Planners OK six warehouses on drive-in land in Felton
The land of a former drive-in theater, a place that made memories for decades in Felton, may now become home to six warehouses.
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Planners OK six warehouses on drive-in land in Felton
By DOVER — The land of a former drive-in theater, a place that made memories for decades in Felton, may now become home to six warehouses.
The Kent County Regional Planning Commission unanimously approved a site plan for such construction during its April 11 meeting.
The 8.16-acre lot, owned by Felton Drive-In LLC, is on the west side of South Dupont Highway, just over a quarter-mile south of Plymouth Road.
There is no plan for what kind of businesses could move into the buildings, but they would cover around 58,500 square feet in total.
According to the site driveins.org, the Hi-Way 13 Drive-In opened in 1949 and showed movies until 1986. It went dark until 1995, when it reemerged as the Diamond State Drive-In. The outdoor theater closed permanently in 2008.
“I actually went to a movie there when it tried to reopen,” said Mike Riemann of the Becker Morgan Group, whose engineers worked on the proposal. “It’s been vacant for many, many years since then.”
Mr. Riemann noted that the location is now covered by a sewer district, after a vote during an April 9 Levy Court meeting.
“Water and sewer actually are available to the property, and I think, for a long time, that wasn’t the case. It’s probably why this property sat vacant for so long,” he added.
The plan features extra driveways for potential fire lanes and two large stormwater collection basins on the property’s south end.
Commission members expressed concern about a lack of parking, especially if something like a brewery moves into one of the warehouses, attracting many patrons. A section on the parcel’s east side could hold overflow traffic, they noted, but planning services director Sarah Kiefer said there is no specific requirement regarding parking.
Commissioners also inquired whether a restaurant could be built at the site. Mr. Riemann said an establishment of that sort is being considered, but, for the time being, Becker Morgan is focused on the warehouses.
He added that his firm would return to the planners to discuss anything further.
The site plan now moves to Kent County Levy Court for potential approval there.
