113 more homes planned in Middletown area

A site that was part of a massive Middletown-area development that fizzled in the 1990s is poised to become a housing, retail and office project — another piece in a building spree in the fastest-growing area in the state.

The project, called Boyds Corner Farm, will include 113 single-family detached homes and 110,000 square feet of commercial and office space on the southwest corner of DuPont Highway (U.S. 13) and Boyds Corner Road (Del. 896). Work is scheduled to start as early as January, said Charles Owensby, a partner in the development.

Plans call for a 50,000-square-foot retail space, which developers hope to lease to a supermarket, Owensby said.

Wendy Riddell, who lives in the area, said there is strong demand for a grocery store.

"We have to go all way to Middletown, through traffic, if we forget a single ingredient or something. It would be nice having something closer by,” she said.

Four smaller retail buildings and 12,000 square feet of office space also are planned. Owensby said none of the spaces have yet been leased.

The residential portion will be the first aspect of the development built. A timeline for the commercial side could be decided in 2016, Owensby said.

"When you cross the (Delaware & Chesapeake) Canal, the first stop is Middletown and they have a lot of retail, but I think the area north of Middletown and south of the canal is getting to be where it is a viable submarket," Owensby said.

The single-family, separated houses will be situated with just under four homes per acre. Owensby said the homes will be priced between $275,000 and $325,000.

The land was part of a 1990s plan to build a 5,000-acre community around a proposed computer chip plant near Summit Airport, but it never materialized.

In the 20 years since, southern New Castle County has experienced a growth boom, with a population projected to grow 77 percent over 25 years, to about 112,000 in 2040, according to state forecasts.

The New Castle Council has approved about 10,000 residential units to be built in the area, including more than 1,000 along Boyds Corner Road alone. Just west of Boyds Corner Farm, a 143-home development called Baker Farms is proposed. To the west of that, the Village of Bayberry-South is under construction, with nearly 1,200 homes planned. Another 900 homes in Village of Bayberry-North are being built across Boyds Corner Road.

The construct blitz has raised concerns from neighbors over traffic.

Nancy Cuomo, who lives in Grand View Farms on Boyds Corner Road across from Bayberry-South, said infrastructure needs to be improved to handle the projects.

"They will definitely have to widen the road. If you are going to put that many people here, you have to fix the road," she said. “But I do think it is exciting. There are only four restaurants around here. When you get tired of those, you have to go to Newark."

Riddell said she moved to the area 40 years ago to get away from denser suburban sprawl that characterizes most of northern New Castle County.

"I loved the farm area and wish it could have stayed that way," she said. "But since it hasn't stayed that way, I wouldn't mind having more options (for shopping) nearby."

Contact Xerxes Wilson at (302) 324-2787 or xwilson@delawareonline.com. Follow @Ber_Xerxes on Twitter.