DELAWARE — The Delaware Planning Commission advanced three housing developments Oct. 7 that could bring as many as 579 new residential units to the city.
The projects include two apartment developments with 252 units each, and a 75-townhome development.
Each received a different type of approval, with additional steps remaining before construction can begin.
252 apartments proposed near Bowtown Road
The commission approved a zoning map amendment for approximately 12 acres on the south side of Bowtown Road near Byxbe Parkway, east of the Seattle House apartments.
The change would rezone the property from Agricultural (A-1) to Residential Planned Unit Development (R-PUD), allowing developer Trailhead Acquisitions LLC to pursue a multifamily housing project.
The city’s comprehensive plan identifies the property as rural frontage, reflecting the area’s development patterns before it was annexed into Delaware.
The project’s concept plan indicates the site will contain six residential buildings for multi-family living, with a maximum of 252 units. Additionally, the plan lays out a total of 454 parking spaces, with 42 of those being garage spaces and 412 being surface parking.
The concept plan also includes a conservation area, which is intended to provide a buffer between the residential development and commercial development to the south.
Access to the residential development will be off of Bowtown Road with future Byxbe Parkway serving as emergency access. The developer will submit a traffic impact study prior to a final development plan.
The number of apartments and parking spaces could change as the project moves through the approval process. City council must also approve the zoning amendment and a final development plan.
Flats at Boulder Park development plan
The commission also approved a development plan for Flats at Boulder Park, a proposed 252-unit apartment complex within the larger Donovan Farms development.
Council established the Donovan Farms Planned Mixed-Use Overlay in 2023 and approved a development plan for its single-family housing section in 2024.
The first section (seen in blue below) is about to start construction, but the commission approved a development plan for the second section (seen in red below) on Oct. 7.
The apartment complex would consist of seven buildings, each containing 36 units. Every building would have 18 one-bedroom apartments and 18 two-bedroom apartments, according to city planning documents.
The development plan also includes a clubhouse, pool, community garden and detached, multi-unit garage buildings.
Residents would access the complex from Ridgerock Drive, a new road associated with the Donovan Farms development.
Bowtown Reserve plans call for 75 townhomes
The commission approved a final plat for Bowtown Reserve, a proposed 75-townhome development on approximately six acres along Bowtown Road.
Roby Development plans to build the townhomes between the Village Gate apartments to the west and the Old Colony subdivision to the east.
The property is already zoned Residential Multi-Family (R-MF), according to Planning and Zoning Administrator Anna Kelsey.
Kelsey said the city is also reviewing an administrative development plan associated with the project.
The plat would allow the developers to build 75 townhome lots, open space around the site, leisure trails and private roads.
