Milton planners advise passage of DEStorage annexation

The Milton Planning and Zoning Commission unanimously approved an advisory report in favor of annexing a half-acre of land at Route 16 and Palmer Street Extended into town that would be part of a seven-acre parcel proposed for building a DEStorage self-storage complex.

While the majority of the proposed DEStorage parcel is within town, a half-acre enclave bordering Palmer Street Extended is still considered within Sussex County. Under DEStorage’s proposal, the land would be brought into Milton and zoned C-1 commercial like the rest of the parcel. The enclave had been the site of a house that was demolished several years ago, but the land has been kept as open space. 

The annexation had previously been given a green light by the town’s special review committee, which agreed it was in the town’s interest to have the land as one contiguous parcel. Because the portion of the parcel is so small, town officials did not force the request to undergo a cost-benefit analysis or be reviewed by outside consultants, as has been done for larger annexations. 

The annexation will now head to the town council for a public hearing and a vote. DEStorage was already granted a special permitted use by planning and zoning to have a storage facility on the parcel.

The facility would comprise two 40,000-square-foot and two 20,000-square-foot buildings. The larger two-story buildings would front Route 16, while the other two buildings, one story each, would be built on the back side of the property. Also planned are an office building, a gated entrance, and stormwater retention ponds on the front and back of the property.

Royal Farms site plans granted extension

Also at its Sept. 20 meeting, the planning and zoning commission granted a one-year extension to Royal Farms for the gas station and convenience store’s preliminary site-plan approvals.

Approval was originally given by the planners in October, but progress on the Royal Farms, which would be located on a two-acre site at the corner of Route 16 and Union Street Extended, was delayed by outside agency approvals, most notably from Delaware Department of Transportation for the entrance to the complex. 

Engineers from Deerfield Associates told the planners that certain requirements forced the project be rescoped for DelDOT’s traffic-impact study. DelDOT also requires additional roadway improvements for the site. In a letter to Project Manager Tom Quass, Royal Farms anticipates submitting for final site-plan approval within six months.