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Plans to bring more affordable housing to Delaware’s Kent County are now underway through the Cottage Community at Murphy Farms. The project comes with an estimated price tag of $17 million to $25 million.

While there are still many hurdles to overcome, land now owned by the Murphy family near Frederica would be transformed into a thoughtfully designed community where affordability and sustainability meet.

The plans are an expansion of the Little Living community created in Sussex County in recent years. The opportunity emerged when Little Living’s founder and president George Meringolo learned about the property while undergoing medical treatment. Rather than simply selling it for a large profit, the Murphy family expressed a desire to invest in a community with better intentions.

The project will be right off Rt. 1, near the Delaware Turf Spots Complex that covers about 22.5 acres.

A self-sustaining community

“On that 22 and a half acres, there’ll be approximately 172 houses. There will be a number of one-bedroom, two-bedroom and three-bedroom, which will be sold,” Meringolo said. “Those selling prices will start at about $110,000 for the one bedroom, $120,000 for the two bedroom, and about $130,000 for the three bedroom. Those prices would be firmed up as we get closer to it because you don’t know what’s happening with the cost of materials and those kinds of things.”

In addition to individual homes for sale, Little Living plans around 30 townhouses for rent at about $1,200 each month with utilities included.

“This project will also include a clubhouse. It’ll include self-store sheds that people can rent if they need more room for storage. It’ll include a laundromat for people to take care of their laundry,” he said. “On the outside edge is probably going to be a convenience store with a gas station, so people can pick up day-to-day needs that they need. And there’ll also probably be something like a McDonald’s.”

“It’s really a self-contained little community. It’s going to be powered by solar panels. I think it’s a very, very nice addition to the area,” he added.

To preserve the character and upkeep of the neighborhood, homeowners will lease the land rather than own it outright, ensuring funds are available for maintenance and common area care.

“We will have enough money every month to make sure that the grass is cut, that the houses are maintained on the outside, that the roads are maintained, that it does not fall into disrepair,” he said.

A judge has rejected another motion to stall school tax bills in New Castle County tied to the recent property values reassessment.

The ruling issued Nov. 4 rejects the request by a coalition of local landlords and lodging businesses to further delay the issuance of new tax bills while they appeal a court ruling from the final week of October.

That ruling upheld school districts’ plans to charge different tax rates to residential versus non-residential properties for this taxing year. That coalition of business interests had sued the state, county and school districts, arguing so-called split rates are unconstitutional and that it would harm their businesses and by extension, their rent-paying tenants.

Last week, after expedited litigation ahead of the pending due date for taxes, Vice Chancellor Lori Will rejected the business coalitions’ legal claims. That set the county back on track to issue new, split-rate tax bills on behalf of school districts.

The ruling: Why a judge upheld lawmakers’ property tax reassessment relief law for homeowners

After the ruling, the coalition asked Will to again delay those bills while they appeal her ruling to the Delaware Supreme Court. Will’s latest ruling rejects that requested stay and leaves the county on track to issue new bills in the coming weeks.

Why the judge rejected the request

Will weighed four legal factors in assessing the plaintiffs’ request: the likelihood that their appeal would be successful, the potential of irreparable injury to the plaintiffs if they stay isn’t granted, whether other parties would be harmed absent a stay and whether the public interest would be harmed if they stay is granted.

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — A fire intentionally set inside a home on Monday afternoon displaced four adults, according to a social media post from the Indianapolis Fire Department.

Crews were sent just before 2 p.m. Monday to the home at 2940 N. Delaware St. That’s in the Nickols North Park housing addition about two blocks north of East Fall Creek Parkway North Drive.

No injuries were reported.

Investigators did not publicly share a possible motive behind the arson.

Firefighters found heavy fire and thick black smoke coming from the second floor of the two-story home on the city’s near-north side. The fire in a second-floor room had extended into the attic.

The fire was marked under control within 15 minutes.

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