LEWES, Del. - Residents and environmental advocates gathered Wednesday night for a Sussex County Preservation Coalition meeting focused on growth, development and land preservation concerns across Sussex County.
Community members discussed issues including wetland conservation, road infrastructure and coordination between county and state officials as development continues to increase throughout the county.
“I just hope that the powers that be are going to take on the concerns of ordinary citizens here in Sussex County, but also members of groups like the Sussex Preservation Coalition and other environmental activist groups who want to see a better balance,” one attendee said during the meeting.
Attendees participated by raising their hands and marking priorities on easels during the discussion.
One resident, identified as Shaughnessy, said stronger alignment is needed between county and state governments when it comes to development oversight.
“I raised my hand for there to be better alignment between the state’s role and the county’s role, the home rule versus the state advisory role,” Shaughnessy said.
Allison White of the Sussex County Preservation Coalition presented updated figures on residential development applications currently in the pipeline.
White said the coalition identified 54 development applications totaling 14,010 homes in November. During Wednesday’s meeting, she said that number had increased to 63 applications representing roughly 16,563 homes.
The meeting also included discussion about the timeline for updates to Sussex County’s comprehensive plan, which guides future growth and development decisions. Although changes to the plan may still be about two years away, White said it is important to begin discussions now.
“I think it was Jill Greenbaum that kind of pounded the table and said we really, really need to start on this now,” White said. “So they got started a little early. So yeah, it’s important.”
Members of the coalition said they hope continued public involvement will help shape the county’s future growth as work on the comprehensive plan moves forward.
