Milton planners to weigh final approval of Route 16/5 project

The Milton Planning and Zoning Commission will meet at 6:30 p.m., Tuesday, Nov. 26, at the Cannery Village clubhouse to discuss final approval of a proposal to build a 44-unit office/storage complex on a 5-acre site at the corner of Mulberry Street Extended and Cedar Creek Road.

The facility would comprise 44 office spaces with attached garages for storage. The park would be built adjacent to the planned Royal Farms on a lot that is bordered by Union Street Extended, Cedar Creek Road, Mulberry Street Extended and Route 16.

The commission approved preliminary site plans for the office park in March; preliminary site-plan review is the main outlet for public comment. Following preliminary approval, applicants then work on getting approvals from county and state agencies before they can seek final approval from the commission.  

Both the office park and Royal Farms are part of a greater 7-plus-acre parcel that was annexed into Milton in December 2020, then partitioned in July 2021. Planning and zoning officials approved a special-use permit and a preliminary site plan for Royal Farms in October 2021, and final site plans were approved by town council in June 2023. Actual construction has been delayed as the Delaware Department of Transportation reviews traffic plans for the site. 

The office park was always envisioned as part of the commercial complex at the site, which is zoned C-1 commercial and across the street from the Food Lion shopping center. But the delays in Royal Farms and traffic issues have slowed progress.

In May, applicant Route 16 Five Property LLC was granted variances by the board of adjustment to permit parking in the front-yard setback on the Mulberry Street Extended side of the parcel, and a variance to reduce the parking space separation to the right of way from 4 feet to 1 foot. Receiving approval for the two variances was a condition of preliminary site-plan approval for the project granted by the planning and zoning commission in March.

Both Royal Farms and the office park will share an entrance to the parcel from Cedar Creek Road, while Royal Farms will also have an entrance off Route 16. Tied to the Royal Farms project are the installation of new turn lanes to the parcel from Route 16, as well as improvements to the intersection of Route 5 and Route 16.