Milton seeks amendments to comp plan

State agencies are prepared to allow Milton officials to move forward with amendments to the town’s comprehensive development plan to account for new annexations, amendments to the historic district and protections for a new well the town recently installed.

Project Coordinator Tom Quass presented the town’s proposed amendments to the Preliminary Land Use Service, a collection of state regulatory agencies, at a Feb. 23 meeting.

Quass said the town had three amendments to its comprehensive plan. The first accounts for land-use changes involving three parcels that are currently being debated for annexation.

Two of the three parcels are part of the proposed Granary at Draper Farm development, which would annex 450 acres on Sand Hill Road to be built on for the 1,350-unit Granary project. Quass said the parcels are currently in the comprehensive plan designated as residential, but are planned to be zoned R-2 residential with a large-parcel development overlay should the Granary land be annexed. Milton Town Council may vote on the annexation at its Monday, March 7 meeting. 

The third parcel is 50 acres of land on Harbeson Road across from Mariner Middle School proposed for annexation and development as Scarlet Oaks, which would add 163 units if annexation is approved. 

It should be noted that the main issue is adding the large-parcel development overlay to both proposed developments, which would provide the developer with flexibility in terms of home and lot size plus the ability to have some light commercial uses. 

Most of the state agencies, which included Delaware Department of Transportation, Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, State Fire Marshal’s Office and Delaware State Historic Preservation Office, had no objection to the amendments. Bill Brockenbrough, representing DelDOT, said Convergence Communities, developer of the Granary project, should be in contact with his agency about access to the Rails to Trails. Convergence has proposed an underpass connecting the development to the trail. Brockenbrough said DelDOT is currently undertaking a traffic-impact study of the Granary. He said a review of Scarlet Oaks by PLUS will happen in March. 

The second amendment is to expand the town’s historic district to include 36 additional parcels. Quass said this came about after a survey conducted by the University of Delaware found additional parcels that should be included in the district, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. 

Quass said the amendment from the state is needed so the town can enforce its code and change its zoning maps to reflect the addition of those parcels. Owners of homes in the historic district must go before the Milton Historic Preservation Commission to make structural changes, but owning a home in the historic district also comes with tax advantages. Quass said the town is awaiting certification on the changes from the National Parks Service, which oversees the national register. 

None of the state agencies had objections to that amendment.

Finally, Quass asked for a third amendment to add a source water protection area around a new well the town recently tapped near Shipbuilder’s Village. Source water protection programs were created by the federal government to protect drinking water sources. With the amendment, the town will be able to identify the location of the well on its maps. 

Again, state agencies had no objection to the amendment.