Thank you to those who helped us pass the P for Parks bill last week at the New Castle County Council meeting. This was an important first step, which you can read more about here.
We are now turning our attention to the state legislature. Our goal is to get the state to return authority over land use in the Auburn Valley Master Plan to New Castle County, which is better equipped to oversee redevelopment in Yorklyn.
Tomorrow - Wednesday, April 2nd at 1 PM - the bond committee will be discussing the portion of Senate Bill 30 that pertains to DNREC and the Auburn Valley Master Plan. Within this bill is the following line:
Section 80. Auburn Valley Project. The implementation of the transportation, stormwater management, demolition, remediation, redevelopment, and parks and recreation element of the Auburn Valley Master Plan shall not be subject to the zoning, subdivision, land use, or building code ordinances or regulations of New Castle County.
This single section, which has been in each bond bill since 2011, allows DNREC complete control over all of the land in the AVMP, circumventing New Castle County’s authority. Our goal is to have this section removed from this bill before it is passed for the 2026 fiscal year.
