews of certain types of housing developments has come up a few times since early 2025 after three newcomers took a council majority in elections the previous November.
The new council members had run on platforms calling for limits on development, which has placed increasing burdens on roads, schools, emergency services, healthcare providers and the environment.
The first suggestion for a moratorium came from Councilman Matt Lloyd soon after his term began in January 2025. It was met by a backlash of opposition by builders, real estate agents and others.
The council instead created a 10-member land-use reform working group that represented a wide array of affected groups, such as farmers, developers, environmentalists and state agencies.
At the conclusion of a seven-month process, the group in September finalized a list of 20 recommendations to limit and redirect housing development in Sussex County.
Council in recent months has used those suggestions as a blueprint as it pressed ahead with draft ordinances.
Councilwoman Jane Gruenebaum suggested Sept. 15 that a moratorium might be needed to prevent a rush of proposals by developers anxious to pursue projects under existing rules. She reiterated the idea March 10, prompting Assistant County Attorney Vince Robertson to investigate how to accomplish that and setting in motion the March 17 discussion of a moratorium.
Jennifer Cohan, president of the Associated Builders and Contractors of Delaware, and Katie Gillis, executive officer of Home Builders Association of Delaware, objected to the proposed moratorium at the meeting.
They saw it as unnecessary, considering council’s steps to turn into ordinances the ideas formulated by the working group.
“Quite frankly, this is a little frustrating for us,” Cohan said. “Over the past year, the county’s land-use working group brought together stakeholders from across the community to do the hard work, thoughtfully, collaboratively developing a framework to address growth in Sussex County.”
Sussex County is in a housing crisis, and a moratorium would disrupt projects intended to resolve it, she said.
Cluster subdivisions allow for smart growth while preserving open space, Cohan said, and removing this development option would impede some of the best methods of balancing growth with conserving land.
“Members of our association have worked in good faith on the Sussex County Land-Use Working Group, the results of which are ready for the council’s debate and action,” Gillis said.
“Instead of focusing energy on moratoriums, council should continue the good work of the working group, and move ordinances forward and turn those recommendations into actionable policy,” she said.
McCarron agreed as council began discussing the moratorium at the meeting.
“I feel we have made great progress in a year, and I would hope to keep all our efforts moving forward on the currently proposed ordinances, while also introducing the remaining proposed changes,” he said.
“I am willing to agree with my colleague,” Gruenebaum said.
While she supported an emphasis on continued work to change county rules, she left the door open for later reconsideration of a moratorium, if necessary.
Gruenebaum also asked County Administrator Todd Lawson and county Planning & Zoning Department Director Jamie Whitehouse to keep council updated on new development projects and the status of those already submitted.
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.
