Georgetown, Del., August 22, 2006: Sussex County Council has chosen a Pennsylvania consulting firm to shepherd the county’s land-use plan through its next state-mandated update, which must be completed in a little more than a year.

Council on Tuesday, Aug. 22, 2006, selected Urban Research and Development Corp. of Bethlehem, Pa., to coordinate the review and update of the county’s land-use plan. That plan defines, among other things, growth zones, land-use policies and how development should proceed in the county during the next five years.

Delaware law mandates that all counties and municipalities have a comprehensive plan in place to guide land use and future development. Counties and municipalities must review their plans every five years, and submit the plans to the state for approval.

Sussex County adopted its current land use plan in December 2002; the state of Delaware approved it in January 2003. That plan expires in late 2007.

Council members praised Urban Research, which has performed similar work in numerous Maryland and Pennsylvania counties, adding that the firm’s experience and philosophy will benefit Sussex County and its residents in the form of a complete and professional blueprint for land use.

“I believe this firm best represents the interests of Sussex County,” said Councilman Vance C. Phillips, who made the motion to select Urban Research and Development.

Urban Research and Development was one of six consulting firms that submitted proposals to aid the county in its land-use plan update. A selection committee of various county officials, led by Administrative Assistant Hal Godwin, interviewed four of those candidates, and then ranked the candidates based on their qualifications. From that list, two firms made presentations to County Council on Tuesday morning, and the winning candidate was selected.

Council’s selection of Urban Research and Development sets into motion a series of events, which will unfold in the coming weeks and months. Now that a consultant has been selected, county officials in the next 30 days will negotiate a contract with the firm. That agreement will define the scope of work to be performed, as well as establish fees for the consultant’s work.

As soon as a formal contract is in place, the consultant will hold a meeting with the county’s Planning & Zoning Commission. Following that meeting, the review of the current plan, as well as the collection of data and other materials for a new plan, will commence.

The consultant will schedule a series of public meetings this fall throughout Sussex County to receive public input on the plan, before a draft plan is written in early 2007. That draft then will be reviewed by county and state officials for comments, and then presented to the public in final hearings with the Planning & Zoning Commission and County Council next summer.

The Planning & Zoning Commission is expected to make a recommendation on the plan at that point, and then forward the document to County Council for its final approval.

“We have a deadline that, believe it or not, is fast approaching,” Mr. Godwin said after the Council’s selection. “I am thankful the Council has made a decision so that we and our consultant can now tackle the task at hand. I am confident this process will yield a plan for sound and orderly land use, one that will maintain and improve the quality of life we all enjoy here in Sussex County.”