H. Mast Group, through a subsidiary, has filed plans with Dover officials to build a warehouse north of Ridgely Street and near Clara Street, | PHOTO COURTESY OF CITY OF DOVER
DOVER — Continuing a streak of new builds in the new year, another small Dover warehouse is proposed. This time, the project will bring 42,400 square feet of floor space in an existing warehouse complex.
Developer H. Mast Group, through a subsidiary, has filed plans with Dover officials to build a warehouse north of Ridgely Street and near Clara Street, west of the railroad. The plans include subdividing the 28 acres into two lots, one of which already has a 1.03 million square-foot warehouse with existing tenants.
The limited liability company, Clara Ridgely Project LLC, shares an address with H. Mast Group and Bay Developers, Inc.
Bay Developers is a home builder behind the Grain Mill Station in Clayton, and boasts of commercial development and renovation services on its website. Henry Mast, the listed managing partner, was not immediately available for comment.
Preliminary plans filed with Dover officials include three truck loading docks and once inside the building. There is a request to reduce on-site parking from 53 dedicated spaces to 27.
This project marks the fourth warehouse project proposed for Dover since October, ranging for small to large floor space. Between the Dover Logistics Center on Lafferty Lane and the future warehouse in Enterprise Business Park, there could be 531,000 square feet of space between three buildings. Other developers like Garrison Homes are targeting smaller warehousing needs near Route 8 with a 17,485-square-foot building.
Kent Economic Partnership Executive Director Linda Parkowski has long advocated for warehousing space in Delaware’s smallest county, noting that its central location and access to major highways could be a huge draw for manufacturing and distribution needs.
Late last year, she told Dover officials that East Dover was “heating up” for industrial companies looking to build.
“I do think the trend will continue [in 2023] for industrial warehouse space. The challenge is, will we see a slowdown as interest rates rise?” Parkowski told the Delaware Business Times.
