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Sussex County Council approves two DuPont Boulevard rezones for adjacent parcels
Summary
County council voted to adopt planning commission recommendations and approved two change-of-zone ordinances (Change of Zone 2034 and 2035) to reclassify parcels along DuPont Boulevard in Dagsboro from agricultural-residential to commercial/limited industrial.
Sussex County Council voted to approve two change-of-zone applications affecting adjacent parcels on U.S. Route 113 (DuPont Boulevard) near the Georgetown Speedway, adopting the planning and zoning commission's recommendations.
The council approved Change of Zone 2034, to rezone a 5.03-acre parcel from AR-1 (agricultural-residential) to C-2 (medium commercial), and Change of Zone 2035, to rezone approximately 23.1 acres from AR-1 to LI-1 (limited industrial). Both applications were introduced by county staff as having been heard and recommended for approval by the Planning & Zoning Commission.
The two applications were presented together because the parcels are adjacent. Staff entered into the record deeds, DelDOT service-level evaluation letters, staff analyses and conceptual or preliminary site plans; no public comments were recorded at the council hearing. David Hutt, an attorney with Morris James, spoke for the applicants and described how the sites are consistent with the county comprehensive plan’s “developing area” designation and meet dimensional and bulk requirements for the requested districts. He said DelDOT determined traffic impacts will be addressed at site-plan stage when specific uses are known.
Council members who spoke on the motions cited the planning commission recommendation and testimony heard at the hearing when voting. Council members recorded on the public roll call as voting in favor of the C-2 rezoning (Change of Zone 2034) included Councilmember Riley, Councilmember McCarron, Councilmember Lloyd and Councilmember Kornbaum; the motion carried. On the LI-1 rezoning (Change of Zone 2035) Councilmember Riley again moved and the same pattern of support from those who spoke was recorded and the motion carried.
According to presentations, the C-2 district allows retail and indoor service uses, and the LI-1 district is intended for light business or industrial park–type uses with a set of special conditions (including minimum setbacks and landscaping requirements) intended to minimize impacts to adjacent residential properties. The applicants noted existing nearby commercial and light-industrial businesses along Route 113 and said the parcels lie within the Georgetown greater-annexation area and are shown as “developing area” on the county’s future land use map.
DelDOT’s service-level evaluation responses in the record said traffic impacts and any required mitigation will be determined when site plans specify proposed uses. The council and applicants emphasized that a site plan review will follow any favorable change-of-zone action and that subsequent reviews will cover stormwater, fire marshal requirements, parking and setbacks.
The council action does not approve specific site plans or uses; it amends the comprehensive zoning map. Any future development will be subject to the county’s site-plan review process and DelDOT review for access and traffic requirements.
Votes at a glance: Change of Zone 2034 (AR-1 to C-2, 5.03 acres) — approved (motion carried). Change of Zone 2035 (AR-1 to LI-1, ~23.1 acres) — approved (motion carried).
The applicants and county staff said future steps include submission of a site plan if and when a business selects a parcel and a new use is proposed; DelDOT and county reviews will determine access and traffic mitigation at that time.
