Updated September 6, 2008
CCOBH, The Civic League and The Kennett Pike Association Cooperate to Avoid Traffic Nightmare
The Facts

Stoltz Real Estate Partners of Bala Cynwyd has proposed to develop a 44-acre parcel at the corner of Rt. 202 and Beaver Valley Road, across from Concord Mall and AIG’s headquarters. In addition, the organization has proposed four more major land developments in northern New Castle County.

Including the Beaver Valley Road development, the projects, if realized, will add over 4,000,000 sq. ft. of retail and office space to a market that already has a great many vacant units.

 Four of the five Stoltz proposals directly impact traffic in Brandywine Hundred and the Greenville area:

 ·        Barley Mill Plaza – 2,855,000 sq, ft. of redevelopment (bigger than the King of Prussia Mall)

·        The former Columbia Gas headquarters at Rts. 52 and 100 – 138,000 sq. ft. addition

·        Greenville Center – a 12-story, 133,239 sq. ft. addition

·        The Woodlawn property at Rt. 202 and Beaver Valley Road – 237,000 sq. ft. new development).

The fifth development – 516,216 sq. ft. of redevelopment – is located at Routes 13 and 273 and has, so far, encountered no opposition from the community and will not directly impact Brandywine Hundred.  

Several major roads in Brandywine Hundred and around Greenville – including Rts. 202, 141, 100, 52, 48, 41, 2, Beaver Valley and Thompson Bridge Roads – will be seriously impacted by the four developments.  

The Current Situation

The CCOBH, The Civic League for New Castle County, and The Kennett Pike Association have jointly written Gov. Ruth Ann Minner, DelDOT Secretary Carolann Wicks, NCCo Executive Chris Coons, and NCCo Council President Paul Clark, asking for Regional Traffic Study for northern New Castle County, including at least those key roads listed above. This would be similar to those previously conducted for southern New Castle County and along the Rt. 40 corridor to guide development there.

We have also asked that waivers NOT be granted to the provision of the NCCo Code that requires traffic congestion at least meet DelDOT’s Level of Service “D” along roads where new development is proposed. (Many of the key roads and intersections involved in the proposals are currently at LOS “D” or worse during rush hours and holiday seasons and cannot handle further traffic.)

We have also written all our local elected officials asking that they contact Secretary Wicks to express their support for a Regional Traffic Study.  

The Process

All development proposals are filed with the NCCo Land Use Department. The Stoltz proposals are in the exploratory stage – the earliest stage of the County’s approval process. The Land Use Department reviews each exploratory proposal and makes any necessary recommendations. When those recommendations are incorporated into a proposal, it advances to the Preliminary stage and is reviewed again.

If the Land Use Department gives a proposal a positive recommendation at both the exploratory and the preliminary stage, County Council gets what is called the Record plan. In this case, a simple majority (7 votes out of a total of 13) is needed to approve a proposal.  If the developer does not receive a positive recommendation from Land Use and chooses to go to Council in spite of the negative recommendation, approval requires a two-thirds’ majority (9 votes).

Our Objective

Our objective is simple: with the help of our elected officials, NCCo Land Use and DelDOT, we want to protect the traffic network of northern New Castle County against collapse caused by these huge development proposals. We want development that is well thought out, is based on a big-picture assessment, gives the community something it needs, and retains the possibility for new employers to locate in northern New Castle County, bringing in good jobs and increasing the tax base.

What Can You Do?

Our efforts are important, but your strong support is much more powerful.  Contact your state and county elected officials and insist that they make every effort to support our efforts.  

You can visit the Stoltz website and look at each proposal.  Click 'Portfolio' on the home page, and then click 'NCC Developments' on the next page.  You will then see a clickable list of the projects.  If you want to read the letters we sent, here are the links: Gov. Minner,  Sec. Wicks, NCCo Ex. Coons, and NCCo Council President Clark.  Finally, here is a link to a Community News article on the subject.
 
Updated August 26, 2008
Critical Public Meeting Scheduled for September  25th
 As I hope you know by now, Stoltz Realty Corporation has proposed to build a 200,000 square foot regional shopping center at the corner of Concord Pike and Beaver Valley Road.  Some of you may have attended Councilman Weiner's community meeting at which Stoltz' representatives presented the proposal and answered questions.  If so, you already know the adverse impact this major land development could have on a large portion of northwest Brandywine Hundred.  It will put tremendous stress on the already overburdened intersection of Concord Pike and Naamans Road, and it will pave over most of the land feeding into the headwaters of Hurricane Run which, in turn, empties into Brandywine Creek.  If not done properly, we could be handed a double barrelled traffic and environmental catastropy.  

