It looks as if Ordinance 536, which will permit Parkway Gravel to build 400-plus units of multifamily housing on 149 acres and 14 acres of commercial use on Lukens Drive near the river in New Castle, is being fast-tracked. So is a resolution expanding the Downtown Development District, next to The Garrison on Seventh Street, again for development near the river. Ord 536 will have its first reading at the Council meeting on Tuesday, May 10, which means it may be passed at the June meeting.
At the April meeting, City Administrator Bill Barthel announced that he had had a conference on the subject with a lawyer for Parkway Gravel, City lawyer Dan Losco, and AECOM engineer Chris Rogers; he provided Council members with an information packet. There was no discussion with Council.
Neither Ordinance 536 nor Resolution 2022-12 have been posted on the City website, though they should have been available on Friday, May 6; therefore, residents cannot examine their details.
It’s vital for residents to have information and input on these projects. If developed as planned, they will affect our property values. They may overstretch our police, fire company, and trash collection services; they will greatly affect the ability of the land to absorb water, which will have a serious impact on the town, already prone to flooding. Who is going to benefit if they are built? Certainly not the residents! Ample time MUST be given for 536 and 2022-12 to be sufficiently considered by Council and the other governmental entities.