Developer seeks approval for mixed‑use project at former county engineering building in New Castle County
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Summary
At a Jan. 6 Land Use Committee meeting, the applicant for 2701 Capitol Veil presented plans to redevelop the former county engineering building into a mostly residential mixed‑use complex; council members pressed the developer on affordable housing and local fee barriers.
A developer on Jan. 6 asked New Castle County’s Land Use Committee to sign off on a mixed‑use redevelopment of the former county engineering building at 2701 Capitol Veil, telling the committee the project is the culmination of several years of neighborhood outreach and regulatory review.
"I'm Bob Sipple. I represent the applicant," Sipple said as he outlined a proposal for a project on a little more than 12 acres that he called a redevelopment of an existing county property. He told the committee the project received a Board of Adjustment variance in October 2022 allowing a 92% residential/8% non‑residential split and described conditions attached to the variance, including height limits near property lines, extended perimeter buffers and enhanced landscaping. "In total, 222 evergreen and deciduous trees will be installed around the perimeter," Sipple said.
Council members pressed the applicant about whether the project would include affordable units under the county’s MPDU ordinance. Sipple said the application advanced before the ordinance took effect but that the team is "open to continuing conversations" about opportunities to incorporate affordability. Councilman Street said the project currently contains no affordable units and said he will press the issue in the coming year. "Everybody on council, 'I'm for affordable housing,' but that's not what's actually going on," he said.
Other members raised structural barriers to affordability. Councilman Cartier described the voluntary school assessment (VSA) as an impediment to redevelopment and affordability and urged coordination with state legislators to change the fee structure, while Councilman Toole noted the site's transit access and suggested that proximity to a DART route makes affordable units more feasible.
Sipple told the committee the design maintains mostly three‑story buildings, with retail intended on ground‑floor fronting streets, and that the plans conform to the New Castle County Unified Development Code. He said the applicant held multiple community outreach meetings and incorporated many neighborhood requests into the plan.
No public commenters attended in person or online on this item. The sponsor indicated the resolution and related materials will be shepherded to the committee’s next Tuesday agenda for further consideration.
What happens next: The sponsor will bring the resolution back to the committee for formal action; council members said they plan to continue dialogue about affordable housing and about county and state fee structures that affect redevelopment feasibility.
