Montchanin News

The 20 Montchanin site, where commercial development is being introduced by Stoltz Realty Company, is located within one of the state's most culturally and historically significant areas, and frontages the Brandywine Valley National Scenic Byway. So, it was a shock when the New Castle County Department of Land Use's official recommendation completely disregarded the existence of the surrounding internationally acclaimed Brandywine Valley resources. The most stunning aspect of the recommendation was to eliminate tightly drawn deed restrictions that have protected the site and its historic surroundings for 43 years. Why change what has worked for so long? In determining the future of this site, several major planning efforts that have maintained the aesthetics of the property must be taken into considerations: 1. The existing deed restrictions were implemented to establish a framework for 'place sensitive' development to protect highly valued historic resources surrounding the site on all sides. They provided for deep setback of the former Columbia Gas office structure, one 2-story building with single story wings, and no additional buildings. The restrictions successfully prevented commercial intrusion in this non-commercial area. 2. Between 2000 and 2002, DelDOT spent well over $5 million on the Tyler McConnell Bridge (TMB) Working Group planning process to evaluate a possible bridge widening. A 38-member committee including the county administration, Chambers of Commerce, area-wide elected officials, residents, environmental, preservation and Byway representatives, were tasked with the goal to 'avoid adverse effects to the extraordinary historic, archaeological and natural environmental resources in the project area.' In the end, the Federal Highway Administration denied funding for expansion due to 'preservation concerns.' The process included an extensive 2-inch-thick study, which inventoried the area's historic resources prepared by John Milner and Associates. This Cultural Resources Management Document details the many historic landmarks that surround the proposed Stoltz project. The study demonstrates that a wide area is impacted, not only Breck's Lane as some have suggested. The historic resources include: » St. Joseph's National Register site, established in 1885 by the DuPont Co. for the benefit of its employees; » St. Joseph's Lower Cemetery along 141, a contributing resource to St. Joseph's Church; » Main entrance to Eleutherian National Historic Landmark District and the Brandywine Powder Mills District, once the largest black powder manufacturing plant in North America; » Henry Clay Historic District and Breck's Mill area; » Historic Raskob estate. 3. To protect these incredible intrinsic resources left by the DuPont legacy, and years of work by Scenic Byway stewards, in 2005, the Federal Highway Administration and Scenic America awarded national Byway designation to Route 100 and 52. The county was an active Byway participant in this designation process. What has changed in county government in seven years? There is no doubt the proposed two-acre commercial PAD site (half the size of Greenville Crossing I) and its positioning close to the road, is completely out of character with Delaware's National Scenic Byway and critical 'viewshed.' Imagine chain restaurants and retail stores in the midst of St. Joseph's and Hagley's National Register sites! The new proposed deed 'restrictions' will allow a third building which could be an entirely commercial 30,000 square foot building -- five times the size of the proposed PAD site building! How can we abandon the years of planning aimed at safeguarding our internationally recognized Brandywine Valley -- a major tourism destination? Do we want the treasured Brandywine Valley to become a distant memory? Does the county care whether this area remains a special place or just disappears into 'Any Place, USA'? The answer is clear. County government must act responsibly to protect the county and state's major historic resources just as it did as a participant in the Tyler McConnell Bridge and Scenic Byway planning processes. Our National Scenic Byway is simply not the place for thoughtless commercial intrusion. The time-honored deed restrictions at 20 Montchanin offer a development model that preserves the Byway. Once deed restrictions are changed, they can certainly be changed again to suit the developer, and, the community loses faith in their ability to protect its most valued landscapes. Let's hope they will keep this area a place that all Delawareans and visitors to our state can continue to enjoy. It would be a travesty to do otherwise and an embarrassment to all who live and work here.

