Committee reviews proposed indoor self-storage addition on Philadelphia Pike in Brandywine Hundred

The New Castle County Land Use Committee heard a presentation March 25 on a resolution describing development of an additional indoor self-storage building on the former Superfresh supermarket property along Philadelphia Pike in Brandywine Hundred. Councilman Cartier, the item sponsor, introduced the proposal; applicant representatives answered questions but no public comment or committee vote was recorded.

John Tracy, representing the applicant and the property owner and speaking for the law firm Young Conaway Stargatt & Taylor, said the existing supermarket building was converted to indoor self storage in 2017 and “the reaction and the desire to rent units was so quick that it was leased out fully in a year.” Tracy said the current plan would place a new, interconnecting storage building on the north side of the existing structure and remove some asphalt to create additional green space. “We basically [are] taking a portion of that sea of asphalt and placing the addition onto that interconnecting with the existing building,” he said.

Tracy and project team member Dev Sidiram of Atwell told the committee that the plan increases on-site green space from about 37% to about 57% and that the use is expected to remain low-impact. Tracy said the Board of Adjustment unanimously granted several variances, most of which addressed pre-existing conditions, and that the project received support from a local group identified in the presentation as the Claymont Track and from the planning board; no members of the public spoke at earlier hearings on the matter, he said.

Council members who commented expressed familiarity with the operating facility and said they had heard positive feedback from constituents. Pro Tem Hollins noted the facility straddles two council districts and said residents in his area have been pleased with the operation. Committee members did not record a formal vote on the resolution at the March 25 meeting.

No written conditions, final motions or vote tallies were recorded in the committee transcript for this item. The applicant was present in chambers and available to answer council questions; staff did not indicate any additional county-level approvals pending beyond the approvals and variances noted by the applicant.

Next steps: The committee record indicates the presentation was informational at this meeting; no committee vote or final action on the resolution was recorded in the March 25 transcript.