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Roads and DelDOT funding loom over land‑use recommendations; council urges state coordination
Summary
Council members repeatedly said DelDOT funding and timelines must be aligned with any growth map or rezoning changes. Staff recommended renewed, explicit coordination with the state; several council members urged using TIDs, impact fees or other tools, but noted DelDOT's slow timelines and limited near‑term capacity.
Georgetown, Del. — Transportation capacity, DelDOT funding and the pace of road improvements dominated several council members' questions during the Oct. 14 land‑use workshop, underscoring the long lead times on state road projects and the political pressure council members face from residents over summer congestion.
Council concerns: Multiple council members said they routinely hear public complaints that local roads cannot handle current traffic in the beach season and that approving additional large developments without firm road plans risks degrading safety and quality of life. "If we just jam more people into a smaller area without the adequate infrastructure 2D i.e. Roads 2D what are we doing?" one council member said.
Staff and DelDOT: Staff repeatedly urged closer coordination with DelDOT and said some ideas — such as changing DelDOT's development impact formulas or payment rules — would require the county to obtain state agreement and possible legislative changes. Staff described TIDs as a tool that can help but noted TID collections and DelDOT's multi‑year project schedules often mean visible improvements lag behind growth.
Policy options discussed: The workshop covered transportation improvement districts (TIDs), transportation impact fees, and the possibility of using county funds to partner with DelDOT on prioritized road projects. Staff also noted the county could be more explicit in communicating prioritized road investments to the state to influence the statewide capital plan.
Public comment: Residents urged the county to require road‑capacity information in PLUS/TIS documents and to account for cumulative traffic from nearby pending applications when DelDOT conducts its reviews.
Outcome: Council asked staff to draft an implementation approach that includes stronger coordination with DelDOT and state elected officials and to identify which planning recommendations depend most critically on transportation funding and timing.
