Scarlet Oaks annexation request sent to special review committee

Milton Town Council has sent a request by the developers of Scarlet Oaks to annex a 5 acre parcel at the corner of Shingle Point and Harbeson roads to the town’s special review committee.

Project Planner Eric Wahl told council Nov. 3 that plans for the property are for a C-1 commercial zoning designation 

Wahl said the annexation will help connect Scarlet Oaks to the rest of the town via a shared-use path that will run from the development, through the commercial section and lead to the crosswalk going toward Mariner Middle School. 

He said the plan is to provide a business component to this corner of Milton, which will include a building called “The Barn,” which will have a restaurant, beer garden and outdoor seating, as well as room for a farmers market or entertainment venue and a spot for bicycle rentals. Cottages will be on site to serve as office space. Wahl said Scarlet Oaks is in talks with Megan Kee, creator of Houston White Company in Rehoboth Beach, to create the central restaurant. 

Wahl said the commercial component will be independent of the planned Scarlet Oaks development, which will include 163 residential units.

For council, all that was really on the table Nov. 3 was to send the matter to the special review committee, a three-person panel that reviews the pros and cons and cost/benefits of proposed annexations. If the committee agrees that the annexation is in the best interest of the town, the matter would then go to the Milton Planning and Zoning Commission for a review of the proposed zoning. If the commission gives its approval, the proposal would then go back to town council, which could approve the annexation outright, deny the application or call for a referendum. All of that will be open to the public, which is encouraged to provide feedback during the annexation process. 

“There’s a lot of stops on the train,” Town Solicitor Seth Thompson said.