Sussex County council defers decision on rezoning for 210‑unit New Road MR/RPC development

Sussex County Council members on an evening agenda voted to defer a final decision on Change Zone No. 2052, a requested rezoning of roughly 60.84 acres on New Road (County Route 391) near Lighthouse Road (Route 54) from AR‑1 (agricultural residential) to MR‑RPC (medium‑density residential, residential planned community) that would allow up to 210 housing units.

The applicant’s attorney, Tim Willard of Fuquay, Willard & Schaub, described the proposal and submitted materials including a preliminary subdivision plan, an environmental assessment, drainage and forest assessment reports, a DelDOT service‑level/traffic operational analysis, proposed homeowners association covenants and a resource management plan. Willard said the proposed density is 3.45 units per acre and that the plan proposes 210 lots, compared with a calculated permitted density of 230 units. He said the project provides about 36.5% open space, above the plan’s 30% standard.

Planning staff and the record show the application was the subject of a public hearing before the Planning & Zoning Commission and that, at its Oct. 1 meeting, the commission recommended approval, listing eight reasons supporting the rezoning and attaching 18 conditions. Willard said the applicant has included the commission’s motion and the commission’s draft minutes in the council packet.

Why it matters: The change would alter the county’s comprehensive zoning map and enable a mixed housing project near an established commercial intersection (Route 20/Route 54), with traffic and utility implications for the surrounding neighborhood. The council’s deferral delays any formal map amendment and allows time for follow‑up on conditions,…