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Land use committee reviews 540‑unit Country Club Estates plan, debates Erwin Drive interconnection and traffic impacts
Summary
County planners and the developer presented a 296‑acre, open‑space planned subdivision proposal for Country Club Estates that would use transfer of development rights for a total of 540 units; councilors and residents pressed the applicant on traffic, interconnection removal and public notice for plan changes.
Janet Kilpatrick, co‑chair of the New Castle County Land Use Committee, read into the record a major land development plan for Country Club Estates in Saint George's Hundred seeking S and Historic Overlay (H) zoning and combining several tax parcels under application 20210287.
John Tracy, attorney for the applicant, told the committee the 296‑acre proposal north of Middletown would deliver 540 dwelling units comprising apartments, single‑family homes, townhomes and 99 age‑restricted units. The plan relies on 188 additional units conveyed through the county’s transfer‑of‑development‑rights (TDR) program; the applicant said about 190 of the project's 270 acres would remain as passive or active open space—about 55 acres more than code requires.
Tracy said the plan shows three access points, two on Church Town Road and one interconnection via Erwin Drive to the Back Creek community. He reported a traffic impact study reviewed 17 intersections with DelDOT and found no concurrency issues, and he described primary road improvements the applicant would be asked to contribute to or participate in as part of the proposal.
Councilman Carter warned that several intersections in southern New Castle County are already operating at failing levels and said the county’s Transportation Improvement District (TID) approach has not solved spillover traffic problems; he urged the county and DelDOT to confirm whether the Erwin Drive interconnection could be removed. Carter said his office and state representatives are pursuing written confirmation from DelDOT.
Councilman Koneko asked for basic affordability and scale information; Tracy confirmed the 540‑unit total, said the developer did not provide an exact population estimate but that the committee’s multiplier (about 2.7) suggests roughly 2,000–3,000 residents, and estimated one‑bedroom rents would start around $1,400, while offering to supply full rent and contribution figures before the full council meeting.
Melissa Heller, a nearby resident, told the committee she appreciated the developer’s engagement but asked that the county consider a pedestrian or bike pathway instead of a vehicle interconnection to reduce safety concerns. Heller also noted an old yellow sign in the field that still advertises an earlier, much smaller plan and urged clearer on‑site notice when plans change so neighbors are not misled.
Planning staff and the applicant responded that a new sign had been posted but older signage sometimes remains in the field and that parcel‑view records contain the authoritative plan history; staff said there is no code requirement to update a sign each time a plan changes and agreed to take a follow‑up item for the docket.
Next steps: the applicant said it could file a re‑subdivision to remove the Erwin Drive interconnection and replace it with a cul‑de‑sac if DelDOT and the county confirm removal; the committee did not take a final vote on the plan at this meeting and directed staff to continue coordination with DelDOT and the applicant ahead of the council hearing.
