Workforce Housing Issue Focus of Town Hall Meeting in Bear

     This is an interesting article on a workforce housing Town Hall meeting held in Bear, Delaware. 

     The problems with the workforce housing code and its implementation have been a big issue for the Civic League since its passage. 

     I thank the candidates challenging the incumbents for putting on this meeting and at least laying out their ideas and solutions to the public. I also challenge the incumbents to do the same.

      As an independent, I will attend any candidate's forum and support the candidate with the best solution to the problem. I don't care if you are a Democrat, a Republican, or from the Bull Moose Party. Convince me you can solve the problems and you get my support!!!

     Many of us from the civic community put hundreds of hours into the NCC Comprehensive Plan process, only to be ignored.  Since that time,


the NC County Elected officials have pushed for code changes that benefit the developers, and ignored most of the community needs and land protection efforts such as Transfer of Development Rights that were included in the Comprehensive Plan. 

     Much of this density was to be offset by land protection through TDRs.  This was repeatedly used to justify the density increases by County officials, yet they never made any sincere effort to implement this critical component of the land use plan.

     A half-hearted effort was made and several of us from the civic community put considerable volunteer time into trying to keep the process open to the public and to give it some structure and guidance.  Unfortunately, the County never did their due diligence on implementing this critical component from the Comprehensive Plan. 

     For more details on the failed TDR efforts, and some of the work we members of the civic community did as part of this effort in 2007, please go to the link below:

 New Castle County Transfer of Development Program Efforts

 

Post written by Dave Carter.