People driving along Route 13 near the Smyrna Rest Area may wonder what’s being built on the west side of the highway near Parkview RV Center.
To accommodate development coming to the north side of town, water will be needed, and that’s what the unusual structure on Route 13 will provide. It’s a new Smyrna water tower.
About 20 years ago, Smyrna annexed several farms on the town’s northern border in southern New Castle County. The structure rising next to Parkview RV is part of the plan to extend utilities to that area north of Duck Creek.
On the east side of Route 13 south Wawa and Paddock Road, KRM Development Corporation is building the 206-acre Duck Creek Business Campus. KRM has similar business parks in Maryland including in Stevensville on Kent Island near the Bay Bridge.
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On the Duck Creek campus, the first building, about 70,000 square feet, is being used as a warehouse by Proctor and Gamble. A second building under construction will be about 133,000 square feet.
The campus could provide about 4,000 jobs, based on an economic development study by Salisbury University.
On the west side of Route 13 along Duck Creek Road, housing developments are planned in what are now fields, with a projection of between 1,200 to 1,500 homes.
Two developers recently applied for subdivision approval for a total of just over 500 units, said Smyrna senior planner Jeremy Rothwell.
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How big will the water tower be and what’s the cost?
The planned cost of the water tower is $5,079,330 for construction, funded by town bonds, Rothwell said. Planning and design funds came from the federal American Rescue Plan Act.
The town’s fourth water tower will be 133 feet high with a capacity of 750,000 gallons, as much as the town’s current largest water tower. Two other water towers have capacities of 400,000 and 250,000 gallons.
The estimated completion date is December.
Plans are to paint the tower blue with “Welcome to Smyrna” in red letters.
Reporter Ben Mace covers real estate and development news. Reach him at rmace@gannett.com.
