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New Castle County committee hears 540‑unit Country Club Estates plan; traffic, interconnection and TDRs draw scrutiny
Summary
The Land Use Committee reviewed a major 540‑unit Country Club Estates development—featuring TDRs, preserved historic structures and a proposed removal of an Erwin Drive interconnection to Back Creek—while council members raised traffic, TID funding and affordability concerns; no final vote was taken.
The New Castle County Land Use Committee on Dec. 2 heard a presentation on a proposed open-space planned subdivision called Country Club Estates in St. George's Hundred, north of Church Town Road, that would combine several parcels into a single development of roughly 540 dwelling units.
John Tracy, attorney for the applicant, said the plan would deliver a mix of apartments, single‑family homes, townhouses and 99 age‑restricted units and would rely on a county transfer‑of‑development‑rights (TDR) program that moves 188 development rights onto the site. ‘‘This is an open‑space planned subdivision on approximately 296 acres,’’ Tracy said, and he stressed the plan preserves historic structures on the property and protects buffers in excess of the Unified Development Code requirements.
Committee members zeroed in on transportation. Councilman Carter said southern New Castle County already faces strained intersections and warned that the project could worsen conditions created by a Transportation Improvement District (TID) that, he argued, has not delivered promised road improvements. ‘‘We are gonna have six major intersections in failing condition in southern New Castle County,’’ Carter said, urging the county and DelDOT to revisit the regional transportation plan.
The plan currently shows three access points, including an existing interconnection to Back Creek via Erwin Drive. Tracy said the applicant has explored removing that interconnection following community concerns and would file a resubdivision to replace it with a cul‑de‑sac if DelDOT and the county approve. ‘‘My client will, following the hopeful approval of this plan, commit to filing a resubdivision plan that revises the current plan to remove the interconnection and install a cul de sac,’’ Tracy said.
Council members also pressed for more detail on affordability and population impacts. When asked about resident counts, staff and the applicant used a standard district multiplier (about 2.7) to estimate the new community could add roughly 2,000–3,000 people. The applicant described rental product mix and said one‑bedroom units could start around $1,400, subject to final market analysis.
A member of the public, Melissa Heller, urged the committee to prioritize safety concerns tied to the interconnection and asked staff to improve how plan revisions are posted near the site; she noted an older sign still posted at the property referenced a much smaller prior plan and said that can mislead neighbors.
No formal vote on the plan or the historic‑overlay ordinance was recorded at the committee meeting. Staff and council members requested follow‑up information on DelDOT’s position about the Erwin Drive connection, exact TDR acreage sources and rent/affordability estimates; staff agreed to provide the requested materials ahead of the next council meeting.
