Plans filed in Sussex County look like a Great Wolf Lodge is coming to Milton. But is it?

Have you heard a Great Wolf Lodge is coming to Route 1 and Route 16 in Milton?

Documents submitted to Sussex County say plans for the southwestern corner of the intersection are "to develop a 265,000 square-foot water park (indoor / outdoor with hotel and convention center), a 150,000 square-foot shopping center, and a 5,600 square-foot super convenience store with gas pumps," according to attorney David Hutt.

However, that is just wishful thinking, according to the attorney and Great Wolf Lodge.

"To visit a Great Wolf Lodge, families will typically drive between 3-4 hours and Milton is within a two hour drive of our newest Great Wolf Lodge resort in Perryville, Maryland," Great Wolf spokesperson Jason Lasecki said in an email. "This is not a site currently being explored by Great Wolf Lodge."

The developer said at a January planning and zoning meeting that there were no potential occupants for the site. "These are potential uses. There is no hard-and-fast 'This is what's going to be there' at this point in time," Hutt said.

Route 1, also known as Coastal Highway, is, of course, the main route to and from the increasingly popular Delaware beaches. To the west, Route 16 runs through the beach-adjacent and quaint but growing town of Milton. To the east, it runs along Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge and leads to Broadkill Beach.

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The southwest corner of the intersection was long used as farmland, but earlier this month the Sussex County Council approved the rezoning of the property, designating about 65 acres as "heavy commercial."

The parcel is owned by the limited liability company Ocean One Holdings. The principals are local developers Chris Kalil and Joel Sens. The LLC bought the property in 2019 for $4,850,000.

Kalil confirmed Hutt's statements about plans for the property when reached by phone March 15.

"We're not large-scale developers, so we're looking to partner up," Kalil said. "We don't have a site plan put together."

As a water park and hotel with multiple locations on the East Coast, Great Wolf Lodge fits the plan described in county documents. Kalil was open to the idea before being told a Great Wolf Lodge spokesperson said they were not considering the site.

"There's also Kalahari," he said, referring to another East Coast-based water park and hotel combo. "I think it'd be kinda cool to have something like that."

He and his partners' main goal is to develop something that is family-oriented with attractions for many demographics.

More: Waterslides, celebrities and fun. Opening day at the Great Wolf Lodge near Delaware.

"People don't want to have to drive to the Christiana Mall all the time," he said. "The southern part of Delaware is becoming more and more populated, and we need more amenities and attractions here."

A site plan is expected to be submitted to the Sussex County Planning and Zoning Commission by the end of the year, according to Kalil.

Shannon Marvel McNaught reports on southern Delaware and beyond. Reach her at smcnaught@gannett.com or on Twitter @MarvelMcNaught.

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: What we know about development plans for Coastal Highway in Milton