Churchman’s Crossing Plan Update

About the Study

WILMAPCO, DelDOT, and New Castle County Department of Land Use have developed a comprehensive update to the 1997 Churchman’s Crossing Plan.  Details of the 1997 Plan and subsequent monitoring efforts can be found below.  The current Churchman’s Crossing Plan Update includes new recommendations for transportation improvements, land use strategies, and transportation demand management (TDM) strategies.  After a year-long process, the Churchman’s Crossing Plan Update was adopted by WILMAPCO’s Council on January 13, 2022.

Recent Events

4/19 Public Workshop:  A Public Workshop was held on Wednesday, April 19, 2023 from 6:00 – 8:00 PM, at the DelDOT Canal District Building. At the workshop participants were able to:

  • Learn about transportation projects that are planned in the Churchman’s Crossing area;
  • Learn about future land use strategies for the Churchman’s Crossing area;
  • Review and provide feedback on the Draft 2022 Churchman’s Crossing Monitoring Report, and;
  • Engage with and provide your feedback to the project team.
  • 4/19/23 Workshop display boards (PDF)

About the Churchman’s Crossing Monitoring Committee:

The Churchman’s Crossing Plan Update was adopted by WILMAPCO’s Council on January 13, 2022, and includes new recommendations for transportation improvements, land use, and transportation demand management strategies for the area. Since adoption, the Churchman’s Crossing Monitoring Committee (CCMC) was formed in 2022 with the purpose to help guide and fulfill the recommendations of the Plan.  The Annual Monitoring Report is a summary of transportation and land use conditions and changes within the Churchman’s Crossing study area, developed by the project partners:  WILMAPCO, DelDOT, DTC, and New Castle County Department of Land Use, in support of and coordination with the CCMC.

 

    Churchmans Crossing Monitoring Committee Meeting #3

    The Churchman’s Crossing Monitoring Committee has been established to help guide and fulfill the recommendations found in the Churchman’s Crossing Plan update. The second meeting was held on May 24, 2023

    Churchmans Crossing Monitoring Committee Meeting #2

    The Churchman’s Crossing Monitoring Committee has been established to help guide and fulfill the recommendations found in the Churchman’s Crossing Plan update. The second meeting was held on March 22, 2023

    Churchmans Crossing Monitoring Committee Meeting #1

    The Churchman’s Crossing Monitoring Committee has been established to help guide and fulfill the recommendations found in the Churchman’s Crossing Plan update. The first meeting was held on November 16th, 2022

    Important links for Churchman’s Crossing Project Updates:

      Sign up for Updates!

      • We welcome your feedback!  If you have questions or comments or would like to sign up for project email updates, please email Dawn Voss at dvoss@wilmapco.org.
      • To reach out the project manager with any questions or comments, please email Dave Gula at dgula@wilmapco.org.

      Churchman’s Crossing Plan Update

      October 25, 2021 – Public Workshop #4

      This meeting was the fourth and final meeting which  included an overview of prior activities, final results of more detailed land use and transportation alternatives analysis, and an additional details on potential implementation tools.


      September 27, 2021 – Advisory Committee Meeting #3

      This meeting was the third and final meeting which  included an overview of prior activities, preliminary results of more detailed land use and transportation alternatives analysis, and an additional details on potential implementation tools.

      June 23, 2021 – Public Workshop #3

      The project team presented results of the analysis of the transportation alternatives and initial project recommendations. Also discussed were potential implementation strategies along with other recommendations for the area.

      May 3, 2021 – Advisory Committee Meeting #2

      In addition to public workshops, the Churchman’s Crossing Plan Update is guided by an Advisory Committee that represents a variety of stakeholders and agencies, such as county and state officials, municipalities, community groups, businesses, and citizens. This meeting included an overview of prior activities, preliminary results of more detailed land use and transportation alternatives analysis, and an introduction to potential implementation tools.

      March 12, 2021 –Environmental Resource Agency Meeting 

      The project team presented an introduction and status of the Churchman’s Crossing Plan Update at DelDOT’s Spring Environmental Resource Agency Meeting.  The project team is collaborating with the resource agencies to consider the benefits and impacts of proposed improvements to the environment, community, and economy throughout the transportation planning process.

      March 3, 2021 – Public Workshop #2

      This virtual public workshop included an overview of transportation and land use scenario planning and presented preliminary results for the Churchman’s Crossing study area.

      December 2, 2020 – Advisory Committee Meeting #1

      In addition to public workshops, the Churchman’s Crossing Plan Update is guided by an Advisory Committee that represents a variety of stakeholders and agencies, such as county and state officials, municipalities, community groups, businesses, and citizens.  Advisory Committee meetings provide additional opportunities to review study related information and provide meaningful feedback to the study team throughout the project.  The first Advisory Committee meeting provided an introduction to transportation and land use scenario planning.

      September 16, 2020 – Public Workshop #1

      This virtual public workshop included an overview of why Master Planning is important, an introduction to the Churchman’s Crossing Plan Update process, and information on existing transportation and land use in the Churchman’s Crossing area.

       – September 16th Workshop Presentation (PDF)
       – Time Lapse Animation of Travel Times (from presentation)
       – Public Workshop Recording
      – Interactive Map of Current Transportation Conditions from 9/16 Workshop
       – New Castle County Land Use Residential Toolbox Website

      Workshop Poll Questions and Chat Log:
      – Poll Questions (Live/Work/Play & Mode Share)
       – Word Cloud Exercise #1:  What is most valuable about Churchman’s Crossing now?
      – Word Cloud Exercise #2:  What is most needed in the next 20 years?
      – Workshop Chat Log 

      Additional Outreach

      Public outreach for this project began with stakeholder interviews held this summer, including elected officials (state and local), members of the business and development community, community and civic leaders, environmental advocates, and other institutional leaders, and one-one-one and small group interviews. The intent of the interviews is to better understand the short- and long-term concerns, opportunities, and challenges facing the Churchman’s Crossing area.  Your thoughts are welcome.  If you’d like to submit a comment or have any questions, please email Randi Novakoff at rnovakoff@wilmapco.org.

      Study Area

      The Churchman’s Crossing area continues to be a vitally important economic growth area for New Castle County and the State of Delaware with its location along the I-95 Corridor between Newark and Wilmington.  Significant commercial and employment centers are found in Churchman’s Crossing, which was formerly known as the “Edge City” of Metroform.  The project boundary is a modified version of the “inner core” boundary identified in the 1997 Plan and the 2004 Update

      Since 1997, there have been several changes to the residential and commercial development patterns in Churchman’s Crossing, altering the landscape of the area in ways that were not anticipated by the 1997 Plan assumptions.  These changes include expansions at the Christiana Hospital, Delaware Park & Casino, J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. and numerous changes near the Christiana Mall.  The transportation elements identified as part of the 1997 Study have also gone through some modifications.  As a result, there is a need to analyze future transportation improvements based upon an updated land use plan and forecast, using measures that can better assess the effectiveness of the full transportation system, whether its roadways, pedestrian and bicycle facilities, and/or transit facilities.

      Consensus building and establishment of stakeholder support for the Plan are key elements in this process.  This will be accomplished through a facilitated stakeholder outreach process that includes a stakeholder listening tour, advisory and management committee meetings, and interactive public workshops.  The resulting report will be developed using a collaborative and integrated approach to transportation decision-making that considers environmental, community, and economic issues early in the planning process.

      Previous Plans and Monitoring Documents