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Council authorizes DelDOT TID agreement for Hearthstone Manor 2 Phase 1 to secure transportation approvals
Summary
Council authorized the mayor to sign the Southeast Milford Transportation Improvement District recoupment agreement required by DelDOT for Hearthstone Manor 2 Phase 1, allowing the developer to obtain a DelDOT letter of no objection to recordation.
Milford City Council authorized the mayor to sign a Transportation Improvement District (TID) recoupment agreement with the Delaware Department of Transportation for Hearthstone Manor 2 Phase 1.
Planning staff explained that the Southeast Milford TID was developed jointly with DelDOT to pool developer contributions for area-wide transportation improvements identified in the city’s Southeast master plan. The TID process uses projections of future land use and vehicle trips to identify improvements required to maintain an acceptable level of service through the 2045 build-out projection; DelDOT and the city formalized developer contribution rates in a 2023 agreement.
The agreement on the council agenda is the recoupment agreement specific to Hearthstone Manor 2 Phase 1; DelDOT requires the executed agreement before issuing a letter of no objection that would allow the developer to record the subdivision. Planning Director Rob Pierce described the history of the TID, including the 2008 memorandum with the state, the 2011 Southeast master plan adoption, and subsequent TID work and cost estimations.
Pierce told council that DelDOT sets the developer contribution rates (based on trip-generation rates and square footage) and updates rates annually for inflation; council members asked a clarification question and staff confirmed the city applies DelDOT’s current rates when collecting funds.
A motion authorizing the mayor to sign the Hearthstone Manor 2 Phase 1 TID recoupment agreement passed unanimously. Staff said DelDOT will use collected funds for area-wide transportation improvements and that developer payments collected through similar agreements will be pooled to implement larger projects rather than forcing each developer to improve a single intersection multiple times.
The authorization does not itself fund construction; rather, it enables the developer to record the subdivision and establishes the mechanism for collecting TID contributions as units are recorded.