Further decisions on Stoltz construction and on a riverfront hotel cannot and should not be made without more key information. Stoltz development plans don't have traffic data to judge what their impact will be. Supporters of the riverfront hotel are hiding details of a feasibility study. Can the existing roads in what is called the Greenville area handle the increased traffic that Stoltz will create in its three projects? Unfortunately that information is not required by present regulations. What will happen to existing Wilmington hotels if a subsidized competitor is built along the Christina Riverfront? Who knows how many meetings can be lured to the adjacent center so the hotel can be filled? The next decision by New Castle County Council may come Tuesday when it's scheduled to vote on lifting existing deed restrictions at 20 Montchanin Road, along Del. 100 north of the Kennett Pike. It's been 43 years since Columbia Gas got special consideration to build with the legal understanding that its headquarters would be the extent of construction. Now Stoltz Real Estate Partners want that restriction lifted so it can build a branch bank on the site. Stoltz must have known of those limits when it bought the site. What good are such deed restrictions if they can be waived when someone has other ideas for the land? What's to prevent Stoltz or a future owner of the land to ask for new waivers to build a shopping center or whatever the owner thinks can be sold or rented? Stoltz already won the right to change the configuration and usage of what was DuPont's Barley Mill Plaza, at Lancaster Pike and Centre Road, without any traffic impact study. The county's present Comprehensive Development Code lacked that traffic requirement, a problem we can only hope will be fixed during the present recasting of the plan. Anyone who travels the Kennett and Lancaster pikes, Montchanin and Barley Mill roads and particularly the already outdated two-lane Tyler McConnell Bridge over the Brandywine already know the folly of large-scale development along those corridors. At least Stoltz agreed to a somewhat more logical scaled-down plan for the Greenville Center on the Kennett Pike. Stoltz also has an option on farmland, at Concord Pike and Beaver Valley Road, and the land's owner, Woodlawn Trustees, plans to ask for input from Brandywine Hundred organizations and individuals on what might be its best use. That's critical since that intersection is already a critical traffic bottleneck. The riverfront hotel has long been a dream of Mike Purzycki, Riverfront Development Corporation executive director. How many times in recent years has The News Journal reported that it was imminent? Now the RDC and private developers of a 178-room Westin Hotel want city and state financial help to guarantee its construction. If its success seems guaranteed, let private funds pay for it and reap the benefits. Purzycki says 'premature disclosure' of a feasibility study would not be in the interest of Delawareans. How can the officials who make the subsidy decisions do so without the fullest information? And don't feasibility studies often find what was sought by the party that paid for it? Amid all of the RDC's many successes are the defunct Shipyard Shops, which never really became the sales-tax-free attraction to the millions of Interstate 95 motorists who passed by. Who says a hotel wouldn't also be a disappointment? The riverfront hotel would be used almost exclusively by those attending conventions or other major events the Center on the Riverfront. The hotel's success therefore would depend on how many organizations could be lured to use the center. Many events there now, such as fundraisers, dinners and lunches, are one-shot deals where no one would need to stay overnight at this new hotel. Other cities are now sorry they built convention and hotel facilities. If someone from out of town is staying at the hotel, what is there to keep occupied while meetings are not underway? True, there are nice restaurants nearby. Period. No stores to browse in, no entertainment. Shuttles would still be needed to take guests to suburban shopping centers, or to entertainment sites in the city. Which reminds me, what ever happened to the movie theater that was supposedly on the verge of being built at the riverfront?

With the support of a vast majority of the community, Citizens For Responsible Growth in New Castle County (CRG) fought long and hard for three years to get the Stoltz developments at Barley Mill Plaza, Greenville Center and 20 Montchanin significantly downsized. The original plans for Barley Mill Plaza were to expand to 2.8 million square feet of retail, office and residential space which included buildings of seven, eight and nine stories, rivaling the density of the combined King of Prussia malls. At Greenville Center, the original plans included a tower up to 180 feet tall, rivaling the unsightly Rollins Building on Concord Pike. These plans, which are still pending, had received preliminary approval from the county as 'by right' developments, meaning they comply in every respect with the county code and require no discretionary vote of County Council to proceed. After three years of strong opposition by CRG, urging the developer and the county to downsize the plans and reduce the height of the buildings, and help from The News Journal in exposing these over-sized plans to the public, a compromise was announced in late 2010 by then County Executive Chris Coons for a development at Barley Mill Plaza of 1.6 million square feet (space and traffic both reduced almost 50 percent), building heights restricted to one story for retail and four stories for offices, and retail uses tightly restricted. At Greenville Center, the compromise eliminates the high-rise completely and restricts building heights and retail uses. These compromises are embraced by most people in the community, particularly by those living next to these developments. To move forward, the compromise plans require a partial zoning change at Barley Mill Plaza, a variance at Greenville Center, and deed restriction changes at 20 Montchanin. The Barley Mill Plaza zoning change was approved by County Council, and the variance at Greenville Center was approved by the Board of Adjustment. The deed restriction changes at 20 Montchanin are pending. Everything looked to be on track for the community-supported compromise plans. However, a group of residents that calls itself Save Our County (SOC) contends the downsized plans are worse than the much larger original plans. They have filed a lawsuit against the county arguing that traffic studies should be completed before votes are taken by County Council to approve rezoning changes. Here's the rub. Just about everyone in the community would like to see traffic studies completed before development plans and rezoning are approved -- CRG and the community argued that long and hard for three years. The way to do that is to get County Council to amend the code, which would have the full support of the community. SOC's decision to take the matter to court means that a judge could overturn the County Council decision to rezone part of Barley Mill Plaza as required by the compromise. This would free Stoltz to go back to its pending original plans, which would be devastating for the community. For more than half a century, civic groups like The Kennett Pike Association have worked successfully with developers and property owners to preserve, protect and beautify the Kennett Pike and Route 100 corridors, Delaware's only National Scenic Byway. They have been successful by recognizing that solutions must be found that represent a fair balance between the rights of property owners and the wishes of the community. When the community takes an entrenched position of 'No development -- period' and is unwilling to compromise, we end up with bad developments that are built 'by right' with no community input. At Barley Mill Plaza, that could mean a King of Prussia Mall-sized development, and at Greenville Center a tower up to 180 feet tall. Both are poised to proceed rapidly to final approval as 'by right projects,' requiring no discretionary vote by the county if the Barley Mill Plaza rezoning gets overturned. The compromises at Greenville Center, Barley Mill Plaza and 20 Montchanin all represent a reasonable balance. CRG and its many supporters do not support the lawsuit against the county. 'Winning' in court could well result in a horrific loss for the community. Be careful what you wish for.

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