Why Should Delaware Care?
Suburban political might has increasingly been deployed against planned developments large and small in New Castle County. And the latest fight over a McDonald’s restaurant illustrates how seemingly modest land-use decisions can have lasting effects on surrounding communities.
A plan for a new McDonald’s in suburban Pike Creek has sparked outrage on social media this month, and some residents are now trying to find a way to stop it.
After several posts circulated on Facebook claiming the fast food chain would bring congestion and litter, the local Working Families Party planned a town hall meeting on Aug. 6 at the Hockessin Library.
“Although our politicians may tell us when and where the County meetings happen, they also say, ‘There is not much I can do,’” Donna Bennis, a resident of the neighboring Hockessin community, said in an email. “So we, the residents, need to join together to fight this.”
The local controversy is the latest example of a suburban backlash to development in New Castle County, following objections last year to a cottage community in Centreville, warehouses around Middletown and, most recently, a massive data center project near Delaware City.
The McDonald’s with a drive-thru is planned for the intersection of Limestone and Paper Mill roads in Pike Creek, according to county filings.
We, the residents, need to join together to fight this.
Donna Bennis, hockessin resident
The property is owned by Jay Patel of Genesis Enterprises and is zoned “Suburban,” meaning that a commercial development is not currently allowed to be built there. Patel is asking New Castle County to rezone the property to “Commercial Neighborhood,” which would allow his plans to proceed.
In an interview with Spotlight Delaware, Patel said traffic already exists along that section of the four-lane corridor, and called it a good place for people to get something to eat.
Asked what he would say to concerned residents, Patel said the restaurant will not add much of an impact to an area that is already dotted by commercial properties.
“The local people that are going to be living around there are going to have the advantage in terms of having a place to eat nearby, as opposed to driving 5 miles,” he said.
The proposed development site sits between a Wells Fargo bank and the Limestone Hills Academy preschool. An age-restricted community with 31 townhomes is also planned for property just west of the proposed McDonald’s.
Still, several residents contend that the fast food chain’s presence would add dangerous congestion to an intersection that already is too busy.
“It should not be made a commercial hub,” Hockessin resident Yvette Drazich said in a message to Spotlight Delaware.
New Castle County Councilwoman Janet Kilpatrick, who represents the area, said the project is early in the process and may not come before the county council for a year or more.
She also noted that neighboring properties along Limestone Road are zoned commercial, and said that leaving Patel’s property’s zoned suburban could be considered “spot zoning,” which is generally illegal.
Kilpatrick said she “was not invited” to the town hall.
Eugene Rupinski, a co-coordinator of the Hockessin-area Working Families Party, said the group welcomes any elected officials to attend and “help work toward a solution that benefits us all.”
Get Involved
The public is invited to attend a town hall meeting to discuss the project at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 6, at the Hockessin Public Library, located at 1023 Valley Road in Hockessin.