Updated May 3, 2008
May 6th and May 8th Meetings POSTPONED
 Representatives of Stoltz Real Estate Development were scheduled to appear before the New Castle County Planning Board on May 6th to present their exploratory sketch for the property at Concord Pike and Beaver Valley Road. They have asked for and been granted a continuance in order to consider changes to their exploratory plan. They have also asked CCOBH to cancel their presentation at our May 8th Community-wide Meeting for the same reason. After considering the situation and reviewing alternatives, I have decided to cancel our May 8th Community-wide Meeting. My intent is to reschedule this meeting (with the same format) the week before Stoltz goes before the Planning Board with its revised plan. Unfortunately, at this point I cannot say when that will be. To all of you who were invited to participate in the May 8th meeting I apologize for the inconvenience and ask for your patience. We will continue to follow this issue closely and keep you informed as new information becomes available.      Chuck Landry, President CCOBH

Updated March 19, 2008
New IRS Filing Requirement For Civic Associations
Beginning this year every civic organization is required to file with the IRS.  This change only affects those civic associations who have never been required to file in the past.  The new form is called Form 990-N (e Postcard).  Just click on the link for all the details.  The whole filing process is done on line and takes only a few minutes.

Updated March 8, 2008
Annual Christina River Cleanup, Saturday, April 19
The Annual Christina River Cleanup is scheduled for Saturday, April 19. 2008.  During this cleanup many of the streams in northern Delaware are cleaned by hundreds of volunteers. Naamans Creek and Fox Point Park are two areas in Brandywine Hundred that are targeted. If you would like to sign up to assist at one of these sites or any of the other sites go to: http://www.christinarivercleanup.org/. The Naamans site will be from 8:00 AM to noon. Collect gloves, bags, etc., at the F&N Shopping Center, Sweeney's side and finish with a lunch in Harry's parking lot. If anyone or any community along another stream Brandywine Hundred is interested in sponsoring a site, contact Marianne Cinaglia at mcinaglia@aol.com.

Updated February 15, 2008
DNREC Announces New Brandywine Hundred Yard Waste Drop-off Site
Read DNREC's announcement, and view a map of the new site.

Updated February 13, 2008
Misinformation About CCOBH's Role in Naamans Road Construction
The News Journal published a Letter to the Editor February 12th that wrongly claimed that CCOBH worked to delay construction on Naamans Road causing many years of inconvenience to the community.  The letter is absolutely wrong as explained in a response by Mr. Joseph Mitchell, who led CCOBH's efforts to expedite the project.  We aren't interested in picking a fight, but we do want our members, who might not remember that time, to know the truth.

Updated February 4, 2008
The Final Report of the Task Force for the Financial Future of New Castle County
This report is essential reading if you are concerned about the future financial stability of NCCo.   In just a few pages it lays out the issues and recommends fiscally and socially responsible actions that will, if followed, make New Castle County financially sound and stable.   As legislation and budgets  are proposed and contracts negotiated, this will be the yardstick by which we can measure  our elected officials true commitment to fiscal responsibility.

Updated February 2, 2008
Another shopping mall? What’s the fuss about? Why should you be concerned? What can you do?

Proposed Gridlock at the Concord/Naamans Intersection
The Project
Woodlawn Trustees and a subsidiary of Stoltz Brothers Development Company are asking approval for a new regional shopping mall on 43 acres of land located at the southwest corner of Concord Pike and Naamans Road/Beaver Valley Road. Their current proposal creates a complex of commercial buildings separated by north/south and east/west roads dividing the mall into four sections.  
 
