Dover Planning Commission approves College Business Park warehouse plan

DOVER—The Dover Planning Commission approved a site development plan for a new warehouse in the College Business Park during its meeting on Monday.

The new 5,120-square-foot warehouse will be placed at 1285 College Park Dr., next to a preexisting warehouse that holds Sid Harvey’s Wholesale Distributors, a business-to-business company that sells equipment, parts, and supplies relating to air conditioning, heating, and refrigeration. The company will use the new building for storage of further stock.

The application had four waivers alongside it that requested modifications to certain requirements of city code.

The first was a request to reduce the number of parking spaces required from 19 to 11, while the next requested the partial elimination of sidewalk requirements, arguing that those entering the building would not need to walk beyond the parking area, which already has a sidewalk.

Third was asking the planning commission to free them from the opaque barrier fence requirement, a section in city code that requires businesses to put up a blocker when they are up against a residential area. They argued that due to a forest behind the property, they would need to cut down trees to make the barrier possible. The opaque barrier rules require landscaping at the barrier line, which was not included in the waiver.

Finally, they asked to eliminate upright curbing requirements, as the parking lot is already in place without it. This waiver had already been approved by Monday’s meeting.

“The idea is that will match the existing features of the building,” said Dave Heatwole of Harrington-based Siteworks Engineering, representing applicant Stoltzfus LLC. “We will have two buildings on this site ... the idea is to just extend that look another 64 feet”

Mr. Heatwole noted that the new building would need no new bathrooms or water and sewer connections.

Both the new and old buildings will sit on the same 1.5-acre lot.

Local support came as well in the form of Zach Prebula, business developer for the Kent Economic Partnership.

“This project here will help a local business, as you heard, expand and continue operations. By approving these waivers, (it) will help it be more cost-effective and allow the company to put that extra savings back into their business and continue to grow their business here in Dover,” he said.

The application passed unanimously and will continue on to city council.