Expansion is coming to Charter NEX as Delaware City Council approved a combined Preliminary and Final Development Plan for three additions to be constructed.
Charter NEX, formerly Optimum Plastics, is located 1188 S. Houk Road, and the property encompasses nearly 22 acres. The original 65,000-square-foot building was constructed in 1997, and a 31,500-square-foot add-on was constructed in 2011.
The first of the three additions will be a 30,000-square-foot facility expansion to the rear of the existing building, which will include two loading docks, one overhead door, and a one-man door. The other two additions will consist of a 2,600-square-foot wood pallet shed, which will be located north of the existing building, and a 1,050-square-foot addition to the site’s cafeteria. Elevations for the new buildings will be similar to that of the existing building.
With the new additions, which are being built by Dublin Building Systems, Charter NEX will encompass a total of 126,500 square feet when finished. Given the size, the site would typically be required to have 234 parking spots. However, because employees are working at different shifts, the building only requires 53 parking spaces. Thirteen new spaces will be added as part of the additions.
Should the building ever serve another purpose, the location for the other 181 parking spaces that would typically be required has been identified.
Ed Bush, operations manager for the plant, said the additions will offer the company “additional manufacturing space” while also creating a better environment for the employees in the building.
“The expansion is to facilitate some newer, more technically-advanced lines,” Bush said. “We will be obsoleting some of the older lines. The facility was built in 1996; it needs some upgrading for our employees.”
Charter NEX, based out of Milton, Wisconsin, is a manufacturer of films for the packing industry, ranging from automotive to food. Currently, there are six other plants around the United States. Bush said the Delaware plant is the next in line for construction after the company recently finished building a new plant in Blythewood, South Carolina, giving them seven locations.
Delaware Planning Commission first approved the combined plans earlier this month at its Jan. 15 meeting, and council suspended its rules requiring three readings of an ordinance to approve the project after just one reading. City Manager Tom Homan referred to the proposal as “pretty straight forward,” and said of Charter NEX, “It’s been a great business for the community.”
