Plans for two new businesses and a commercial center will be changing the look along Route 13 near the Dover Mall and Home Depot.
Former Pizza Hut
Renovations have already started at the former Pizza Hut at 779 N. DuPont Highway, on the corner of northbound Route 13 at Leipsic Road.
Citizens Bank is planning to open a branch at the building which has been vacant for more than two years, according to Charlie Rodriguez, broker of R&R Commercial Real Estate.
The city approved the site plan, completed the review process and issued permits for the remodeling, said Mary Ellen Gray, Dover director of planning, inspection and community development.
Citizens Bank has two other branches in Dover, on Loockerman Street and on Forrest Avenue.
Commercial center with multiple buildings
On the south side of the former Pizza Hut, a commercial center is planned with four buildings and access from two entrances, one on Route 13 and one on Leipsic Road.
Named DuPont Plaza, the development is on nearly 10 acres at 747 N. DuPont Highway owned by Rojan DD 15, LLC which has a Wilmington address. Vacant for years, the property is the former site of Barry Van Lines, a moving and storage company.
In November, the Dover Planning Commission granted conditional approval to the master plan for commercial development, Gray said. The next step will be the plan review.
Rodriguez said his company is in talks with potential tenants for the center, but he couldn’t announce the names of any businesses yet.
Car wash
Further north, next to Home Goods and Pet Smart, a car wash is planned on a vacant lot at 1414 N. DuPont Highway, (southbound Route 13), across from Winner Subaru and Volkswagen
Called ModWash, the proposed building will be 4,660 square feet on 1.93 acres.
ModWash has 58 car washes in nine states with 49 more under construction. No locations in Delaware are listed on the company’s website. The closest operating ModWashes include two in Maryland, five in New Jersey and nine in Pennsylvania.
The application received conditional approval from the Planning Commission last year, but in August, the applicant requested an extension of the commission’s approval and gave an update on revisions to the application. The application is going through the plan review process, Gray said.
Reporter Ben Mace covers real estate, housing and development stories. Reach him at rmace@gannett.com.