 The Plan and the Problem
To accommodate additional mall traffic, the plan proposes that current left-turn lanes coming from two to as many as four directions be eliminated and that the left-turn traffic be diverted through the mall's service roads, just so the traffic light at Concord and Naamans can be adjusted to give vehicles traveling straight through the intersection a longer green.  Under this plan, southbound traffic on Concord Pike wanting to turn east on Naamans Road would first have to go through the Concord/Naamans intersection, immediately get into the far right-hand lane and make a right turn into the mall at one of two entrances. (Only the one lane would be available for right-hand turns.) As traffic slows to make the turn, it will back up. (During heavy traffic – and especially during bad weather and holiday shopping seasons – the backup could extend all the way back – and even through – the Concord/Naamans intersection.) After making the right turn into the new mall, you would drive to the center of the mall, where you will encounter a roundabout. 
A second entrance to the new mall – available to northbound as well as southbound cars – is proposed at the light at Rocky Run Parkway, a little further south on Concord Pike. (This is the road that takes you to Shoprite and Appleby’s in Brandywine Commons) Cars entering the mall here will drive a short distance to a three-way intersection (where Garden Valley Nursery is currently located). Here they will make a right turn onto a northbound mall road that leads to the roundabout mentioned above. The two streams of traffic will merge in the roundabout and proceed northbound through the mall to an exit at Beaver Valley Road (opposite the entrance to the AIG complex). A new light at this intersection will mean another delay before traffic can turn right one last time and head to the Concord/Naamans intersection. After waiting at the Concord/Naamans light, you will finally go forward onto Naamans Road.

The Opposition to Date
 Click here for the report prepared by the NCCo Land Use Department for the October 2, 2007 Planning Board Hearing.  At that hearing, Councilmen Robert Weiner and John Cartier opposed the plan.  Councilman Weiner's statement is here.  CCOBH presented this statement in opposition to the plan. Representatives from AIG, Brandywine Town Center and Concord Mall also spoke against the plan.   
A few individuals spoke in support of a Whole Foods store, but when questioned by the board, they refused to support the mall plan as presented.  On October 15, 2007 Harry Themal's column commented unfavorably on this plan.  On October 25, 2007 the Land Use Department issued this Post Hearing Report.   
In two recent columns News Journal commentator Ron Williams characterized community opposition to the mall as nothing more than bias against having a Whole Foods store available to consumers.  To help News Journal readers understand the harm the current plan will create, CCOBH submitted a letter to the editor on January 28, 2008, explaining the issue and again expressing opposition to the current plan.  As of this writing (Feb. 2) it has not been published.   
Here are several letters expressing community opposition to the unwanted shopping center and support for Councilman Weiner's position.  They include letters to the News Journal which have not been published.

What you can do 
If the current plan is approved and built, drivers are going to be sitting in their cars, wasting time and gas, and saying to themselves words to this effect: “Who in their right minds allowed this situation to be created?”

CCOBH wants a win-win situation for everyone, including the developers. The plan presented is not the only possible way to develop the property. 
Write the News Journal, urging its editors to fully and accurately report the facts of this very serious issue. 
In this case, an ounce of prevention will avoid tons of frustration for drivers as well as a huge future costs to taxpayers as DelDOT comes to grips with solving what will be a nightmare for users of Concord Pike.

UPDATE: Harry Themal's February 11,2007 column "A betting man's wager on new mall" gets it right.

Updated January 13, 2008
Embarrassing
Some people pray for wisdom and understanding, and some just pray for good press coverage.  Senator Venables is invoking divine intervention, because some of us want our Senate to operate as the constitution intends.

Updated January 10, 2008
Mail Theft Update
We have learned that mailboxes in Edenridge I and II have also been hit. The thieves work fast. Within just a few hours they steal the checks, create fake checks with the victims name, address, and account number, and pass them at local banks and businesses, running up bills amounting to thousands of dollars. It is very likely that many victims have not yet discovered that they have been hit. If you use a curbside mailbox, pay particular attention to your bank statements, and notify your bank and the post office if you see anything out of order.

Do you have questions about the Yard Waste Ban?
The Yard Waste Ban, which went into effect January 1st, will be enforced starting January 24, 2008.  The Governor's Recycle Public Advisory Council (RPAC) is scheduled to meet on January 16 from 1:30 to 3:30 PM at the Brandywine Hundred Library, and the primary topic of discussion will be the yard ban. The public is invited to ask questions of the members of RPAC at the beginning and end of the meeting.  If you have questions about the ban, take advantage of this opportunity to speak with some of the most knowledgeable experts on the subject in Delaware.

Philadelphia International Airport: EIS Delay
FAA Delays Release of Draft Environmental Impact Statement for Philadelphia International Airport’s Capacity Enhancement Program Due to Airspace Redesign Project

LNG Terminal opposite Claymont

This doesn't sound good.

