Sussex County land-use panel membership set

Sussex County Council, at its Feb. 25 meeting, accepted a list of members for a working group that will help draft laws intended to shift housing growth to more densely developed areas, protect the environment and create more types of housing to fill community needs.

“Today, I’m making sure we are on track,” County Administrator Todd Lawson said as he led council through his presentation on the working group.

“It looks good,” said Councilman Steve McCarron afterward. “I appreciate the effort that was put into this.”

Councilman John Rieley noted that the Board of Realtors had requested representation. Lawson said he was concerned about the working group becoming too large. Realtors and other interested groups and individuals who do not have membership in the working group can still make suggestions during the process, he said.

Meetings will be advertised in advance, held in public, broadcast and have minutes taken, Lawson said.

“It looks like we are all on the same page here,” said Council President Douglas Hudson.

The members are:

• Jill Hicks, president of the Sussex Preservation Coalition

• Mike Riemann, a representative of the American Council of Engineering Companies. Riemann is also president of Home Builders Association of Delaware

• Jon Horner, representing the Home Builders Association of Delaware. Horner is also general counsel for Schell Brothers and Ocean Atlantic Companies

• Christophe Tulou, executive director of the Delaware Center for the Inland Bays

• Jay Baxter of R.C. Willin, representing Sussex Farm Bureau

• Caitlin Del Collo, chief strategy advisor for the Delaware State Housing Authority

• Matthew Padron, an affordable housing developer. Padron is managing director of development for Volker

• Doug Motley, a local residential developer. Motley is also a managing principal for Jack Lingo Asset Management

• Mark Lusczcz, acting chief engineer for Delaware Department of Transportation's Division of Transportation Solutions

• David Edgell or Dorothy Morris, representing the Office of State Planning Coordination.

Development, particularly housing growth in rural areas, has become an increasingly contentious issue in Sussex County, the fastest-growing county in the state over the past five years.

Three council members elected to their first terms in November ran on platforms calling for limits on development. They raised concerns about the effect of growth on infrastructure, emergency services, schools and healthcare.

As they set their priorities for this year, addressing development was an issue on which all council members agreed.  

The next step in the working group’s process will be finding a planning consultant and meeting facilitator. 

During the first two quarters of this year, the group will develop a list of recommendations to council. The entire process of amending local laws could continue at least through the end of the year, including required public hearings.

No meeting dates have been set for the working group.

Horner said Feb. 26 he is looking forward to joining the working group to encourage changes to local laws that he hopes will reduce sprawl and encourage development of more diverse housing types, including affordable and workforce housing.

“Me, personally, I think we need smarter growth in Sussex County,” said Horner, who chairs the government affairs committee of the Home Builders Association of Delaware.

Current rules encourage development of large, single-family houses in rural areas, he said. Housing needs to be located closer to existing developments where it is supported by infrastructure, and that will require changing local ordinances that cause sprawl, Horner said.

There is a large demand for housing in the county, and the industry creates thousands of jobs in Sussex County, he said.

“We have a housing affordability problem in this county,” Horner said.

While there has been pushback against the fast pace of development, Horner said there is still a significant need; it just has to be managed to accommodate the kinds of housing that are needed, and it has to be built in the right locations.

“Some want door closed and no growth,” he said. “We need housing.”

The diverse membership of the working group will bring different ideas to the table, Horner said. 

“I think anything that comes out of that group will be fair and balanced,” he said.

“I am pleased to be included on the working group, and consider it a great opportunity to be a part of this conversation along with the other stakeholders,” said Edgell, director of the Office of State Planning Coordination.

“It is essential for the state and the county to work together on land-use issues due to our shared responsibilities regarding growth, development, infrastructure and services,” he added. “I hope that we can accomplish a stronger partnership with the county on land-use planning moving forward.”

Tulou said he is concerned about both the environment and broader issues facing the county.

“For us, it’s to make sure we take a look at land-use policy in the county, and we are making decisions that take into account critical issues to us, like changing climate, storm risks, and saltwater marshes and freshwater marshes,” he said.

Among other critical issues are affordable housing, an aging population, workforce housing and housing sprawl, Tulou said. The working group will also have to consider the reasons why development is occurring where it is, and state efforts to direct where development should and should not occur.

The political climate in Sussex County is ripe for change in land-use policy, Tulou said.