MILFORD — A new building for the Milford branch of the Food Bank of Delaware cleared a significant bureaucratic hurdle Tuesday and is well on its way to a planned groundbreaking date next month.

Chad Robinson, director of external affairs for the nonprofit, said that the food bank’s activities in Delaware’s two lower counties have outstripped what the current food bank building on Mattlind Way can offer.

The food bank’s most recent fiscal year, which ended in June, saw the nonprofit distribute 16.5 million pounds of food — the most in the organization’s history, he said. About half of that was in Kent and Sussex counties.

“We want to make sure that we can be here for the long haul for folks,” Mr. Robinson said. “And so having this new facility will … really allow us to do that.”

The new, two-story, 67,000-square-foot building will be on West Liberty Way, south of the Delaware Veterans Home, according to the site plan submitted to the city’s planning commission. In addition to food distribution facilities, the building will be home to the food bank’s culinary school and warehousing training programs. There will also be gardens for growing food and a pantry for providing assistance directly to those in need, Mr. Robinson said.

The Milford Planning Commission gave its approval to the final site plan for the branch on Tuesday. With that major step completed, the food bank expects to break ground in September, Mr. Robinson said, with the goal of opening the facility late next year.