Grotto Pizza Coming Soon as Millsboro Sees Increase in Development

 MILLSBORO, Del. - The town of Millsboro is growing rapidly. It is working to be both a beach destination, and a permanent place for all to call home.

Grotto Pizza is currently being built right off of Route 113, in between Royal Farms and soon-to-be Texas Roadhouse. Construction started this past summer and the town tells WRDE they are hoping to open by the end of the calendar year.

"There has been a lot of demand for sports bars in Millsboro, this will give people one more place to hang out," said Sheldon Hudson, Millsboro Town Manager.

Texas Roadhouse received final site approval from the town, and Hudson says the next step is to pull a permit and start construction.

"We have noticed on Indeed.com that they have started the hiring process so I think we can reasonably assume in the next few weeks you'll start to see some site work," said Hudson.

Construction for a new hotel behind the Delmarva Health Pavilion is underway. The mid-scale Avid Hotel, a part of the InterContinental Hotels Group, will have about 80 rooms. Hudson hopes that the hotel will be completed next spring.

"We know that the town is not necessarily a tourist destination for most folks, but we're hoping to pick up on that weekend traveler, kind of that middle class family that's coming down to the beach for the weekend," said Hudson.

There are no concrete plans for another empty parcel that's right next to Avid Hotel.

"They're targeting grocery stores. We would love to see grocery stores. The town did a survey a few years back and that was one of the big items that we heard, not only traditional grocery stores like Safeway or Giant, but also natural grocery stores, like a Trader Joe's or a Whole Foods," said Hudson.

In addition to Plantation Lakes, more single family homes are being built off of Mitchell Street.

"We had a month last year where we had 50 new home permits in a single month, which is just tremendous, growing about 10 percent a year. In a town of 7,000, 50 new home permits in a single month is big news," said Hudson.

Hudson says the town is working to market Millsboro as a year-round, family-friendly town. He said he can see Millsboro becoming the next Salisbury.

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