Milton could see not one but two storage facilities

A short stretch of Route 16 in Milton may see not one, but two storage facilities in the near future.

The Milton and Planning and Zoning Commission is already debating whether to grant a special permitted use to a proposed three-story facility near the intersection of Route 16 and Union Street Extended, but at the commission’s July 19 meeting, concept plans were submitted for a second facility eyed for a vacant parcel between Beaches Seafood and the Dollar General shopping center. 

Applicant DEStorage LLC is seeking to build the facility on a lot off Palmer Street Extended. Plans to annex a portion of a seven-acre parcel will go before the town’s special review committee after being heard by town council Aug. 1, and planning and zoning is also set to consider a required special-use permit for the facility; although the parcel is zoned commercial, a storage facility is a special use under Milton’s zoning code.

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.

The facility will also have an office building, a gated entrance, and stormwater retention ponds on the front and back of the property. 

Andy Strine, president of DEStorage, said the reason for building the facility is in response to demand and growth. The business started in 1974 and has storage facilities in Rehoboth Beach, Dover, Milford, Millsboro, Seaford, Smyrna and New Garden, Pa., with another under construction in Georgetown.

Strine said the two 40,000-square-foot buildings would have a raised roadway in between to access the second story. 

The parcel is in the C-1 commercial district, which by Milton code will require a special-use permit. Strine said there are some sidewalks on the site, primarily on Palmer Street Extended. He said utilities are also in place to service the facility. Strine said the project would likely be built in three phases. 

At the commission’s July 19 meeting, Chair Richard Trask said the commission had a number of concerns that should be addressed before the applicant submits plans for a special-use permit. Among those concerns are screening of the facility from neighboring properties, emergency vehicle access and sidewalks.