Several residents and preservation advocates used the Feb. 4 public comment period to ask Sussex County Council to consider a temporary moratorium on new construction applications or to form a stakeholder work group to address growth, infrastructure capacity and environmental impacts.

George Lodato, a Laurel resident, asked the council to clarify a proposal he described as Councilman Matt Lloyd's plan for a nine-month moratorium on new construction applications. Lodato said he understood the moratorium would apply only to new applications, not to projects already approved or under construction, and urged the council to "look at how [growth] would affect our future."

Jill Hicks, president of the Sussex Preservation Coalition, told council the coalition wants to work on solutions and recommended that the council create a time-bound work group to identify ways to better match growth to infrastructure capacity. Hicks cited concerns about clear-cutting, wetland loss, inland bay water quality and problems such as traffic congestion, overcrowded classrooms and strained emergency services. She suggested moving preliminary site plan approval for some high-investment applications from Planning & Zoning to council or pausing acceptance of applications in State Investment Level 4 while the work group studies options.

Rich Barrasso of Milton praised a reported statement by Council President Hudson and asked the council to outline specific steps and timelines for 2025 to address land use reform. He recommended that stakeholders be included in any work group but cautioned a work group cannot substitute for a concrete implementation plan.

Resident Keith Steck proposed procedural changes including requiring an oath or affirmation for speakers at public hearings across county bodies and creating an ordinance allowing the public to request corrections to minutes or memorialized public documents.

Council members did not take immediate formal action on a moratorium during the meeting; speakers and council discussion centered on forming a stakeholder-driven process with defined deliverables and timelines. Several speakers urged the council to move promptly so that infrastructure does not fall further behind growth, while at least one commenter suggested examining historical zoning assumptions and whether county authorities over road demand should be increased. The council indicated interest in further discussion and in launching a process to develop specific steps.