Milton council approves annexation plans
Milton Town Council has unanimously approved two annexation requests and plans to amend the comprehensive development plan to reflect the new parcels and their intended use.
The Dec. 15 vote gives the two projects the go-ahead to begin the preliminary site-plan process.
The first annexation is for Milton Attainable Housing LLC, a proposed mixed commercial/residential development on a 26-acre parcel at the corner of Route 16 and Country Road. A 5-acre slice of the parcel will be zoned commercial and used for four pad sites averaging around an acre each in size. The remainder of the property will be zoned R-3 residential to allow for 239 housing units spread throughout the parcel.
Milton Attainable Housing is a joint venture owned by developer Preston Schell and Rehoboth Beach businessman Eric Sugrue. Schell said the next steps are for pre-engineering and site work in order to submit a preliminary site plan to Milton’s Planning and Zoning Commission. Schell said he expects that to happen by early February.
Once preliminary site plans are approved, full site engineering will begin, along with submissions to relevant state agencies, such as the State Fire Marshal’s Office, Sussex Conservation District and Delaware Department of Transportation. Schell said he expects that process to take about six months. He said the best-case scenario is to have final site-plan approval by the end of 2021, but the more likely scenario is approval within the first quarter of 2022.
The second annexation is for BBD LLC, owned by Stephen and Lynn Dexter, to annex a nearly 8-acre parcel at the corner of Union Street Extended and Route 16. BBD plans to build a commercial venture on the property that has been proposed to include a convenience store, office space and a storage facility. The property would be zoned C-1 commercial.
Sugrue, who is working on the Dexter project as well, said at this point they are still evaluating the use of the site. He said talks with potential tenants are still ongoing, but some clarity should come in the next three to six months. Once they have an idea what will go on the property, Sugrue said work will then begin on preliminary site plans.
