On July 12, public comments will be closed on the Sussex County workforce housing record. Then, county council will make recommendations to approve or change what planning & zoning has approved regarding workforce housing. What is workforce housing? Basically, it is discounted rental apartments for the workforce in the coastal areas. Builders of these apartment complexes have to meet certain criteria and have a percentage of units saved for affordable, discounted rents for the workforce. The map can be found by going to the county website, where you can also find the draft of the proposal approved by planning & zoning. First, this is a dialogue that I believe needs to continue, not close the file on public comments July 12. Next, creating apartments that are at a discounted rent for our workforce in the coastal area will create one thing – lifelong renters. While some residents enjoy living in a rental unit with no maintenance responsibilities and no lawn to maintain, my bet is that there are plenty of folks in the workforce housing market that would dream to become homeowners.