New Castle County Council sided with Wilmington at its latest meeting, permitting the annexation of unincorporated land south of the city.
Wilmington City Council approved the annexation, which includes 7 parcels of land totaling about 4 acres. Wilmington is the only municipality in New Castle County that has to get annexations approved by County Council, which several Councilmembers said isn’t right.
Councilmember David Carter voted in favor of the annexation.
“After reviewing it, I have to agree with Councilman Hollins that our state law is fundamentally unfair in the way it singles out the city of Wilmington and not all the other municipalities,” Carter said. “I still have concerns over the revenue loss, but what's fair is fair.”
Developers vouched for the annexation after releasing plans to build the only indoor track and field facility in the area.
Delaware high school athletes often travel out of state for indoor tracks.
County Councilmember Penrose Hollins sponsored the ordinance to give Wilmington’s annexation the green light.
“What we want to do is expand the [Chase] Fieldhouse with this particular annexation, which is adjacent to the Fieldhouse,” Hollins said. “And I think Councilwoman Kilpatrick talked about the benefits of the Fieldhouse expansion, what it does for the youth in the area – not just for the youth around the Fieldhouse but all over, and what it does to the economy.”
Carter added he hopes the County will also reap the benefits of the annexed land. The land is set to have an indoor track and field facility for First State athletes.
County Council approved the annexation 12-0 with one not voting. It also established July 27 as the date for the special election to finalize the move.
