Sussex County Council approves annual comprehensive-plan report for state review

Sussex County Council on June 24 voted to accept the county’s annual report on its comprehensive plan for transmission to the Governor’s Advisory Council on Planning. The recommendation from Jamie Whitehouse, Sussex County planning director, passed unanimously after a brief presentation and questions from council.

Whitehouse told the council that “it is a legal requirement in the Delaware code that the county provide an update back to the state planning office every year,” and summarized highlights including transportation planning work with the Delaware Department of Transportation and protections for open space secured through subdivision review.

The nut of Whitehouse’s presentation: staff forwarded the sixth annual report to the state planning office and outlined updates by topic, citing mobility and transportation projects, the county’s work on the long-range transportation plan and the capital transportation program, and activity in transportation improvement districts. Staff said they received 77 public submittals this cycle for potential capital transportation projects and have been coordinating recommendations with DelDOT and the council on transportation.

Whitehouse also reported changes in land-use applications: conditional-use filings fell to 57 in the prior year, reflecting a slowdown in new solar development; change-of-zone applications increased modestly but did not reach the 2022 peak; and subdivision activity remained near baseline with nine applications in the last 12 months. He said the county secured 497 acres of open space in the last 12 months, and 2,428 acres (about 3.79 square miles) over the past five years through subdivision requirements and land purchases.

Councilmembers asked for clarification on what the county counts as open space; Whitehouse said the reserved land is “permanently free of buildings and structures” and typically includes buffers — a minimum of 30 feet under the current code and often 20 feet or more in older approvals — and may be vegetated rather than amenity spaces with structures. Whitehouse said more substantive updates on other initiatives and the land-use reform working group will come as that process continues.

Following the presentation, Councilman Lloyd moved to accept the recommended report for transmission to the Governor’s Advisory Council on Planning for the period covering 2024–2025; the motion was seconded by Councilwoman Gruenbaum and carried on a unanimous vote (Mister McCarran: yes; Mister Lloyd: yes; Miss Gruenbaum: yes).

The council packet and staff presentation note that the next comprehensive-plan update work is expected to begin in about 12 months and that recent legislative changes at the state level will affect that update.