Sussex County Council Updated on Comp Plan & SB 23/HB 450

The Sussex County Council met Tuesday with updates on the Comprehensive Land Use Plan and the two new housing laws – Senate Bill 23 and House Bill 450.  Councilman Matt Lloyd was absent.

The County is using consultants McCormick Taylor to put together the Comprehensive Plan update. They are looking at population numbers – using the State’s Population Consortium estimates only as a starting point as they were about 20 years off in the last Comp Plan. The State’s numbers more reflect static occupancy – however in Sussex County the population is more seasonal – with many more people living here in the summer than the rest of the year. The consultants are using other data – some not available during the creation of the last Comprehensive Plan – to bring the population numbers more into line.

Councilman Steve McCarron asked if the State’s population consortium estimates had to be used – that became law in 2019 with the passage of Senate Bill 7. However the last Comp Plan’s Population Consortium Estimate had 260,000 people in Sussex County by 2045 – but the current population in Sussex County in 2025 is 277,000 – surpassing the State’s estimate 20 years early.

Planning & Zoning Director, Jamie Whitehouse, says the next steps of the Comprehensive Plan update are in January-February of next year, so having these numbers is critical before reaching the next steps.

Senate Bill 23 and House Bill 450 – which are now law regarding affordable housing were also updated and discussed by the County Council. County Administrator Todd Lawson explained that this basically is an update as to where the County is and where they are going and a tentative timeline as it relates to these to bills. Once the bills were passed, the county put most land use applications regarding housing on hold. County staff is currently working on updated ordinances that work with the new laws which greatly limit the public input aspect of applications for subdivisions. While a public meeting can be held – public comment is limited to written comment – received within 14 days of the meeting. Lawson hopes that the updated ordinance will be ready by the end of the year.

The Council was visited by several members of the Sussex County Volunteer Firefighters Association (SCVFA) who came to thank the County for their continued funding – but especially to thank County Finance Director, Gina Jennings, who Michael Suit, President of the SCVFA said is a “solid rock in you’alls foundation.” They presented a plaque to Jennings – an award of recognition for what she has provided to the Sussex County Volunteer Firefighters Association and the fire service.

There were three public hearings during the afternoon session. The first was a public hearing for the Briarstone Annexation to Sussex County Unified Sanitary Sewer District – Western Sussex in the Greenwood Area. This was approved by the Council with a 4 to 0 vote.

Conditional Use No 2616 on behalf of TPE, DE was for a solar array proposed for the Lincoln area. No recommendation has yet come from the Planning Commission so the County Council had no option but to defer its vote as well.

Change of Zone No 2061 on behalf of Sandie, LLC was to amend conditions of approval for a previous CZ in relation to the addition of and use of recreational amenities for property in the Plantations – the Dave Marshall Tennis & Pickleball Center. This is a multi-layered issue in replacing part of the facility that was destroyed by a fire two years ago, but also dealing with some changes requested through the HOA. The County Council has deferred its vote and the record has been left open while all the information is compiled and the parties and public can make written comment submissions until November 13th. Of the over 2-dozen people who spoke during the public hearing nearly everyone wants to see the recreation facility return.

The Sussex County Council does not meet next week because of Election Day. County offices will be closed Tuesday, November 3rd and on Return Day, Thursday, November 5th. The next Sussex County Council meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, November 10th.