The Fry farm, located at the corner of Milford Harrington Highway and Canterbury Road began its transformation into a new corporate center today when state and local officials officially broke ground to begin the construction phase. The new Milford Corporate Center will include 27 lots available for sale to businesses with the goal of bringing at least 1,300 high-paying jobs to the city.
“This is a great day. You know they say JFK always said, “rising tides raise all ships,” and when we start with something here that creates jobs, that contributes to Milford economy, and what that does is creates a better quality of life, better medical services,” Mayor Todd Culotta said. “So today, this is a big day in Milford, and I’m really excited to be part of it.”
City Manager Mark Whitfield provided background on the project, explaining that this has been in the planning stages since 2017. That year, during the city’s strategic planning process, one of the opportunities for growth identified was to bring high-quality jobs to the city. He stated that the city looked at a number of properties before the Fry farm came available.
“Keep in mind, one of the things that was planned for this piece of land was an R3 development. The R3 development would allow over 1,000 housing units be put on this piece of land. The Fry’s were not enamored with having 1000 housing units on the piece of land,” Whitfield said. “What they were excited about was the fact that Milford was going to put something in that was going to create jobs, plus it was going to be a much less dense development. So again, we went to them, we were able to strike a fair and equitable deal and purchase the land, and we begin then the planning process.”
The city had enough reserves to purchase the property, and those reserves will be replaced as the lots are sold. The goal of the city was not to make a profit, Whitfield pointed out, but to keep prices as low as possible to attract businesses to Milford.
“Now, being from western Pennsylvania, the term “industrial’ park did not bring to mind a beautiful site, but the truth of the matter is that we tried to create a park that is esthetically pleasing,” Whitfield said. “We wanted it to be a place where people wanted to come to work with tree lined streets and sidewalks. The entire property will have a walking trail around the perimeter and there will be a new water field and well tank that will not only serve this project but also the city water system itself. We put a lot of time and effort in making sure all the private properties around here were well buffered and screened”
All buildings built in the complex must be approved by a review board, Whitfield explained. A roundabout will be constructed at the intersection of Airport Road and Canterbury Road, directly in front of the complex to address not only traffic that may develop due to the park, but congestion that already exists as well.
“Today is March 4. March 4. And when they told me about this groundbreaking, I’m like, I” don’t know if I can get down to Milford.” And then they said it was on March 4. I said, March 4 is the perfect day for a groundbreaking, because after that history Mark described that indicated years to get to this date, I knew I had to be here,” Governor Matt Meyer said. “So many of you working so hard to get to this groundbreaking so today, we “march forth”. We march forth to a future for Milford that is very different than its past.”
Meyer continued, stating that when he was young, Milford was a much smaller town, joking that when he heard there would be 1,300 jobs created, he was looking at his phone to see if there were 1,300 people living in Milford when he was a boy.
“It is a very different Milford than yesterday and that makes it hard on council, the mayor and the town manager,” Meyer said. “It’s hard when things change, when you have people coming to Milford not only from all over the country, but all over the world. Looking at this site now, it is hard to imagine a huge industrial center, a hub for community growth. So, I want to thank everyone for their leadership, vision and doing the work, crossing the t’s and dotting the I’s.”
Meyer reminded those in attendance that, right after college, he and a friend started a sandal making business that they grew to one that employed 30 people. It was there he learned the value of work, economic opportunity and what that creates.
“So, what you’re doing here is not just creating those 1,300 jobs, but creating opportunity for Delawareans that’s going to last, really, for a generation. So, I cannot thank you enough. I’m stepping in to a role where there’s already been significant investment. You mentioned that $2.7 million site readiness grant from the state,” Meyer said. “I want you to know that going forward, as you build this facility, which I think is going to have nearly 2 million square feet, you’re going to have the strongest partners in the Lieutenant Governor Kyle Evans Gaye, and in myself. Let’s build this thing. Let’s make sure it works for Delaware. Let’s make sure it works for Milford, and let’s continue to have a grand vision of other areas across this area, across the greater Milford area, across Kent and Sussex County, and across our whole state, they can help us to build on a greater vision for what we all can be.”
The cost of the project is just over $17 million. The city has not released an anticipated date for completion of the project.
