GEORGETOWN, Del. - At the Sussex County Council meeting at 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, the county heard from the county's Planning and Zoning director and state representatives about a master plan for Route 9 and Route 113.
The presentation marked the beginning of a coordinated effort between the state and Sussex County to refine the approach to growth, land use, and preservation.
Some believe the issue could be resolved by turning Route 9 from a single lane road, to a two lane.Â
The master plan they discussed covers issues such as growth, land use, and preservation along the main highways.
Nikko Brady, Deputy Chief of Staff for Governor Matt Meyer, says collaboration between the state and counties is crucial to success regarding plans like these. Brady says the master plan feeds into the counties' Comprehensive Plan.
"There is growth and development happening in those areas," Brady tells CoastTV. "We each have a role to play, and each have resources to contribute to the process.
Brady acknowledges that Route 113 is an area that is seeing loads of growth.Â
Brady says coordinated planning between both the state and county is the only way to keep a balance between thriving agriculture and tourism along the coast.
In the meeting, Route 9 was a major focus. Brady notes that Route 113 is also an area that needs to be addressed.
"The opportunity to explore Route 9 in this way and use our findings and sort of the output from this Route 9 process to inform what happens on 113."
Objectives for this plan consist of assessing things like the effects of infrastructure, evaluating land reservation, and preservation strategies. Sussex County Director of Planning and Zoning Jamie Whitehouse, Brady, as well as David Edgell and Dorothy Morris with the Office of State Planning Coordination, say this will allow them to better address congestion, safety, land use, and environmental concerns.
Whitehouse broke down four scenarios for Route 9, saying each would have its own set of rules and definition for growth density. These would play into the future steps of sharpening this plan by simulating the relationship between transportation and growth.
Patrick O'Shea lives on Route 9 and says that with all the growth, he feels bad for farmers.
"You want some growth, but you don't want to suffocate the area either," O'Shea tells CoastTV. "From, say the Walmart. So if I have to go get something, each year it takes me a minute or two longer. More and more people on 113, on 9. It's obvious,"
The few Sussex County Council members who did speak up had praise for what was presented.
Whitehouse says this plan is very much long-range, and may require up to 40-years of multiple years and phases of Comprehensive Plans. Morris says they are planning on having public workshops in May and June to start looking at the four scenarios.Â