Sussex County Council unanimously approved its Comprehensive Land Use Plan report to be sent to the Governor’s Advisory Council at its June 24 meeting.
The plan was last updated in 2018. Counties are legally required to give annual reports to the Governor's Advisory Council.
This year’s report included information on the Long Range Transportation Plan that was adopted this year, new land use ordinances and the county’s Land Use Reform Working Group, which is working on a draft of recommendations for Council expected in fall 2025.
It also included how much open space the county has protected, according to Sussex County Planning and Zoning director Jamie Whitehouse.
“So in the last 12 months, 497 acres have been secured and protected as open space,” Whitehouse said. “And when we add that to the total open space protected over the last five years, it comes to 2,428 acres, or that's 3.79 square miles that have been protected as open space through the subdivision ordinances that exist.”
Sussex County Council approved an ordinance in August that expanded residential buffer zones and encouraged developers to use natural woodlands as buffers when possible.
Whitehouse said stats like those show ordinances and county land purchasing serve their intended purpose of keeping some land permanently free of buildings.
Other updates included progress in the transportation industry. A project in partnership with the Delaware Department of Transportation sought suggestions from the public February to March 2025 on improvements they’d like to see.
Sussex County Planning and Zoning director Jamie Whitehouse said they received ample responses. Delawareans submitted 77 ideas to the Capital Transportation Program in the last year.
“They were all great ideas,” Whitehouse said. “They've all been forwarded to DelDOT. They've all been collated, and the staff have now started the process where we make recommendations to the state for the Council on transportation to then refine that list.”
Suggestions ranged from small fixes like potholes and pavement repairs to larger capital projects.
Whitehouse said the goal is for the Council of Transportation to have a condensed list later this year that will be implemented over the next few years. Public meetings on the draft CTP are anticipated to occur after fall 2025.
The report covered updates on the Henlopen Transportation Improvement District, which was adopted in October 2020. Projects are still being presented during the review period, and the financial commitments are expected to be more than $10 million.
The report also highlights the agricultural industry in southern Delaware, including Sussex County’s ranking as the top U.S. producer of broiler chickens and lima beans.
“Over 35,000 acres of farmland have been permanently preserved through the Delaware Agricultural Lands Preservation Program, helping to protect Sussex County’s rural character,” the report reads.
Seaford is listed as another Delawarean success. The report said it once had a nearly 90 percent commercial vacancy.
“[The] area now boasts over 90% occupancy,” the report said. “This turnaround is due in large part to the Delaware Downtown Development District Program and a $60 million redevelopment initiative.”
Delaware’s counties must put comprehensive plans in place every ten years and submit annual reports to the Governor's Advisory Council. Sussex County Council unanimously approved its annual late last month.
