If all goes according to plan, Target will open a new store in Middletown in the coming years, Middletown Mayor Kenneth Branner Jr. told Delaware Online/The News Journal.
“It’s a done deal from what I understand,” the 33-year major said. “Everybody is really excited about the fact that Target is going to be there.”
Target would be part of a new shopping center proposed on Middletown Warwick Road behind Popeyes and Middletown Wine and Spirits.
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The company has not confirmed the plans. It did not respond to requests for comments and Middletown is not included on its public list of upcoming locations. Large businesses like Target typically prefer to remain anonymous until a lease is signed and construction plans are approved.
The Middletown Planning Commission last week recommended Town Council approve 147,613 square feet of retail space for what planning documents refer to as Northside shopping center. The final step in the approval process is a vote by Town Council, which Branner said is scheduled for Sept. 12.
The exact location of the Target is unclear. Advertising materials indicate a letter of intent has been signed for a large space behind Popeyes backing up to the Middletown Village apartments.
Where are the Targets in Delaware?
If built, it will be the fifth Target in Delaware, joining locations at Brandywine Town Center off Concord Pike, the Christiana Mall, Prices Corner shopping center and on Route 13 in Dover.
The Prices Corner Target opened in place of Sears in April 2021. The company completed construction and the store opened about a year and a half after the new location was officially announced. Chris Robbins, the owner of the shopping center, said his conversations with Target began more than a year prior.
The Dover Target has been closed since early July after a man started a fire in the linen section of the store “as a diversion to steal a cart full of merchandise,” according to Dover police.
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Contact Brandon Holveck at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @holveck_brandon.