Delaware City Council is considering proposals from JiAngelo Builders LLC that would rezone approximately 9.6 acres of land just north of the Cheshire Crossing West subdivision and south of the Delaware Golf Club for upwards of 40 attached and detached dwelling units.
Council’s considerations of the proposal include a rezoning amendment to rezone the property from A-1 Agricultural District to A-1 PMU to include a Planned Mixed-Use Overlay District, a preliminary development plan, and a preliminary subdivision plat.
The proposed development, named Glen Cannich Village, would be constructed in three phases, beginning with up to 16 single-family units in Subarea A. According to the developers, Subarea B would be developed later, and its design would have two options dependent on the market conditions at that time. The first option 17 single-family detached dwelling units, and the second option would include as many as 24 attached units.
Subarea C would maintain the existing natural elements of site, including the stream, trees, and ravine, while including amenities such as a pavilion, open patio, and bocce ball courts.
JiAngelo Builders LLC originally purchased the property in 2004, but with the housing market less than optimal for more than a decade, it wasn’t until 2018 that the developers began discussing development of the property with the city.
The plan previously went before the Delaware Planning Commission for a concept review in August. As part of the concept review, the original proposal included two options with a total of either 85 or 50 units. Out of the meeting with the planning commission, which ultimately recommended approval of the proposal to council, the developers cut the total number of proposed units nearly in half.
Much of the discussion during the August planning commission meeting centered around the access points and potential traffic impacts of the proposal. There is an existing stub road, named Stoneybank Drive, off of Winding Valley Drive in the Cheshire Crossing West subdivison that would connect to Glen Cannich Village.
While there was discussion at the planning commission meeting about a full access point to Glen Cannich Village off of U.S. Route 23, Public Works Director Bill Ferrigno said during council’s Nov. 8 meeting that while his staff did look at the consideration, it has been indicated to the developers that an access point off of U.S. Route 23 would be for emergency use only and would have right-in, right-out-only access.
Among the reasons Ferrigno said they opted not to include a full public access point to U.S. Route 23 was because there is already an existing “quality right in, right out” just south of the proposed development in Cheshire Crossing West. He added that right-in, right-out lanes are often abused, and having two in close proximity would increase the likelihood of collisions.
Ferrigno went on to say the connection of the stub road, as well as the street network in Cheshire Crossing West would be more than sufficient to handle what his department deems “a relatively small amount of traffic” that would be added by the Glen Cannich Village residents. According to Ferrigno, the number of units proposed in the development fall far below the department’s threshold for even conducting a traffic impact study.
Mayor Carolyn Riggle expressed concern, as she did during the August meeting, about having only one way in and out of the development. Riggle said she has heard often that other emergency right-in, right-out access points in the city are still used by the public, often times because their GPS shows it as a viable access point, which would be especially problematic given the access to the heavy traffic on U.S. Route 23.
The Nov. 8 council meeting included the second reading of the proposal, and considerations will continue for a third reading at council’s next meeting on Monday, Nov. 22.
