Community Notice to Discuss Partial Redevelopment of Concord Plaza

Below is some information from Councilman Bob Weiner on an upcoming community meeting.

Thursday, September 15, 2016 @ 6:00pm

Location: Brandywine Hundred Library, 1300 Foulk Road, Wilmington, DE 19803

Dear community leaders and friends,

Please share this important information with your neighbors and friends. 

 I am pleased to facilitate a community meeting on September 15, 2016 in the Brandywine Hundred Library, 1300 Foulk Road, so that we as a community can learn about the redevelopment of Concord Plaza.  As you may know, the Buccini-Pollin Group, which owns the Concord Plaza office park on Silverside Road, near Concord Pike, intends to redevelop a portion of Concord Plaza in order to convert a portion of the office park nearest to Concord Pike into a more pedestrian-friendly and contemporary mixed-use village. (Artistic rendering embedded below)

 The applicant’s attorney, Larry Tarabicos, described the plan to us at our last community meeting as follows: The Buccini-Pollin Group intends to convert approximately 185,000 square feet of existing decades old office space into 312 apartments; 26,500 square feet of retail space; and a new state-of-the-art 54,000 square foot signature office building. The overall project involves demolishing approximately 8 of the existing buildings and replacing them with luxury apartments (including numerous amenities for the residents), atop specialty retail, restaurants, cafes; as well as the signature office building. Approximately 370,000 square feet of existing office buildings will remain; making this community a fully integrated and diverse mixed-use village, with many amenities, services, and pedestrian enhancements for the residents and employees of this community. The project continues to weave its way through the land development approval process.

 Concord Plaza is zoned “Office Regional” aka “OR”. The proposed partial redevelopment plan is consistent with the current zoning category; and no County Council rezoning vote is required. As such, New Castle County Council’s authority is limited to reviewing the Redevelopment Plan, to assure that the plan is consistent with all applicable state and county requirements, including adequacy of infrastructure and traffic capacity.

Traffic improvements must be required when there are substantially increased burdens on existing roads and intersections. If the State does not plan to invest in those improvements in the near term, the developer must.  Redevelopment policy cannot ignore this core principle.

County Council relies upon the professional guidance of the New Castle County Land Use Department. The State Department of Transportation Traffic Study is also scrutinized. If the plan conforms with the legal requirements, County Council must approve the re-subdivision plan.

 The applicant anticipates bringing the project before New Castle County Council within the next couple of months for a public hearing.

 The entire review process…undertaken by New Castle County Land Use Department professional land use and transportation planners…as well as the subsequent County Council hearing…engages the public. As such, public input is welcome and encouraged.

 Below is a short description of the project found on the New Castle County website at: http://www3.nccde.org/project/details/default.aspx?ProjectKey=530976

 

Information on all applications is available for public review in the Land Use Department, New Castle County Government Center, 87 Reads Way, Corporate Commons, New Castle, DE, from 8:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M., Monday through Friday. 302-395-5510.   Alternatively, you can obtain more information by contacting my office at lhinkle@nccde.org , at bob@bobweiner.com