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New Castle County Comprehensive Plan Nears Completion
New Castle County Youth Planning Board members
When the planning team at the New Castle County Land Use Department began laying out the planning process for NCC@2050, the comprehensive plan for New Castle County that will replace the 2012 version and be in place through 2032, three guiding principles were established:
• Create the plan with robust public engagement and bring the process to the many communities across the county;
• make sure the plan’s goals and objectives are measurable and set up for tracking progress toward their achievement; and
• produce an engaging and functional plan that inspires and guides implementation.
That was late 2019, and the NCC@2050 process is now nearing completion. A few noteworthy highlights include:
• The inaugural Youth Planning Board engages the next generation of New Castle Countians. While
there are many stakeholders in the future of NCC, the youth of today stand to be impacted the most by the long-range plans. The Youth Planning Board was created to integrate youth in the planning process. The program engaged twenty 14- to 22-year-olds from August 2020 through May 2021, and the next group of young people started in August of 2021.
• New plan elements and issues since 2012. It is important for NCC@2050 to plan for a future where NCC residents and communities are protected from the effects of climate change and sea-level rise. Last year, NCC residents also dealt with many hardships created and exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly in social and environmental justice communities. NCC@2050 will help plan for a future where these impacts are corrected, minimized, and mitigated.
• Future scenarios. The planning team used scenarios to explore a range of possible futures. Some scenariosmodeledafuturewithvery
little population and employment growth, and some with much more. At the NCC@2050 Public Forum #2 on July 15, these future scenarios were shared with the public attendees, and policies and tradeoffs were discussed. Recordings of this meeting and a summary of input can be found on the NCC@2050 website at ncc2050-nccde.hub.arcgis.com.
If you have not yet learned about or participated in NCC@2050, now’s a great time to get involved. There are several options to participate, including:
• Schedule an update on the plan for your community group meeting this fall! Email NCC2050@newcastlede.gov or call (302) 395-5400.

NCC@2050 events, including updates and Public Forum #3. Signing up for Notify Me is quick and easy. (Go to www.nccde.org/ list.aspx, then scroll down to the “News Flash” section and select “NCC@2050”.)
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