Sussex County Council forms working group after wide-ranging debate on growth, zoning and roads

Georgetown, Del. — Sussex County Council on Jan. 28 directed staff to assemble a working group of council members, staff and expert stakeholders to address land development, zoning, housing and related infrastructure, after public commenters and several council members pressed for data and faster action.

The move came after residents of Osprey Point and other neighborhoods urged the council to stop applications they said had moved forward with inadequate public notice and to give homeowners a greater voice. “The site plan is being positioned to the planning and zoning committee as old business. It is not old business,” said David Marks of Rehoboth Beach during the meeting’s public‑comment period.

Why it matters: Council members said the county is facing sustained growth and that current patterns of development, local zoning and the state’s infrastructure spending map — called the state spending strategies — are not aligned. Council members repeatedly asked staff for empirical data to show where building permits and development requests are concentrated and how infrastructure dollars are being directed. Planning and Zoning Director Jamie Whitehouse told council that a five‑year average of building permits shows roughly “approximately 28%, depending on how your average is being issued in level 4,” meaning nearly a third of recent dwelling permits were issued in areas the state classifies as Level 4 (rural/low‑investment) under the 2020 spending strategy.

Council discussion and direction: County Administrator Todd Lawson framed next…