SUSSEX COUNTY, Del. - As development continues to accelerate in southern Delaware, Gov. Matt Meyer has signed a new executive order aimed at improving coordination between state and local governments.
The governor’s 16th executive order directs the Office of State Planning Coordination and the Cabinet Committee on State Planning Issues to establish corridor planning areas along key transportation routes across Delaware. The corridor plans are intended to address congestion, safety and accessibility while better aligning transportation investments with sustainable development and preservation goals.
Sussex County officials say they welcome the effort and do not view the order as the state attempting to manage growth locally.
In a statement, the county’s Public Information Officer said, “Sussex County welcomes the Governor’s efforts to better coordinate state funding in southern Delaware. The County does not view EO No. 16 as the State attempting to manage growth in Sussex County. The County understands this initiative is to improve the Office of State Planning Coordination’s efforts to implement local land use decisions through the State Strategies policy.”
Sussex County officials say they welcome the effort and do not view the order as the state attempting to manage growth locally.
As part of the order, the state and Sussex County will begin a seven month coordinated planning process starting in January 2026. From the county’s perspective, the Public Information Officer said “the goal of the 7 month study is to identify and quantify the amount of growth that is planned for the corridor areas for the plan period and to then identify the infrastructure and services needed to support the growth of the corridors in the future.”
The Public Information Officer said “a successful outcome will be a plan that assists both the County and the State in the drafting of the Comprehensive Plan update and a commitment from the State related to the immediate and necessary infrastructure improvements in the corridor areas especially U.S. Route 9.”
Christofe Toulo, who served on Sussex County’s Land Use Reform Working Group, said the executive order also reflects recommendations the group has discussed for years and that the working group previously presented 20 recommendations to County Council aimed at improving county code and better managing growth.
Sussex Preservation Coalition is represented by Jill Hicks; the American Council of Engineering Companies by Mike Riemann; the Home Builders Association of Delaware by Jon Horner; the Environmental Group by Christophe Tulou of the Delaware Center for the Inland Bays; Sussex Farm Bureau by Jay Baxter or RC Willin; Affordable Housing Advocate by Caitlin Del Collo of the Delaware State Housing Authority; Affordable Housing Developer by Matthew Padron; Local Residential Developer by Doug Motley; Delaware Department of Transportation by Mark Luszcz; and the Office of State Planning Coordination by David Edgell or Dorothy Morris.
“You need to make sure the development is not creating a problem for the infrastructure that is in place,” Toulo said. “We do not want infrastructure change chasing these developments. We want them to happen at least in parallel or better yet to happen where the infrastructure already is.”
The executive order also launches a 2026 State Smart Growth Visioning process involving state agencies, local governments and non state partners. That effort will examine land use patterns, population trends and public investment strategies, assess the effectiveness of existing state incentives and programs, align infrastructure projects across agencies and identify tools to help local governments improve planning capacity and climate preparedness.
Dutchman's harvest in Lewes.
The order also modernizes the state’s Preliminary Land Use Service, or PLUS, process. State officials say changes will streamline coordination with agencies and local governments, expand fast track reviews for priority projects such as housing and launch a new PLUS 2.0 system using updated technology and clearer timelines with a goal of completing reviews within 45 days.
While growth pressures have been building for years, Sussex County officials said the timing of the coordination effort aligns with the county’s plans. According to the Public Information Officer, “since the County will start its Comprehensive Land Use Plan update this summer the timing aligns well with the County’s schedule."