Savannah Road still a hot location for office space
There is no doubt that Savannah Road just outside Lewes city limits is a prime location for medical and professional offices. It's a trend that has been occurring for years, and is showing no signs of slacking up.
Located on one of the main entrances to the city close to Beebe Healthcare, properties on the road are highly sought after by developers, doctors and other professionals. Several Beebe-affiliated office buildings are are already located on Savannah Road.
Because most of the area is zoned AR-1, agricultural-residential, and not commercial, most property owners seek a conditional-use application to convert a house to business use.
Three conditional-use applications have surfaced recently for offices on Savannah Road, which is also a section of the Historic Lewes Byway. Two applications have been approved and a third is pending action by Sussex County Council.
At its Aug. 23 meeting, the county planning and zoning commission recommended approval for an application filed by Christine Degnon for a medical office at 1409 Savannah Road near the entrance to the Covey Creek subdivision. County council will vote on the application at a future meeting.
At its July 31 meeting, county council approved an application for a realty office at 1530 Savannah Road filed by John Ford, who owns four RE/MAX offices. Hours will be 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday-Saturday, with hours by appointment on Sunday.
Council also approved an application filed by Dr. Laima Athaney and Dr. Michael Cahoom for professional offices at 1200 Savannah Road. The office has been an existing dental practice since 1991, when county officials approved a conditional use for the property. A new conditional use is required to allow for other medical or professional offices at the location. Hours will be 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday-Saturday, and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday.
Land-use applications on the road are not immune from controversy.
In August 2017, county council voted to deny a conditional-use application for a 56,600-square-foot fitness and therapy center on a vacant 6-acre parcel. Council agreed with neighbors who testified during public hearings that the project was out of scale with the surrounding area. That parcel has a sale pending sign posted on it.
In March 2017, council approved a conditional use for a 9,900-square-foot medical office building on a vacant lot at 1537 Savannah Road. Dr. Vinay Hosmane is currently renting office space at the location.
