Milton should grab Dogfish opportunity

All across the nation, towns, counties and states are working to attract and retain progressive, responsible and job-creating industries.  On Monday, Jan. 9, Milton mayor and council has the opportunity to further cement its relationship with Dogfish Head Brewery – the type of manufacturer that other towns dream up incentives and enticements to attract. By confirming the town planning commission’s recommendation that 40 acres of land owned by Dogfish be rezoned from residential to light industrial, the mayor and council would enable the nationally recognized craft brewery to continue its expansion and growth.

In a nation clamoring for a return to the manufacturing that made us strong, Dogfish represents an opportunity for Milton to further the diversity of its economic base with a creative and well known entity. The rezoning would also ensure that Dogfish, which has put Milton on the map as a hip destination, will continue to invest in the community - and remain here with the jobs it has created - for decades to come.

In addition, the rezoning would allow a new entrance into the brewery complex from Cave Neck Road that would divert a significant number of trucks from the residential streets of Milton and the immediate Cannery Village neighborhood.

Those concerned that rezoning from residential would somehow put a brake on homebuilding and sales in the town need not worry.  Plenty of undeveloped residential lots remain inside the town’s borders that developers would love to sell.  Beyond town limits, the amount of residentially zoned land in the county, surrounding Milton, is numbered in the thousands of acres.

Finally, just because the land is rezoned doesn’t mean the community gives up control over future development.

Site-plan review processes by the town’s planners and elected officials will help ensure that Dogfish will continue the responsible and sensitive evolution it has orchestrated throughout the past 17 years.

By approving the Dogfish rezoning, Milton’s mayor and council would demonstrate the good sense and progressive attitude that have solidified the community’s foundation over more than two centuries of existence at the head of the Broadkill.