Sussex County Council Recognizes 3 State Championship Teams & Discuss Perimeter Buffers
It was a packed house Tuesday morning at Sussex County Council. The Council presented proclamations to the Cape Henlopen High School Division 1 championship field hockey team, the Delmar High School Division 2 championship field hockey team and the Sussex Academy Division 2 championship boys soccer team for their stellar seasons. This was Cape’s 11th consecutive state title and the 8th consecutive title for Delmar. However for Sussex Academy – this is their first state championship is school history.
County Administrator Todd Lawson, Assistant County Attorney Vince Robertson and County Planning Director Jamie Whitehouse discussed with the Council the latest update on perimeter buffers. During a workshop with the Council and Planning & Zoning Commission a couple of months ago on development design standards for open space, buffers, forest preservation and more, perimeter buffers was identified as the first item that should be updated in the County Code. Lawson explained that an outline has been developed and that was presented to the Council this week. This outline includes definitions, standards, landscape plan, timing, bonds and guarantees and tree mitigation. There was quite a bit of discussion from the Council members as well and Lawson says that their input will be incorporated into the next step, which he hopes to have before council in the next month or so.
The Sussex County Council revisited five pieces of old business. Conditional Use No. 2285 for a tourist home near Milton was denied by the council with a unanimous vote. Ordinance No. 23-11 – to amend the future land use map for a parcel of land on Saddle Ridge Way was approved along with a partner Conditional Use No 2350 to allow 2 units for multi-family dwelling on the same parcel of land. The Council also passed Conditional Use No. 2379 for solar farm also to be located near the Saddle Ridge Way properties – but both Councilmen John Rieley and Mark Schaeffer voted against the application saying it was the wrong location and did not belong between two subdivisions. It did pass with a 3 to 2 vote. Conditional Use No 2380 was also approved – for a solar farm on Thorogoods Road near Dagsboro.
During the afternoon session the Council held 9 public hearings for a variety of applications. The Council did approve an electric sign for Epworth United Methodist Church in Rehoboth Beach. After that a Change of Zone No 1996 and Conditional Use No 2402 for 174 multi-family townhouses was deferred as were six conditional use applications for solar arrays in western and central Sussex County.
The County Council is on it’s Christmas holiday and will return to chambers on January 2. Remember the County Food Drive to Pack the Pod is still running through the end of the month – the Pod is located outside the County Administration Building on The Circle in Georgetown. Drop donations off to the County offices during regular business hours (8am to 4:30pm) and County offices will be closed on December 25th & 26th.
