Naturally, there were challenges in accommodating the new corporate citizen. The construction of AstraZeneca's new campus and the influx of more than 5,000 employees would require changes to the roadways, including a massive reconfiguration of Route 202, a north-south commuter road between Delaware and Pennsylvania.
Instead of simply reworking the roadways to accommodate the site, the state used the transportation projects as stepping stones to a comprehensive master plan for the whole area. To develop such a plan, the state put together a team of employees from the departments of Transportation, Economic Development and Natural Resources and Environmental Control to work together.
The plan they came up with, which will cost the state $130 million over the next four years, incorporates road work, the creation of ball fields and parks, restoration of historic sites and environmental improvements. An associated project with the city of Wilmington will develop a golf course for community use.
Input wasn't limited to state agencies and the city. Area residents contributed suggestions, including what color to paint an 89-year-old dairy barn being converted to a multi-use community center and as a home for the state's folk art collection. Project managers continue to meet monthly with interested residents to update them on the plan's progress.
So far, the project is on schedule and on budget after breaking ground last July. It's slated to be finished during 2007.
