Georgetown, Del., Oct. 28, 2008: After nearly two years of accepting public opinion and crafting the necessary documents and maps, Sussex County’s Comprehensive Plan Update has earned final State approval.

Delaware Gov. Ruth Ann Minner on Monday, Oct. 27, certified the 2007 Comprehensive Plan Update, which Sussex County Council approved in June. County Administrator David B. Baker announced the governor’s certification at the County Council’s Tuesday, Oct. 28, meeting.

The comprehensive plan update, a State-mandated document that serves as the County’s vision into the next decade, among things calls for further protecting agriculture, better defining open space, encouraging more affordable housing and enticing developers to build more environmentally friendly projects within developing areas.

“We are pleased the governor has certified the plan and validated what the people of Sussex County and their elected leaders believe is the most appropriate course to take for its future,” Mr. Baker said. “I thank the governor, the Advisory Council on State Planning Coordination, state planners Connie Holland and Bryan Hall, the County Council and our staff, our consultant, Paul Driscoll of Urban Research & Development Corp., and most importantly the people of Sussex County for their involvement in this process. So many people have helped us to arrive at this point.”

In January 2007, Sussex County began the process to update the previous comprehensive plan, adopted in 2002. Numerous public meetings were held and input taken to craft the document later approved by County Council, and now certified by the State.

Delaware law mandates that all counties and municipalities have a comprehensive plan in place to guide their future, and update those plans every five years. The plans define, among other things, growth zones, land-use policies and how development should progress, potential transportation improvements, historic preservation and economic development efforts.

Sussex County government in the coming months will draft and consider approximately two dozen ordinances necessary to implement the concepts outlined in the plan. Already the County has adopted a revised forested buffer ordinance and a source water protection ordinance; others, including ordinances to define open space and superior design, have been proposed and await public hearings.

County Council President Finley B. Jones Jr. said he was pleased to have Gov. Minner’s endorsement of the plan so the Council and staff can move forward with implementation.

“With the majority of Council leaving office in January, I am thankful that we now have certification and that we can point to this as one of the County Council’s many accomplishments during my tenure,” President Jones said. “The incoming Council will play a critical role in the process, too, as much of the implementation work will fall to those new members. I am confident they will give careful consideration, and uphold the County’s vision of balancing property rights with planning for responsible growth.”

The 2007 Comprehensive Plan Update is available on the County’s Web site, at sussexcountyde.gov/comprehensive-plan.

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