The Churchman’s Crossing Monitoring Committee (CXMC) was formed in 2022 to guide and fulfill the recommendations of the 2022 Churchman's Crossing Plan Update. This work is being accomplished through a collaborative dialogue among the CXMC members, who represent a cross-section of stakeholders, including implementing agencies, elected officials, local civic and community leaders, business interests, and advocacy groups.    

Each year the CXMC meets on multiple occasions, hosts an annual public workshop in the Spring, and publishes an Annual Churchman’s Crossing Monitoring Report. All previous meeting materials, meeting recordings, and monitoring reports can be found on the Churchman’s Crossing Plan Update website, linked above. 

Since our last CXMC Summer newsletter, the 2024-2025 CXMC cycle has begun. The CXMC will have two Committee meetings this cycle, as well as the annual public workshop in the spring. The Draft 2024 Annual Churchman’s Crossing Monitoring Report will be published later this winter.  

The first meeting of the CXMC 2024-2025 cycle was held on December 10, 2024. The main focuses of the meeting were:  

Materials from this Fall 2024 meeting, including the PowerPoint presentation and a recording of the meeting can be found on the Churchman’s Crossing Plan Update website.  

Spotlight Topics were introduced to the CXMC meetings during the 2023-2024 cycle to help achieve the primary goal of the Committee – to advance the Churchman’s Crossing Plan Update recommendations. Spotlight Topics are intended to highlight specific recommended projects,  taking  a “deeper dive” into recommendations that were identified as priorities by the CXMC. Spotlight Topics may also investigate new issues pertaining to transportation or land use within the Churchman’s Crossing are that were identified by or brought to the attention of the CXMC. Spotlight Topics provide committee members with more detailed information about the highlighted projects that they can share with their communities.   

Bicycle/Pedestrian Improvements Follow Up

The Fall 2024 meeting featured a Spotlight Topic on the continuing bicycle/pedestrian improvements effort in the Churchman’s Crossing area. Recommendations to provide pedestrian/bicycle improvements along existing roads and connections serving existing communities were included in the Churchman’s Crossing Plan Update and prioritized by the CXMC. However, specific improvements and connections were not identified in the Plan Update. 

During the 2023 – 2024 cycle, the CXMC and technical team worked to define potential pedestrian and bicycle connections in the Churchman’s Crossing area.  

Last Spring, the potential connections were shared at the 2024 Public Workshop, which included a pedestrian and bike network activity with the goal of gaining input from the public on which potential connections are the most important in the Churchman’s Crossing area. Results from this activity are shown in the map below.  

Input from the CXMC and the public are being used by the technical team to continue analyzing potential network improvements. During the Fall 2024 meeting, the technical team presented how these projects were further ranked over the Summer using the DelDOT Bicycle Mobility Tool.  

Next steps to continue advancing the bicycle/pedestrian improvements include developing and quantifying the benefit of combining projects into different multi-project scenarios, performing cost benefit analyses, and identifying which projects will best increase low-stress access to community centers, employment centers, parks, schools, and transit. A recording of the Fall 2024 Spotlight Topic can be found on the Churchman’s Crossing Plan Update website. 

The DelDOT Projects Portal map shows active projects in and around the Churchman’s Crossing area, and includes additional information about the planning, design, and construction of each project. Use the Project Portal map to view any active projects or select the links below to go directly to a specific project’s webpage.

The most recent bus service changes went into effect November 17, 2024. Changes in the Churchman’s Crossing area include the following:  

For more route information, visit the DART website here.  

The New Castle County Comprehensive Plan (NCC2050) identifies the need for revisions to the redevelopment provisions in the Unified Development Code and recommends context sensitive development design that is consistent with the Guiding Principles for Development.

Found in Appendix 7 of the County’s Unified Development Code, the Guiding Principles are divided into five Character Areas, each with general guidance for building design, site design and amenities. The five Character Areas are: Residential Neighborhood, Mixed Residential Neighborhood, Corridor, Center, and New Community Development.

The county's recommendations for redevelopment include:

Additional information on each of the redevelopment recommendations can be found on the NCC2050 Redevelopment Initiative website. 

The final public workshop for the Kirkwood Highway Land Use and Transportation Plan will be held on February 24, 2025, between 4:30pm and 6:30pm at the Cranston Heights Fire Company. The Plan has been under development since 2023, and has identified final recommendations for transportation improvements and land use policy strategies for the Kirkwood Highway study area. The draft Plan, which has been developed with extensive community and stakeholder input, includes both short term and long-term improvements and initiatives for the Kirkwood Highway Corridor between Newark and Wilmington that will shape the way people live, work, and play in the area. For more information and to register in advance for the workshop, please visit: www.wilmapco.org/Kirkwood