Land use committee reviews Falconer’s Row subdivision, proposal to add historic overlay to one lot

The New Castle County Council Land Use Committee heard a presentation on the Falconer’s Row major subdivision and an accompanying ordinance to place an H (historic) overlay over one parcel containing a 1927 house during its meeting. The plan would reconfigure five parcels to create 11 residential lots, preserve about 48% of the site as open space and leave two existing lots outside the proposed subdivision.

The project team told the committee the parcel proposed for the historic overlay is about 1.7 acres and contains a house built in 1927 that meets multiple criteria under the Unified Development Code. Sean Tucker, representing the applicant, said the County Department of Land Use and the Planning Board recommended approval of both the major plan and the ordinance and that a cultural resources survey and other documentation are on file with the department.

The historic overlay would “drop on top of” a single lot, Tucker said, noting the owner agreed voluntarily to the H designation in front of the Historic Review Board. Tucker said approximately 48% of the site would remain as open space and showed photos of the house on the lot. He said FEMA issued a related approval on June 16, 2025, and that the county fire marshal signed off on the project in a letter dated Aug. 31, 2023. Tucker also said the team has met repeatedly with nearby residents and adjusted the plan — pulling proposed lots back from Buck Road and moving the new road behind those lots — to preserve existing large trees along Buck Road.

Committee members asked about occupancy, future use and lot sizes. The project team told the committee the house is currently occupied by a renter and that an addition previously approved by the Historic Review Board remains on file. Tucker said the owner may sell the historic lot in the future and that an accessory dwelling unit is a possible future use. When asked about lot sizes, the applicant’s representative said the new lots are large under the SE (Suburban Estate) zoning — roughly about an acre or just over per lot — and would use individual septic systems. Tucker also said prospective homes on the lots are likely to be large given area character, with builders estimating house sizes in the multiple-thousand-square-foot range.

Committee members noted the Department of Land Use and the Planning Board reviewed the standard rezoning criteria — consistency with the comprehensive plan, character of the area, conformity with nearby zoning and suitability of the site — and recommended approval. The applicant cited UDC criteria, including a referenced provision “40.1511” and other historic standards that the Historic Review Board found satisfied.

No formal vote on the ordinance or the resolution was recorded in the Land Use Committee transcript excerpt. Tucker said he expects the project team will hear from a neighbor before the scheduled vote next week. The committee’s discussion closed after questions about septic, lot sizes and neighborhood outreach.

If the council moves forward with the ordinance and major plan, the council’s formal legislative schedule will determine next steps and any required public hearings or final votes.