New Castle County Council approves Leech School plan and backs Claymont downtown development district bid

New Castle County Council on June 9 adopted a major land-development plan for a new special-needs school and voted to support a Claymont Downtown Development District application to the State of Delaware.

Councilman Koneko introduced Resolution R26-118, describing the John G. Leech School plan for a 63,323-square-foot special-needs facility with a 468-square-foot greenhouse at Wrangle Hill Road and South Dupont Highway. "This is a great opportunity, for these students to get to modernize the building that is outdated now and support our special needs students here in New Castle County," Councilman Koneko said during the council discussion. No public comment was offered and the council adopted R26-118 by roll call (12 yes, 1 absent).

Councilman Cartier introduced R26-119, authorizing the county to submit the Claymont area as a Downtown Development District to the Delaware Cabinet Committee on State Planning Issues. Cartier called the resolution "path-breaking" for extending downtown development incentives to unincorporated areas and said the designation would cover roughly 273 acres in the Claymont area. "The main benefit, if we win this submission . . . is that 20% of the hard capital costs for any projects that come forward in the Downtown Development District are paid for by the State of Delaware," Cartier said. After brief remarks and committee review, council members voted to adopt R26-119 (12 yes, 1 absent).

The meeting also included a lengthy reading of consent-calendar ordinances and grant appropriations (state library aid, DSAAPD home modification grants, HUD Community Development Block Grant and Emergency Solutions Grant appropriations, HOME Investment Partnerships Program funding, and multiple capital-program adjustments). Several budget and grant ordinances were adopted later in the meeting by roll call (each recorded as 12 yes, 1 absent).

Votes at a glance

- R26-118 (John G. Leech School land development plan): adopted, roll call 12 yes, 1 absent. - R26-119 (Claymont Downtown Development District submission): adopted, roll call 12 yes, 1 absent. - Ordinance 26-058 (Absalom Jones Senior Center grant appropriation): adopted, roll call 12 yes, 1 absent. - Ordinance 26-059 (state summer youth employment pass-through): adopted, roll call 12 yes, 1 absent. - Ordinance 26-060 (OPEB board composition amendment): adopted, roll call 12 yes, 1 absent. - Ordinance 26-062 (Senior home repair program grant; substitute 1): adopted, roll call 12 yes, 1 absent. - Ordinance 26-063 (summer recreation camps grant): adopted, roll call 12 yes, 1 absent. - Ordinance 26-064 (county youth employment grant): adopted, roll call 12 yes, 1 absent. - Ordinance 26-065 (county grants allocation substitute 1): adopted, roll call 12 yes, 1 absent.

What it means

County staff and council members said the Leech School project will replace an outdated facility and serve approximately 94 special-needs students; the Claymont DDD application would add a new layer of incentives intended to attract and partially subsidize private capital for projects in the area. County officials noted prior planning work with DelDOT, county land-use staff and the Claymont Renaissance Development Corporation.

Next steps

The school project will proceed through the county land-development process and any state review required by the applicant and zoning approvals. The Claymont submission will be sent to the state cabinet committee as part of the Downtown Development District application process; councilmembers said they will watch for state review timelines and possible follow-up requests for local commitments.