Ribbon cut on Lewes workforce housing model home
Dutchman’s Harvest, a workforce housing community on Savannah Road in Lewes, reached another milestone Aug. 12, when a model townhome was officially opened.
The two-bedroom unit is an example of what is available to buyers who meet the requirements for affordable housing.
Dutchman’s Harvest will have 140 townhomes, offered below market rate, with 42 of those units deeply discounted. Of those 42, 14 will be even further income-restricted. Those 14 units have sold out.
Tom Tipton, president of Ocean Atlantic, developer of the project, said the townhomes have proven to be popular with the types of residents they hoped to attract.
“The primary resident here works in Sussex County. Most of them have been younger. We have a lot from Beebe [Healthcare] and a lot from Cape Henlopen School District,” Tipton said.
Earlier this year, Ocean Atlantic won city approval to slightly increase the size of some of the buildings to accommodate more two- and three-bedroom units. They said they received more applications than expected for the larger units.
Five people have already moved into the community, with seven more upcoming, according to Alexis Gruber, one of the sales agents at Dutchman’s Harvest.
Tipton said they have permits to begin constructing the next two buildings. He said they expect the entire project to be finished by the end of 2026.
The city gave $200,000 to the project from the American Rescue Plan Act. The county and state each pledged $500,000.
Milford Housing Development Corporation, a partner in the project, was able to secure funding for some of the lower-cost units.
“We’re trying to help as many people as can,” said Lucia Campos, Milford Housing Development Corporation home ownership manager. ”We had our first closing. He’s a local [who] grew up in the area. Without us, this would never have been a dream come true.”
Lewes Mayor Amy Marasco said investing in housing is investing in people.
“These are people’s homes, and they’re dignified, and they’re really part of our community. We have to be able to have folks who work in our community and contribute to our community, live in our community,” Marasco said.
She said citizens can participate in embracing affordable housing with accessory dwelling units.
Lewes passed an ordinance in October that makes ADUs legal as another attempt to create workforce housing within city limits.
Bill Shull has been covering Lewes for the Cape Gazette since 2023. He comes to the world of print journalism after 40 years in TV news. Bill has worked in his hometown of Philadelphia, as well as Atlanta and Washington, D.C. He came to Lewes in 2014 to help launch WRDE-TV. Bill served as WRDE’s news director for more than eight years, working in Lewes and Milton. He is a 1986 graduate of Penn State University. Bill is an avid aviation and wildlife photographer, and a big Penn State football, Eagles, Phillies and PGA Tour golf fan. Bill, his wife Jill and their rescue cat, Lucky, live in Rehoboth Beach.
