Eagles Nest looks to build senior-care facility

Eagles Nest Fellowship Church has plans to expand its ministry to include a senior-care facility on its property along Zion Church Road and Route 1 near Milton. For Phase 1 of the project to come to fruition, a rezoning and an amendment to the county's future land-use map are required through applications filed with Sussex County.

Phase 1 plans include a 94,822-square-foot, 106-unit assisted living/memory care facility on 9.5 acres with access from Zion Church Road north of the church.

The rezoning application would be from AR-1, agricultural-residential, and C-1 commercial to C-1 and I-1, institutional district.

The proposed amendment would change the current designation of existing development area to developing area.

Attorney David Hutt, speaking on behalf of the applicant, said the current designation does not allow zoning for the proposed senior-care facility and only allows MR, medium-density residential, and GR, general residential zoning, not the proposed I-1 zoning district.

“Existing development area does not match up with the existing facility nor the I-1 zoning district envisioned for this,” Hutt said. “Developing area suits this project the best.”

On Dec. 15, state agencies reviewed the proposed plan during its monthly Preliminary Land Use Service meeting. Dorothy Morris, Sussex County planner with the Office of State Planning Coordination, said the state was opposed to both the rezoning of the parcel and the amendment to the future land-use map.

“A senior-care facility is not what was anticipated in this area in the Sussex County comprehensive plan or by the Office of State Planning. We cannot support this at this time,” she said.

In addition, she said, the parcel does not meet the definition of a developing area as defined by the county, which includes parcels near possible annexation areas or adjacent to town centers. “We request that the county deny the amendment,” she said.

The Eagles Nest property includes a church and Delmarva Christian Schools Milton Campus. Land planner Mark Davidson said Eagles Nest has had this plan in mind for 20 years as an expansion of its ministry.

PLUS review comments will be available to the county, applicant and public on or before Friday, Jan. 14.