The ongoing unholy alliance, with money as the catalyst.
Kids, wanna get your project rezoned and approved far from the prying eyes of the public? Here’s how:
A proposed New Castle County ordinance would affect what can be built on more than 80 properties, impacting multiple development projects seeking approval.
One property included in the proposal that has attracted the most attention is the 30-acre parcel where Incyte, the Alapocas pharmaceutical maker, has proposed a five-story office building to complete its Augustine Cut Off headquarters. The bill also has ramifications for a proposed shopping center, auto center and warehouse development in southern New Castle County.
The ordinance would rezone these properties without their developers needing to make a case in a public forum, cutting down on the county’s often lengthy approval process and getting them one step closer to construction.
Every property in the county receives a zoning district that limits what can be built there. To change that district, landowners must receive approval from the County Council following a process that requires at least two public hearings. The proposed ordinance essentially bundles dozens of those requests into a single vote.
…The bill has some within the county worried that the rezoning package could allow these projects to skirt public scrutiny.
Some? Meaning, I presume, those who have ethics. Also meaning, those who aren’t already in the pockets of the developers and the law firms who jointly pay off public officials.
This proposal, all in the name of ‘cutting bureaucratic red tape’, is designed to keep the public blissfully unaware of what the developers and their law firms are doing.
To all members of NCC Council: Will you stand with your developer enablers, or with public transparency? Feel free to come on here and tell us.