Re-posting from the Civic League for New Castle County facebook page ~
Attention Old County Road Community!
Please Put Your Thoughts on the Record About the “Harmony of Glasgow” Senior Living Facility Petition and New Castle County Adjustment Board Meeting
1. Sign the Petition
2. Attend the New Castle County Board of Adjustment Meeting
Smith/Packett’s request for suburban code variances will be reviewed and put to a vote in a meeting of the New Castle County Board of Adjustment at 6:00pm on Thursday November, 21st (at The Department of Land Use conference room, NCC Government Center, 87 Reads Way New Castle, Delaware 19720).
At this meeting Smith/Packett will be requesting that the board approve its plans to build a structure that is:
--- 32% in excess of the New Castle county UDC suburban code limits for maximum building height
--- 120% in excess of the UDC suburban limits for net floor area ratio
--- and 157% in excess of the UDC suburban limits for gross floor area ratio
After Smith/Packett makes its presentation to the board, interested residents can speak to those requests. If you would like to speak, the criteria the board considers and asks folks to address are: the specifics of the UTC code, the character of the immediate vicinity, and the effect of the variance request on neighboring properties. We have been told that each person will have 5 minutes to speak and that the board will stop speakers who are repeating something that has already been said for too long.
3. Email Comments to the Board of Adjustment
You can also email comments to the Adjustment Board. Address your message to landuse@nccde.org and be sure to put “Board of Adjustment Application #2019-0625-A” in the subject line.
Click through HERE to sign the petition below
Residents living on and around Old County Road have serious concerns about Smith/Packett's proposed Senior Living Facility (Application #2019-0625-A), which far exceeds many New Castle County, UDC Suburban Maximum Limits.
Residents' concerns include, but are not limited to: facility height (at least 30% over suburban code limits); facility net square footage ratio (at least 120% over suburban code limits); facility gross square footage ratio (at least 157% over suburban code limits); and the negative impact that a facility of this size will have on stormwater runoff, drainage, sewage, and the character of the neighborhood--as well as the impact the number of residents, employees, and vendors living and working at a facility of this size will have on traffic safety.
We ask that measures be taken to lessen the proposed facility's negative impacts on the community and to facilitate responsible development:
1.That the county-mandated pump station upgrades be required by the developer, prior to facility construction (and that there is full transparency with the local residents about planning and timing along these lines);
2.That facility size and height reductions be required to conform more closely to Suburban Codes;
3.That New Castle County require the developer to purchase conservation easements on nearby parcels in order to permanently offset highly-skewed square footage to lot-size ratios *and* in order to adequately compensate for associated storm-water runoff and drainage issues in this low-lying area that cannot tolerate additional development for these very reasons (as well as to also provide green space that will help to preserve the intended Suburban Character of the area in the face of extreme facility overages with respect to Suburban Code limits); and
4.That New Castle County require the developer not only to gather all available data but also to conduct complete and comprehensive traffic studies--especially traffic *safety* studies--for Old County Road, for Glasgow Avenue, for the intersections on each road, and for their "T" intersection leading to Route 896.
These measures will protect residents from flooding and from sewage backups in their homes (which have occurred already and will only get worse if measures for responsible development are not taken), will protect local residents and facility tenants who drive on Old County Road and Glasgow Avenue, and will preserve the Suburban character of the neighborhood.
Residents of the Glasgow area have organized a petition asking the NCC Board of Adjustment not to grant the extensive waivers requested for a planned senior living facility in their neighborhood.
If you feel inclined, support their position and sign the petition at the link in the post.
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