News Briefs 4/21/26

Dewey P&Z hearing, meeting April 21

The Dewey Beach Planning & Zoning Commission will hold a public hearing and meeting at 5 p.m., Tuesday, April 21, at the town lifesaving station.

The commissioners will discuss and possibly vote on a recommendation to town council regarding a draft ordinance to amend town code to define “front buildable area,” and to restrict accessory structures and uses in specified buildable areas.

For the agenda and virtual meeting link, visit townofdeweybeach.gov/events/43413.

Sussex council meets April 21

Sussex County Council will meet at 12:30 p.m., Tuesday, April 21, at the County Administration Building in Georgetown. Prior to the meeting, at 12:15 p.m., council members will attend a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Sussex County Bookmobile in front of the administration building.

During the meeting, council members will hear a presentation from Judson Malone of Springboard Delaware, an organization that aims to end homelessness through housing and services.

Community Development & Housing Director Brandy Nauman will provide an update on the SJR8 initiative. Delaware Senate Joint Resolution 8 was signed into law in August 2025, directing the Delaware State Housing Authority to create a pilot program assisting local governments with zoning reforms.

This initiative aims to address affordable housing shortages by encouraging dense, mixed-use and missing middle development through technical aid, focusing on modernizing land-use policies.

Assistant county attorney Vince Robertson will introduce an ordinance related to forest preservation.

Among the public hearings beginning at 1:30 p.m. is a conditional-use request from Tharros Village to amend a condition to allow for year-round outdoor storage to remain on a piece of property along Route 1 outside Lewes used as a site for a campground for the unhoused.

See the full agenda at sussexcountyde.gov.

Lewes BPW to meet April 22

The Lewes Board of Public Works will hold its monthly meeting at 4 p.m., Wednesday, April 22, at city hall.

The agenda includes discussion and possible action on reinstating the Mitigation Committee.

Lewes to hold working session April 22

Lewes Mayor and City Council will hold its monthly work session at 10 a.m., Wednesday, April 22, at the Rollins Center.

The panel will discuss design options for the Burton subdivision streetscape.

See the full agenda and meeting link at lewes.civicweb.net.

Acres tree committee to meet April 24

The Henlopen Acres Tree Committee will meet at 1:30 p.m., Friday, April 24, at town hall, 104 Tidewaters, and virtually. The agenda includes discussion of the proposed tree management plan from Cypress Tree Care and a discussion of the damage from Winter Storm Hernando. Immediately following the meeting, there will be an Arbor Day tree planting.

For information, call town hall at 302-227-6411 or go to henlopenacres.delaware.gov.

Rehoboth planners to meet April 24

The Rehoboth Beach Planning Commission will meet at 1:30 p.m., Friday, April 24, at city hall, 229 Rehoboth Ave. The agenda includes continuation of a public hearing related to a second minor amendment to the approved site plan for the One Rehoboth Hotel project.    A full agenda, meeting materials and a livestream are accessible at cityofrehoboth.civicweb.net.

For more information, contact the city at 302-227-6181 or information@cityofrehoboth.com.

Bayhealth to host mobile food pantry, wellness fair May 9

The Food Bank of Delaware mobile pantry will be on site from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Saturday, May 9, at the Bayhealth Sussex Campus, 100 Wellness Way, Milford. 

Bayhealth will host a community wellness fair from 1:30 to 4 p.m. at the same location.

Designed to promote good health and connect individuals and families with healthcare, social services and employment opportunities, the free, family-friendly event is open to all community members, with a special focus on those who may face barriers to care due to lack of insurance, transportation or awareness of available services. No ID or insurance is required.

Giveaways and raffles include chances to win grocery gift cards and bikes for kids.

Lewes OKs all-way stops on Cedar Street

Lewes Mayor and City Council unanimously approved all-way stop signs April 13 for three intersections on Cedar Street. Signs will be installed at Cedar and East Market Street, New York Avenue and Michigan Avenue.

Cost for the signage and striping will be about $12,500, according to Ellen Lorraine McCabe, Lewes city manager.  She said message boards will be put up to announce the new traffic patterns. 

No date was given for the installation.

Patrick Smith files for 36th District

Patrick Smith filed April 17 to run for the 36th District seat held by Rep. Bryan Shupe, R-Milford.

In 2024, Smith primaried Shupe in the race that Shupe won 1,157-1,145.

Rehoboth Beach fills board vacancies

During a meeting April 17, Rehoboth Beach commissioners voted in favor of appointing Jennifer Duncan to the city streets & safety advisory committee and Andrea Witt to the parks & shade tree commission.

Both seats were held by the same person, Clifton Hilderley, who Mayor Stan Mills said had moved outside city limits. The term for both appointments ends Friday, Oct. 16.

Sussex P&Z OKs Northstar preliminary

The Sussex County Planning & Zoning Commission approved a revised preliminary site plan for the 758 single-family home cluster subdivision portion of the Northstar development.  The 433-acre site is on the south side of Route 9, between Route 9 and Beaver Dam Road near Lewes.  P&Z voted 5-0 April 15 to approve a revised preliminary site plan that included changes to comply with the wishes of the commission stated at an earlier meeting.

The developer, Northstar Property LLC, had recently asked if its plan complies with the conditions of approval. 

The county Planning & Zoning Department said changes were needed to create adequate open space in one area and widen the buffer around planned adjacent commercial and multifamily units that are part of the overall Northstar development. The changes removed seven building lots and reconfigured roads in the eastern section to create open space.

The final site plan will be reviewed by P&Z Department staff and will come back to P&Z for final approval.