From the News Journal: GAO: Coast Guard can't protect tankers

Associated Press

Posted Thursday, January 10, 2008

WASHINGTON -- The Coast Guard lacks the resources to adequately protect tankers carrying liquefied petroleum or crude oil from a possible terrorist attack, congressional auditors reported Wednesday.

Also, said the report, some ports visited by the government auditors did not have the resources needed to promptly respond to a terrorist attack on a crude oil or LNG tanker, including a shortage of fire boats and inadequately trained people.

The GAO report said past incidents overseas have shown that fuel-carrying tankers are significant terrorist targets.

A liquefied natural gas terminal to serve such tankers has been proposed across the Delaware River from Claymont.

Updated January 8, 2008
Mail Theft Alert!
Residents of Tavistock and Edenridge III have reported that since November 2007 thieves have stolen mail from curbside mailboxes and used checks intended to pay household bills to defraud residents of thousands of dollars. The thieves cruise through neighborhoods that have curbside mailboxes looking for raised box flags indicating mail for pickup.  The Postal Service is aware of this problem, but those of us who have curbside mailboxes are advised to use the drop off boxes at post offices,  hand deliver mail to a postal carrier or drop mail off at another secure site.  
 
Brandywine School District School Consolidation
The BSD School Board is considering two proposals which recommend closing two or three schools in Brandywine Hundred, redrawing school attendance patterns, and reconfiguring the grade structure of elementary and middle schools.  On February 25th the board is scheduled to decide which of these proposals, if either, they will choose.  

Because this is such an important issue for all of Brandywine Hundred, CCOBH has invited Dr. James Scanlon, Superintendent of the Brandywine School District to explain these proposals, answer your questions, and listen to your comments and recommendations.  

Mark your calendar for February 7th and plan to attend this very important meeting.      
Updated January 3, 2008
The Yard Waste Ban and Pay-As-You-Throw
"The New Castle County Yard Waste Ban will take effect on January 24, 2008. New Castle County Residents will no longer be permitted to have yard waste landfilled with other household garbage. The Cherry Island Landfill will accept loads of yard waste for recycling at the normal tipping fee. Residents may also sign-up for DSWA’s Improved Yard Waste Pay-As-You-Throw (PAY) collection program."

If your hauler will not offer yard waste pickup, you may sign up for DSWA's  Pay-As-You-Throw program. Read about the ban and the program at DSWA.    
Updated January 1, 2008
Welcome to our newly redesigned website
We have just rolled out our new website, which we hope you will find more useful and attractive than the trusty old site we used for so many years. Parts of our site, like the "Civic Association Handbook" found in the "Civic Assn. Tool Box" and the "FAQs", will be under construction for some time. Other parts, like this page and our archive, will change frequently.
We hope you will take time to browse our site and email us  your comments and recommendations. Tell us what you would like us to add to the site and what you think we should expand. With your help, we want to make this your one-stop web source for everything you need to know to lead your community’s civic association or maintenance corporation. We also want to use this site to alert you to key issues that may impact your quality of life here in Brandywine Hundred, so that we can work together to resolve those issues.
A little about News and Notes
This site is a place where our members will find frequent updates about issues CCOBH is actively involved in – and as a place for well-written comments from our members. Sometimes the posts will include longer comments about specific topics. Other times they may be quick notes that link you to a particularly useful or important resource.
This is also a place to respond to comments and questions of interest to others in Brandywine Hundred.  If you have something that might belong here, send us an e-mail with your comments or a link to the site you would like us to use.  We, of course, reserve the right to select items we think will be of interest to the to the community and which are well written and informative. 
We don't engage in rants or name calling, and  we won't post any that come our way.  We feel an obligation to offer you the best information and support possible, and we hope that by doing so we will help you make our communities better places to live and raise our families. 
So check back often, and don't be afraid to tell us what's on your mind.
Thanks to our web team
We extend our thanks to our web developer, Seth Fox of Unica Multimedia for doing such a fine job of designing and setting up our site.  Our Website Committee includes Steve Truono, John Borsos, Jen Celeste, Chuck Landry and  J. Harry Feldman.  They developed the concept that Seth turned into reality, and they will guide the development of the web site as we move from this very early stage to full development.  Without these people we could not have done nearly so well.  Thanks and congratulations to all.