Development group plans to annex Milton property
A second landowner on Route 16 in Milton has filed an application to annex land into the town.
BBD LLC has applied to annex 7.68 acres at the intersection of Route 5 and Route 16. The property has been for sale for some time and is currently owned by Milton residents Stephen and Lynn Dexter. Milton Project Coordinator John Collier said the Dexters are planning to sell the land to BBD, whose members are still unknown. The land is located within Sussex County and is zoned MR medium-density residential, which allows for single-family homes, churches, golf courses, parks, recreational areas, open space or greenhouses.
Collier said BBD plans to build a commercial venture at the site, with conceptual plans proposing either a combination storage/office facility or a gas station/convenience store. If the parcel is brought into town, the parcel would have to be rezoned through the Planning and Zoning Commission. Collier said the land surrounding the parcel located in town is zoned C-1 commercial, even though the current use is residential homes.
The Dexters were unavailable for comment at press time.
Town Council has referred the application to the Special Review Committee for review, which is expected to take 120 days to determine whether an annexation would be beneficial for the town. Should the committee recommend annexation, an advisory report would be submitted to council, which would make the final call.
The committee is close to wrapping up its review of another annexation request, made by Milton Attainable Housing LLC, which would bring 26 acres of land across from Po’Boys on Route 16 into town. Who would sit on the committee to review the BBD request has not been determined. The current commission consists of Councilmen Michael Cote and Emory West and Planning and Zoning Chairman Richard Trask. But West’s term is up, and council members questioned whether he should be appointed to review the BBD request given the possibility he may not be re-elected. Collier said council is moving forward with the committee as now constituted, but should West not retain his seat, a new member would be appointed.
Ryan Mavity covers Milton and the court system. He is married to Rachel Swick Mavity and has two kids, Alex and Jane. Ryan started with the Cape Gazette all the way back in February 2007, previously covering the City of Rehoboth Beach. A native of Easton, Md. and graduate of Towson University, Ryan enjoys watching the Baltimore Ravens, Washington Capitals and Baltimore Orioles in his spare time.
