Managing Growth with Planning and Partnerships

BY MAYOR KENNY BRANNER

WHEN ASKED TO DESCRIBE how the Town of Middletown has become an example of strategic growth in Delaware, I have to say in my 36 years as mayor, there have been several collaborations that stand out as successes, which I’d like to share.

We have become known as a business-friendly community, mostly because my staff and I meet weekly with all kinds of business opportunities. I always tell them, “Yes, we can do that,” and then work with the town staff to figure out how to make it happen. But seriously, it has always been beneficial to say “yes” because we have our own water, sewer, permits, inspections, and electric departments in place—everything is done in-house.

The Town of Middletown made the decision in the 1990s to forge its own destiny as we examined our comprehensive plan and saw New Castle County surrounding our borders. We were faced with either growing ourselves or watching the county grow and box us in.

We held a referendum in 2000 to build our own wastewater treatment facility, and residents wholeheartedly supported the vote. Once we had our wastewater system in place, expanded our water system to include interconnections with Artesian Water, and added an electric substation to the town’s portfolio, we were able to confidently say “yes” to development.

As part of that referendum, we also made a promise to current residents that they would not pay for this future infrastructure. We set up a system to collect impact fees from developers and builders, using those funds for growth. Because of this plan, we have never raised taxes and do not use the impact fees for our general budget. Residents should never be responsible for the cost of the growth around them.

Over the years, we found that when potential businesses sat down with us, they had these questions:

• Do you have water, sewer, and electric?

• How fast can we get through the government process?

• What about working with DelDOT and DNREC?

So, we had our facilities ready for hookup. Next, we reviewed our processes and found that if a business wanted to be open as quickly as possible, we could get them through meetings with planning and zoning and the mayor and council in about two months—if they had their engineering plans complete and were zoned for the parcel. If, like Amazon, they wanted to be up and open in about 10 months, we proved in 2012 that we could do that with effective communication and a solid game plan. Because we look at all businesses in town as partners, we sit down one-on-one to have a discussion—from a small mom-andpop business to a 10-story distribution center with AI robots working inside, something the town will see being built in the next few months.

And finally, DelDOT. The Town of Middletown was one of the first municipalities in Delaware to incorporate a traffic improvement district (TID) with our Westown area. Because we had a developer at the time who had created a master plan for Westown, we met with DelDOT and put together a plan for traffic improvements, including turning lanes, lights, and access roads for 1,500 acres involving at least 13 developers. Since 2004, more than $30 million in transportation improvements have been completed, with at least another $16 million planned. The town has since implemented a TID on the east side of Middletown, the Eastown TID.

Looking ahead, Middletown’s growth isn’t slowing down. With a new distribution center on the way, plans for the area’s first hydrogen fuel production facility, and continued development in Eastown and Westown, we’re keeping the momentum going. It’s an exciting time for our town, and we’re proud to continue building a community where businesses and residents thrive.

Kenneth “Kenny” Branner is mayor of the Town of Middletown, Del.