A committee examining potential land use changes in Sussex County is set to vote next month on final recommendations for County Council.
The Land Use Reform Working Group is composed of affordable housing and environmental advocates, developers, and farmers. After a year of meetings and sometimes spirited discussion, the group last week finalized a set of 19 draft recommendations to vote on.
Most elicited little discussion, but County Administrator Todd Lawson, a committee advisor, raised concerns about a proposal to sort the county into growth areas and conservation areas, with possible transition zones buffering the two.
“This one, ‘establish growth and conservation areas,’ is really a heavy lift," Lawson said. "I'm not saying that in a negative way, but it's probably a process that would be one of the ones that takes maybe the longest amount of time to accomplish, because that is a [Comprehensive Plan] rewrite.”
Responding to similar concerns about a proposal to realign the county’s zoning areas with those growth and conservation areas, Dorothy Morris from the Office of State Planning Coordination agreed it was a big job, but a necessary one.
“This is a huge lift for the county, but it is something that needs to happen in a perfect world," she said.
Members also debated further reducing the maximum number of housing units per acre in agricultural zones. Jay Baxter, representing the Sussex Farm Bureau argued fewer allowable houses per acre means land is less valuable as collateral for farmers seeking credit.
“Some farmers that have been in business for generations and generations are strapped to the point where, when this happens, they will be foreclosed on," he said. "That is a fact.”
Working group members also differ over the percentage of new housing units that should be set aside for low-income renters, as well as open space requirements for new subdivisions.
The Land Use Reform Working Group is set to vote which recommendations to send on to County Council September 11. It will be up to county lawmakers to turn those recommendations into policy or not.
