Transportation districts proposed in Milton, Roxana
During the Feb. 6 Sussex County Council meeting, Delaware Department of Transportation planner Sarah Coakley offered a presentation on the status of the Henlopen Transportation Improvement District in the Lewes area and also provided information on proposed improvement districts, in the Roxana area in southeastern Sussex and within town limits of Milton.
Coakley said $311 million in road improvements are planned in the Henlopen TID with developers covering 24% of the cost ($76.6 million), which is the agreed-on fee to build in the district. Federal and state funds will cover the remaining $234.4 million.
She said projects in the TID receive prioritized status in DelDOT’s formula for ranking projects in the six-year Capital Transportation Program. One-third of the proposed projects in the TID are included in the most recent CTP, she noted.
Coakley said since the inception of the TID in 2020, DelDOT has signed 22 agreements. Nine are underway for a total of $1 million in developer contributions for road work in the district, as well as $341,000 in rights-of-way dedications.
Developers within the district are not required to conduct a costly and time-consuming transportation impact study because DelDOT has already collected data. She said developers can be required to construct road frontage improvements, which are credited to their TID fees.
Developers are required to fund all subdivision entrance work.
The Henlopen TID is 24 square miles, and comprises 50 intersections and 47 miles of roadway.
She said DelDOT staff have conducted an update on district transportation data showing that the 2018 modeling of traffic is still adequate. There could be as many as 13,000 new single-family lots and 1.5 million square feet of commercial space in the district over the next 20 years.
What is a TID?
TIDs are areas where growth is expected. TIDs are finalized with comprehensive infrastructure planning, including road work and intersection improvements. Developers are assessed a fee per unit or square foot, with all money used for district projects. Coakley said developers know the costs up front, and all pay based on the number of units constructed.
County or town officials also have more input on work within the district.
Milton and Roxana
Two other TIDs are planned in Sussex County.
The Town of Milton and DelDOT have an agreement to develop a TID within town limits and proposed annexation areas. Coakley said if the county takes part in the process, TID requirements would be clearer for property owners and developers, and the county would get more say in prioritization of TID improvements.
Sussex County Planning & Zoning Director Jamie Whitehouse said staff would review the proposal and report back to council.
The boundaries are based on the town’s growth area, the county’s future land-use map and adjacent state Preliminary Land Use Service application parcels.
A land-use forecast was completed by the town and DelDOT with consultant assistance assuming zoning and density for annexation parcels.
Updated traffic counts were obtained last March and July.
The forecast shows the potential for development of more than 15,000 single-family and 1,300 multifamily units, 4 million square feet of commercial space and 5 million square feet of industrial space over the next 20 years.
Steps to implement the proposed Roxana TID include the following:
DelDOT to collect updated traffic counts; DelDOT to model traffic impacts on land-use forecast provided by county planning and zoning staff; DelDOT and Sussex County to agree on a list of needed road improvements and conduct public outreach; DelDOT and Sussex County to finalize an infrastructure fee and monitoring program.
The land-use forecast shows potential development of 11,287 housing units and nearly 900,000 square feet of commercial space in the district over the next 20 years.
Coakley said getting the final agreement completed is expected to take one-and-a-half years.
Projects within the Henlopen TID
Airport Road extension from Old Landing Road to Route 24. Status: Engineering underway.
Route 9 widening from Old Vine Road to Route 1. Status: Engineering underway.
Old Landing Road and Warrington Road intersection. Status: On hold pending completion of other area projects.
Plantation Road Phase 1. Status: Under construction. Phase 2 status: In design. Work includes roundabout at Plantation Road-Beaver Dam Road-Route 9 intersection.
Shady Road and Postal Lane improvements. Status: Engineering in fiscal year 2028.
Mulberry Knoll Road extension from Cedar Grove Road to Route 9. Status: Engineering in fiscal year 2028.
Route 9 widening from Old Vine Boulevard to Dairy Farm Road. Status: Design work in fiscal years 2027-28.
Route 24 widening from Love Creek Bridge to Indian Mission Road. Status: Design work in fiscal years 2028-29. Ongoing work from Mulberry Knoll Road to the Love Creek Bridge is expected to be completed this year.
