Newark approves Amstel Square development

Newark City Council passed a proposal to construct a new townhouse complex located on the corner of Amstel Avenue and Elkton Road last Monday.

The proposal for this new development, named Amstel Square, was brought before city council by Tim Thompson, the property owner of the restaurant The Trap, and developers from Amstel Associates LLC.

Thompson said Amstel Square, which will consist of 18 townhouses and a 2,500 square-foot restaurant, on 1.3 acres of land, is intended for both residential and commercial use. The first phase of construction, which consists of the apartment complex, will begin in June, with the apartments available for rent by fall 2007. The construction of the commercial area, however, is not due until spring of 2008.

Amstel developer Lisa Goodman said renovations on the property should help add much needed new life to the area.

Goodman said people that live in the area would appreciate reconstruction to the proposed property since the land is currently occupied with older, run-down homes.

Thompson, who will fund the construction with no outside sponsorship said acquiring the property in 2002 presented him with the opportunity to renovate it.

"To keep them up is difficult financially," Thompson said. "My father and I wanted to put something up that we could all be proud of."

Gary Burcham, owner of Burcham & Associates, the landscaping company for the project, said the team working on the project plans to work with what is there and make it blend better with the surrounding landscapes of the city.

"We saw Amstel Square as a gateway for an entrance to the city and an entrance for the University of Delaware," he said.

Councilman Karl Kalbacher, District 3, said the project will be a positive addition to both the city and university, although he agreed with Thompson that the houses currently occupying the land are a part of Newark and should not be demolished.

"I was and always will be concerned with demolition of the houses," he said. "Let's maintain and keep up the houses. It's a part of our fabric and if we lose that, we lose Newark."

In terms of the public response to the proposed development, William Murray, who owns property on Delaware Avenue, said he supports it.

"The site as it stands is an eyesore," he said. "It's a great plan and would be a tremendous improvement of what's already there."

Although Newark resident Jean White said she is in favor of the renovations, she is not completely thrilled with the idea of removing the sycamore tree that sits on the property, in addition to the demolition of two buildings on Elkton Road and two houses behind Bayard Sharp Hall.

"I have always admired them. I am sorry to see them go," she said.

Goodman said while the few trees that are on Elkton Road will possibly be cut down, the project plans to plant 11 new trees at the site.

Kalbacher also said the new property will be a private street maintained by private workers, leaving no room for trespassers on the property.