In New Castle County, Delaware, the proposed TND

In New Castle County, Delaware, the proposed TND Whitehall is in development limbo after four years of extensive negotiations. Designed by Angelo Alberto, Whitehall would consist of three compact villages on 2,047 acres, with almost 5,000 dwelling units, an employment center, and 1,100 acres of permanently preserved open space. Though the county’s 1997 Unified Development Code (UDC) has a village component — heavily inspired by the Whitehall plan, Angelo says — the project could not conform to the UDC without amendments. Specifically, the UDC would require wide buffer zones between the edge of the villages and major roads, and cut down Whitehall’s retail area significantly. The code also made it difficult to get uniform setbacks and building heights on streets with a mixture of housing types and lot sizes. “The problem is that the UDC tries to regulate every square inch of the site, Angelo says. Alberto and developer Whitehall Joint Venture almost reached a compromise with the planning department, but elected officials have denied any amendments to the UDC at this time. The developer holds out hope that Whitehall may gain approval, but the project may be on hold for a long time to come.