Votes at a glance: Planning Commission approves five development plans including 360‑unit Preserve at Northbourne

The City of Delaware Planning Commission approved five development plans during its June 4 meeting, voting unanimously among members present to forward each item with staff‑recommended conditions.

Cases approved

- 2023‑4356 / DVP No. 2 — Preserve at Northbourne: Metro Development requested development plan approval for “the Preserve at Northbourne,” a multifamily project on 21.51 acres in the Northwood Mixed Use Plan overlay. The applicant proposes 360 dwelling units in 15 buildings, a clubhouse, garages, trash compactors, a dog park, sidewalks connecting to the Kensington park trail network, and landscaping mounds and buffers adjacent to single‑family properties. Staff said the plan complies with the approved development text’s maximum of 360 units. Joe Thomas, representing Metro Development, told commissioners: “Staff obviously did a wonderful job on the staff report and we have no added, but agree with all the conditions.” The commission moved and approved the development plan with the conditions in the staff report. Staff noted the project has a city council public hearing scheduled for the first council meeting in July.

- PUD25‑1 / DVP No. 2 — Meridel Phase 1 (Rainier Construction): Staff presented a development plan for interior backage roads and a shared 438‑space parking lot in subarea B of a larger PUD. The project will construct four private roads (with two access points off Sawmill and one access off US‑42) and a 438‑space shared surface parking lot to serve the arena, pavilion and future development. Staff and the applicant said the lot meets landscaping and screening requirements; additional parking will be provided later in subarea J to supplement capacity for the amphitheater. Commissioners approved the plan with the conditions listed in the staff report.

- PUD25‑4 / DVP No. 1 — Long‑term care and rehabilitation facility (Delaware Health Realty LLC): Staff presented a development plan for a 120‑bed long‑term care and rehabilitation facility on 14.81 acres in PUD25‑4, to be built as a wood‑framed structure on a slab‑on‑grade, approximately 86,472 square feet with 107 parking spaces and landscaped islands. Staff noted staff‑recommended changes relating to tax increment financing (TIF) and a new community authority (NCA) are still being negotiated; the developer’s representatives said they are working through those financial details. The commission approved the development plan with conditions.

- PC25‑5 — Chase Bank, Glenwood Commons: A development plan for a roughly 3,300‑square‑foot single‑story Chase Bank with a drive‑through and 26 parking spaces on a 1.21‑acre outlot at the southwest corner of Glen Road and Sunbury Road was presented. The parcel was one of three replatted last year to create four developable outlots. The plan calls for access from the interior Myers parking road (no direct access to Glen or Sunbury), materials including limestone and spandrel glass, and compliance with setbacks and the overlay development text. Applicant Vaughn Benson said the team would comply with conditions; commissioners approved the plan.

- PC25‑6 — Fed 1 Dublin LLC warehouse (Innovation Business Park): Staff presented a development plan for a warehouse on a 13.06‑acre lot on Innovation Court within the Innovation Business Park overlay. The plan includes two curb cuts, two buildings with interior loading docks, 247 vehicle parking spaces plus ten trailer stalls, a stormwater retention basin that must meet FAA requirements, and no exterior dumpster enclosures (trash stored inside buildings). The commission approved the plan with the listed conditions.

Votes and procedure

Each motion was moved and seconded from the dais (motions were commonly moved by Vice Chair/Councilman Hoffman and seconded by Commissioner Stelzer or Commissioner Nana depending on the item). For all five development items the roll‑call vote recorded the same four present members voting yes: Commissioner Stelzer — yes; Commissioner Nana — yes; Vice Chair Hoffman — yes; Chairman Simpson — yes. Commissioners Prowl, Cross and Stroud were absent for the meeting.

Staff and applicant notes

- Metro Development’s public‑hearing follow‑up: staff said the Preserve at Northbourne will appear at city council’s first July meeting for its public hearing. - Meridel parking: staff noted the approved development plan required supplemental parking before the amphitheater opens, and additional parking is planned in subarea J under a future development plan. - Long‑term care finance items: staff said the submitted plan materials refer to TIF and NCA arrangements; those financial structures will continue to be negotiated and are not finalized as part of the development‑plan approval.

What the approvals mean

Approval of a development plan authorizes the site design and program (subject to conditions) to proceed to the building‑permit and implementation stage; several approvals carry follow‑up items (final engineering, lighting approvals, chief building official sign‑offs, and financial agreements) that staff told the commission they will continue to process administratively or present to council as needed.

The commission’s approvals at this meeting were all the result of motions recorded on the public record with the stated conditions in staff reports; no members of the public spoke during the public‑hearing portions for these items at this meeting.