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Our goal is to maximize the beauty, functionality and unique features of New Castle County through developing strategies for special areas, activities and public interests. Partnering with state, county and municipal agencies, organizations and non-profits, we identify functions, corridors or designated areas on which to focus, hold public workshops and solicit input, present data and draft objectives for discussion and develop the best path forward for reaching the shared objectives.
Spotlight: Land Preservation
The Department hosted a public workshop on March 28, 2019, entitled Community Conversations About Land Preservation. The purpose of the workshop was to formulate a collaborative strategy toward achieving land preservation & environmental goals.
Read the summary report here.
Scenic Byway Preservation past meetings:
- On February 21, 2020, the Department of Land Use held a Working Group meeting to provide an update on the Scenic Viewshed Protection Overlay District, discuss new protections for historic resources across the County, and have a preliminary discussion on the Phase II (Village Protection) approach of this effort. The presentation for the meeting can be viewed here.
- On September 13, 2019 the Department of Land Use held a joint public workshop and Working Group meeting during which they presented the Scenic Viewshed Protection Overlay District (SVPOD) story map. The Working Group also discussed the Enhanced Fact Sheet.
The Story Map may be accessed here:
(https://nccde.maps.arcgis.com/apps/MapSeries/index.html?appid=6d567d42230342c7a43caa5e31f6802d)
- On May 31, 2019, the Department of Land Use hosted the third Working Group meeting. Staff provided an update on the ongoing effort. View the May 31 2019 public presentation here. View the May 31 2019 meeting summary here.
The Department held a public workshop on June 26, 2019 regarding the ongoing protection strategy for scenic byway areas in the County. The meeting focused upon proposed draft amendments to the Unified Development Code.
The public presentation may viewed by clicking on the icon to the left or here.
Read more about the proposed Scenic Viewshed Protection Overlay District here.
In March of 2018, the New Castle County Department of Land Use hosted a public meeting that highlighted ongoing planning efforts along National and State Byways. These planning efforts focused on methods of preservation along the Brandywine Valley National Scenic Byway and Red Clay Valley Byway. Since the meeting in March, the Department of Land Use and its community partners are continuing to work with leadership, stakeholders, and residents to develop a protective strategy for scenic byway areas and their associated watersheds and cultural resources. Progress with this effort is shown below with the most recent events listed first.
Please note: You may receive email or text message notifications to keep informed of important news and events regarding this effort. Simply sign up for "Notify Me" and choose "Land Use - Scenic Byways Resource Protection" from the "News Flash" lists. Additional details on the Notify Me subscription process may be found here.
The Working Group for the Protection Strategy for Scenic Byways, Watershed Areas, and Villages held their second Working Group meeting on February 11, 2019. Click on the image below to view the PowerPoint presentation, which outlines the Viewshed Analysis and Draft Ordinance Language currently under development for these areas. A summary of this meeting is also available here.
On October 29, 2018, the first Working Group meeting was held at the Dept. of Land Use. Staff provided an update on this ongoing effort. Click here to view the update. Click here to view the meeting summary.
On August 20, 2018, this draft presentation NCC Byway Scope was provided for discussion purposes as an outline of next steps. Click here to view the meeting summary.
The Department of Land Use would like to thank all who attended the initial public meeting held on March 28, 2018 regarding Methods for the Preservation of Byways. You may review a PDF of the presentation here.
Please email us at [email protected] with any questions or comments.
Learn more about the Brandywine Valley National Scenic Byway:
DelDOT Delaware Byways - Brandywine Valley National Scenic Byway
DelDOT Delaware Byways - Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway
Go-Delaware - Brandywine Valley Scenic Byway
WILMAPCO - Brandywine Valley Scenic Byway
Delaware Greenways - Brandywine Valley National Scenic Byway
Learn more about the Red Clay Valley Scenic Byway:
Learn more about the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway:
DelDOT Delaware Byways - Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway
PLEASE NOTE:
Level of Service (LOS) Traffic Impact Forum information has been moved to the Legislation and Initiatives page of our website.