CRG
Negotiating in
Good Faith
Citizens for Responsible Growth has been
negotiating in good faith with Stoltz Real Estate Partners since
2008.
2008
Met with Keith Stoltz and
agreed to prompt community support of
mutually acceptable designs for
Barley Mill Plaza and Greenville Center
Reached out to various affected
communities and met with Stoltz engineers and representatives to work
toward a reduction in scale of both projects
2009
Hired nationally-renowned community
planning firm, Torti Gallas, and traffic engineering firm, Orth Rogers
Associates, to help develop designs that would be mutually acceptable
Hosted land use planning charrettes
to educate the community on mixed-use options for the sites
Mobilized community representation
at multiple NCC Planning Board meetings and raised specific issues that
would impact development planning
Developed alternate plans for both projects that
illustrated features the community and the Land Use Department could
support and offered Stoltz equal, or greater, square footage, but with
height restrictions
Presented alternative plans in a
public forum, inviting the community as well as public officials,
members of Land Use and Stoltz representatives
Submitted alternative plans to
Stoltz
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CRG will continue to
appeal to the county and state governments and Stoltz Real Estate
Partners; however, as approval of these projects is imminent, the
organization is preparing for litigation as a last attempt to protect
your community. We need your help.
If the Brandywine Valley is dear to you, and if you don't want your tax
dollars used to subsidize these projects, please donate generously to
preserve it! If you would like to
make a contribution to Citizens for Responsible Growth, please visit our
website, www.crgncc.org, or send a check payable to CRG in
New Castle County, c/o Patty Hobbs
P.O. Box 4185
Greenville, DE 19807
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Steering Committee
Members,
As we find
ourselves at a critical juncture, it is important that you
please forward this update to members of your
respective associations in order to keep our community informed of
development plans in progress and the efforts of our
organization.
Thank you for your continued help and
vigilance.
Mark Chura
Steering Committee Chair
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New Castle County Planning Board Reviews Greenville
Center Plan
Citizens for Responsible Growth once again mobilized
more than two dozen community members to present prepared testimony
before the New Castle County Planning Board on January 5th opposing a
twelve-story tower at Greenville Center, which remains part of the
Stoltz Development Partners plan for development of that site. More than
150 area residents were in attendance to support the opposition. (See
CRG In The News - Community Publications
article).
Regrettably, despite a Herculean effort by members of
our organization
over the last two years
to offer Stoltz constructive input
from the community (See CRG
Negotiating in Good Faith - sidebar), thus far, plans for the
Greenville Center and Barley Mill Plaza projects remain unchanged.
As has been customary at the Planning
Board Meetings over the last year, board members asked the attorneys for
Stoltz to address the legitimate concerns of the community, which
included traffic and other issues, but the request went unanswered.
Because the board does not vote on the projects put before it, and
the Greenville Center proposal has already been deemed by the
County Land Use Department to be code compliant, it is
anticipated that the plans will go forward - an outcome that is
completely unacceptable to Citizens for Responsible Growth and the
community at large.
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Next Steps for
CRG
Preparing for
Litigation
The unsatisfying outcome of the
latest Planning Board Meeting on Greenville Center, and the fact that
Stoltz has formally filed for the 2.8 million square foot project at
Barley Mill Plaza even after publicly promising the community that the
plan would be scaled back to 1.7 million square feet, has left the
community outraged.
County
Councilman Bob Weiner has suggested that the community consider all
options, including taking legal action, to address the apparent
violations of the County's Unified Development Code as applied to the
Stoltz projects.
Leaders of our
organization had hoped their good faith efforts would preclude the need
for such action; however, under the present circumstances, Citizens for
Responsible Growth has decided to continue to pursue our options,
including preparing for litigation. Meanwhile, we will continue our
appeal to our state and county governments and Stoltz to act
responsibly.
As reported in
our last newsletter, CRG has already sent the Land Use Department a 20
page Request For Interpretation, which the UDC requires the Land
Department to answer in conjunction with the County Law Department. A
copy of the Request For Interpretation can be viewed on the CRG website:
http://www.crgncc.org/pdfs/crg-request-interpretation.pd=
f.
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Stoltz Managment
Admonished by DelDOT
Damaged Trees at Greenville
Center
On January 11, DelDOT issued a letter
to Stoltz Management Inc. after they were caught "topping" trees on the
corner of Kennett Pike and Buck Roads. The trees are located within the
DelDOT Right of Way and are maintained by the Kennett Pike Association.
The letter gives Stoltz ten days to
respond to the issue of damages before the matter is turned over to the
Attorney General's office.
"Stoltz really
showed their true colors in this situation," said John Danzeisen, KPA
president. "Apparently, the trees were not the shade of green that most
interests them."
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Did You Know?
Did
you know
that Routes 52 and 100 in
Delaware have been designated as a National Scenic
Byway? This is
one of the reasons why the protection and preservation of this area is
so critical.
For more information, visit
www.delawaregreenways.org
Citizens for Responsible
Growth
would
like to thank all who contribute to the success of our mission -
to advocate for responsible and
sustainable growth that strikes the appropriate balance between economic
development and the preservation of the unique scenic character of the
Brandywine Valley and natural and historic resources surrounding our
communities. Please visit our
website
www.crgncc.org
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