MOT Alliance Public Zoom Meeting With NCC Officials: 6PM January 12th; NCC Comp Plan Draft Comments Due January 30th

 

MOT Alliance ~

IMPORTANT - VIRTUAL Public Forum - Southern New Castle County

6 - 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, January 12th

ZOOM Meeting

REGISTER HERE

You are welcome to pre-register at:

https://tinyurl.com/SNCCJan12

TOP PRIORITY TO ATTEND!

Reason for meeting: New Castle County government has been directing a master planning process for Southern New Castle County (SNCC) over the last several years. To date, that process has yielded the draft SNCC Master Plan. This virtual public forum has been organized with the County Land Use Department, the MOT Alliance, and local public officials in an effort to continue building on the work of the southern NCC master planning effort and to further engage the community on important planning issues to support modifications as the draft countywide comprehensive plan gets updated.

On January 12th, after brief introductions from elected panelists and guests, we will spend time on each of the following 5 topics, including time for audience participation and questions.
Topic #1: Economy / Jobs
Topic #2: Environment
Topic #3: Quality of Life and Community Services (this includes schools, public safety, and other)
Topic #4: Community Design / Character
Topic #5: Transportation

There will be some time at the end of the meeting for general public comments and questions. Please keep statements to less than 1 minute. The chat feature of the meeting will be open so you may also submit comments and questions there.

With more from the MOT Alliance ~

The Middletown Odessa Townsend (MOT) Alliance is a grassroots, community run organization whose mission is to promote responsible growth and development in the MOT region.  The community members have been working with our office, the New Castle County (NCC) Department of Land Use, as well as state representatives to provide feedback on the Southern New Castle County Master Plan, as well as the overall NCC Comprehensive Plan. In addition to comments on the land use plans, the MOT Alliance is gathering information to share with the Department of Land Use on how residents of the MOT region would like to see growth and development in the community.  The Alliance has developed a thoughtful survey to better understand what residents throughout Southern NCC desire for our future.  The survey takes about 10-15 minutes to complete.  If you have a few minutes, please give your feedback by completing the survey at http://www.motalliance.com/survey Additionally, the MOT Alliance has been working with the Department of Land Use to schedule a MOT focused workshop on future planning for the region.  This workshop will take place on January 12 at 6:00PM at the Volunteer Hose of Middletown (28 W Green St) we hope that you can attend to give your feedback on what you hope to see in the future for our community.

NCC@2050 Draft Plan 

The NCC@2050 Comprehensive Plan draft is now available for review and public comment.  Public comment on the draft plan will be accepted until January 30, 2022*.  You can view and download the draft plan here.  In each section of the plan there is a link to leave a comment, you can also provide feedback by emailing NCC2050@newcastlede.gov

*Note: The county had set January 12th as the end of the Comp Plan Draft comment period to great objection from residents, especially from this group, as this meeting had already been scheduled for the same day and that would have prevented meaningful dialogue and direct information from the county from being included in the draft commentary. 4

As I understand it, for those reasons, Dave Carter was able to persuade Rich Hall to agree to extend the comment period to January 30th. Thanks Dave! 

WILMAPCO Virtual Public Workshop on the Churchman's Crossing Plan, 5:30PM Wednesday, September 16th (RSVP)

From the Wilmington Area Planning Council ~

Virtual Public Workshop on the Churchman's Crossing Plan

5:30 p.m. Wednesday, September 16th

REGISTER HERE

A virtual public workshop will be held on Wednesday, September 16th to provide an update on the Churchman’s Crossing Plan. 

The virtual workshop will take place at 5:30 p.m. (log in and registration starts at 5:00, with the presentation starting at 5:30).  

The Wilmington Area Planning Council (WILMAPCO), DelDOT, and the New Castle County Land Use Department are developing an update to the 1977 Churchman's Crossing Plan. The update will take a little more than one year to complete, with the anticipated completion in Fall 2021. This first public workshop will serve as a formal kickoff for that study as they share some preliminary background information and engage in and with the public. 

To register to attend the virtual event, please click here. 

2018 Sussex County Comprehensive Plan Adopted

Sussex County adopts comprehensive plan

Sussex County has a blueprint to build its future.

County Council on Tuesday, Dec. 4, 2018, adopted the County’s 2018 comprehensive plan update, the culmination of more than two years’ worth of work, with scores of public meetings, workshops, and outreach that attracted hundreds of comments, suggestions, and ideas from residents, business owners, government officials and others on how Sussex County should move forward as a growing community in the decades ahead.

The 280-page plan, which will guide County officials in various levels of decision-making, has yielded more than 100 strategies focused on everything from land use, conservation, and housing to transportation, utilities, and economic development, all of which will be considered for implementation during the lifespan of the plan. The strategies could take form as new ordinances or policies that County officials will weigh in the weeks and months to come.

“This is a momentous occasion for the County as we look forward to the future, one that will bring significant challenges but tremendous opportunity in the decade ahead,” County Administrator Todd F. Lawson said. “I am very proud of the work by the County Council, the Planning & Zoning Commission, our staff, the consultant, and frankly from the public during this two-year journey. It has been a community effort in the truest sense, and what we are left with is a vision I hope everyone is proud of.”

Some of the key strategies in the adopted plan include:

· Ways to preserve, promote and strengthen agriculture’s presence in the county, including through a possible agribusiness district that would add certain permitted ag-related support uses to low-density areas;

·   Several initiatives to review and potentially overhaul the County’s land use code, specifically measures that would focus on wetland protection, forestry preservation, and water quality;

·  Forming a County-level transportation committee, which would work with State officials to better monitor, coordinate and prioritize road projects;

·   The establishment of economic development zones to focus job creation and private investment in and around targeted communities;

·    Stimulating the construction of workforce/affordable housing through a review of existing impediments to such housing, and incentives, including the possibility of a community development fund.

Council’s vote to approve the document is the first major update of the County’s comprehensive plan since the last version was adopted in 2008. Delaware law mandates that all counties and municipalities have a comprehensive plan in place. Counties and municipalities must review and update those plans for State certification every 10 years, while providing yearly updates on the progress of implementation. The adopted plan now moves to the State for certification.

A comprehensive plan, among other things, serves as the standard for how development occurs and how land use is governed in a community over a long-term period. Such plans are used by local governments to not only establish land-use policies and identify growth areas, but also to give consideration to various other community concerns, such as affordable housing availability, agriculture preservation, open space protection, historic preservation, economic development and transportation mobility.

County Council President Michael H. Vincent said Sussex County will be a stronger community a generation from now because of the efforts of so many people today, especially an engaged citizenry that crowded meetings, pored over documents, and wrote letters and emails to express their ideas. “This was a marathon process, for sure, but it was an important process nevertheless. And I think we’re all better for it, and certainly Sussex County will be a better place today for all of us, and tomorrow for our children and their children,” Mr. Vincent said.

For more information on the Sussex County comprehensive plan, visit www.sussexplan.com.