MILTON, Del. — Construction officially began Monday on Milton’s long-discussed downtown parking lot project, which town leaders hope will help ease parking congestion during busy events and support local businesses in the downtown district.
The new lot, located at the corner of Union and Magnolia streets next to the Milton Historical Society, will include 41 parking spaces, down from the original proposal of about 60 spaces announced in November 2024.
Town council awarded the construction contract in April to HCE LLC for $149,800. The town is leasing the property from the Milton Historical Society for the project.
Officials say the lot is expected to be completed around Memorial Day weekend, weather permitting, though town leaders have acknowledged the timeline could shift depending on construction conditions.
The additional parking comes after years of complaints from residents and visitors about limited downtown parking, especially during festivals, theater performances and other community events.
“I have come down here for theater events, and it’s impossible to find anywhere to park,” Jenn Foskey said in April. “If they want to grow the merchants and the character in this town, people need a place to park in order to support them.”
Mayor John Collier said in February the lot is intended to reduce unsafe parking practices that often happen during major downtown events.
“A lot of times when there is a big event in the downtown or even sometimes there's several things going on at once, we have people parking anywhere and everywhere they think they can park,” Collier told CoastTV News Feb. 19. “They make parking spaces. I've seen parking on the sidewalks.”
Town officials have said the lot will share a single entrance and exit and is expected to remain free to use unless future changes are made.
When the project was first announced in November 2024, town officials anticipated roughly 60 new spaces and expected construction to begin in spring 2025.
“This will more than double the amount of parking we have in this downtown business district,” Town Councilman Scotty Edler told CoastTV News Nov. 4, 2024, after the agreement with the Milton Historical Society was approved.
Edler also called the project “the last chance to build something of this size and magnitude in the area.”
People who live in Milton say even with the reduced number of spaces, the new lot will still make a noticeable difference downtown.
