Developer and landscaping firm propose Route 113 wildflower medians; DelDOT coordination and city maintenance still unresolved

Chris Khalil, a developer involved with Milford Ponds, told the Milford City Council workshop he and a landscaping company have discussed a plan with DelDOT to install wildflower plantings along the Route 113 medians.

Khalil said the initial installation would be covered by private donations and estimated that installation costs would be about $100,000; he told the council he expects commercial stakeholders and developers to contribute. He said maintenance could cost the city roughly $15,000 to $25,000 a year and would begin after the plantings take hold in 2026.

The proposal would cover the Route 113 corridor from the Coastal Highway entrance to the Milford transfer station near the Lincoln border, Khalil said. He described the plan as a two-part effort: installation in year one and a smaller recurring maintenance program thereafter.

Why it matters: the medians border a DelDOT right-of-way and the project would create ongoing maintenance needs the city would likely need to fund or absorb. Council members pressed staff and the developer for specifics on DelDOT requirements, traffic control for contractors working in medians, visibility and plant height, and a memorandum of understanding that would formalize which party maintains what.

Council members and staff focused on three implementation questions: (1) whether DelDOT requires a 5‑foot grass perimeter along the pavement edge (Khalil said DelDOT has indicated it will insist on that strip), (2) who will pay and perform recurring maintenance and associated traffic control for work in medians, and (3) whether the city’s Parks & Recreation director and the city manager had been formally consulted before the workshop.

Council direction and next steps - Staff and the developer were asked to coordinate with the city manager and the Parks & Recreation director to finalize roles and responsibilities before any approval. Khalil acknowledged he had not yet spoken directly with the Parks & Recreation department head and said he would do so. - Council members suggested starting with a pilot test area (several council members pointed to the southbound entry from Coastal Highway into Milford near the “Welcome to Milford” sign) rather than converting the entire corridor at once. - Several council members asked for photographs from Tributaries showing similar median or meadow installations in other municipalities and more detail on the proposed planting mix, life-cycle maintenance tasks and traffic-control requirements.

Council concerns and technical issues raised - Salt, roadway pollution and wind can damage or carry weeds into median plantings; council members said those factors make maintenance critical and may require a more intensive maintenance plan than initially estimated. - Visibility and safety: council members asked whether plant heights would conform to DelDOT safety standards; Khalil said the custom seed mix for this project is intended to keep plants around 2–3 feet high and that DelDOT had been consulted on height limits. - Contracts and approvals: council members noted a memorandum of understanding with DelDOT would be needed to spell out long-term maintenance and liability, and several asked that any private funds for installation be documented locally.

Public comment and supporting testimony Earlier in the meeting, resident Patty Persia urged the council to expand parks and green spaces and said, based on her work as a real estate appraiser, that quality parks correlate with increased property values. Persia said quality parks can raise nearby property values by an estimated 5%–10% depending on size and amenities.

Ending note: Council members generally welcomed the idea as a way to improve curb appeal but asked staff to return with a tighter proposal including a DelDOT memorandum of understanding, a clearer maintenance budget and a recommended pilot area before taking any formal action.