Milton Royal Farms expected to be ready by September

After a long, four-year road, Royal Farms is set to pull into Milton this fall.

Aliyah Atayee, spokeswoman for Royal Farms, said construction is expected to be completed in September, but no grand opening has been scheduled. 

Work began at the 2-plus-acre lot at the corner of Route 16 and Union Street Extended in February with the clearing of the lot, which included the removal of a 100-year-old pecan tree, and preparing the site to make way for a 4,700-square-foot convenience store with an additional 5,100 square feet of space for gas pumps. Pieces of the pecan tree have been preserved and are planned to undergo historical study. 

Entrances to the parcel are slated to be on Route 16 and Cedar Creek Road, along with traffic improvements to the intersection of Route 16 and Route 5. The traffic improvements will include reconstruction, widening and restriping of Route 16 and Union Street Extended. There will be dedicated turn lanes into the parcel from both approaches on Route 16 and a right-turn lane on Union Street Extended. Plans also include a bike lane through the intersection, modifications to the traffic signal, a pedestrian crossing, stormwater management upgrades and a new transit stop. 

Delaware Department of Transportation spokesman C.R. McLeod said once work is completed and accepted by DelDOT, Royal Farms will be reimbursed through the state’s Transportation Infrastructure Investment Fund. Royal Farms requested a $1.8 million grant through the TIIF program in September, and TIIF’s governing body recommended the grant be approved. McLeod said funding was approved by DelDOT, but he did not say when that approval was granted. 

For a for-profit entity like Royal Farms to be eligible for a TIIF grant, it must meet four criteria: demonstrate job creation and how the venture will stimulate secondary job growth, demonstrate no adverse impacts to disadvantaged communities, and the business must demonstrate financial stability.

The traffic improvements were the main holdup to the project coming to fruition, since Royal Farms announced its intentions to build at the Route 16 site in 2021. The parcel where the Royal Farms would be was annexed into the town, and site plans have been approved by Milton’s Planning and Zoning Commission.