Independent living housing facility proposed near Lewes
Plans for an independent living facility to house up to 95 people over age 55 along with a restaurant and fitness center on Kings Highway were outlined during a public hearing at the Aug. 20 Sussex County Planning & Zoning Commission meeting.
The site is owned by attorneys Adam and Kelly Gelof of Rehoboth Beach, and the applicant is LIC Housing LLC. The property on Kings Highway near Route 1 outside Lewes is the childhood home of Adam Gelof. His parents bought the 4.8-acre property in 1973, and raised him and his sister in a small house there.
“We all love this area and want to make a positive impact here,” Kelly Gelof said during the public hearing as she gave the background on the project. “We, and our boys, have a shared desire to continue the Gelof legacy of giving back to this community.”
They worked with Ocean Atlantic Companies to plan the development, which includes a 4,000-square-foot restaurant and a 2,165-square-foot fitness center, although the final mix is yet to be determined. The commercial businesses would serve residents of the assisted living facility and the community.
Jon Horner, a lawyer for Ocean Atlantic Companies, led a group describing the plan during the hearing. He said the project would provide housing for people over age 55, a segment of the housing market that is lacking in the area.
“This is a different missing middle that isn’t talked about,” Horner said.
The site is located in an area the county has designated for growth; it fills a housing need identified by the county; its neighbors include housing developments, New Covenant Church and Crooked Hammock Brewery; and it has access to adequate infrastructure, he said.
The church submitted a letter in support, said P&Z Chair Holly Wingate. No one from the public spoke during the hearing.
The site is on the north side of Kings Highway, less than two-tenths of a mile southwest of Clay Road.
The three-story independent living building would have a footprint of about 46,000 square feet, and the restaurant and other businesses would occupy more than 6,000 square feet of the first floor on the side toward Kings Highway, according to a diagram provided to the county.
The project would have 194 parking spaces, far more than the 115 that county rules require, said engineer Zack Crouch, a principal for Milton-based Davis, Bowen & Friedel. Crouch said residents of independent living facilities tend to have vehicles, and the commercial operations need spaces for customers.
Most of the site is forested and included in a wellhead protection area, according to an analysis of the project by Sussex County Planning and Zoning Department staff. The Delaware Department of Transportation concluded vehicles accessing the development would have a minor effect on traffic on nearby roads, according to its report.
Kelly Gelof said she wished there had been a facility like the one planned, with space available, when her mother would have benefited from such an arrangement.
The Gelofs said afterward that they have been approached many times over the years with offers to buy the property.
Adam Gelof said the family is proud of its local roots, and rather than sell to the highest bidder, they wanted to use the property for a project the family and community can be proud of.
“I drive by it every day,” he said. “We don’t want to just cash out.”
Several commissioners expressed support for the concept, but the commission deferred its decision on the conditional-use request to a later meeting.
“It’s a great idea, what you’re doing,” Commissioner Jeff Allen said.
Kevin Conlon came to the Cape Gazette with nearly 40 years of newspaper experience since graduating from St. Bonaventure University in New York with a bachelor's degree in mass communication. He reports on Sussex County government and other assignments as needed.
His career spans working as a reporter and editor at daily newspapers in upstate New York, including The Daily Gazette in Schenectady. He comes to the Cape Gazette from the Cortland Standard, where he was an editor for more than 25 years, and in recent years also contributed as a columnist and opinion page writer. He and his staff won regional and state writing awards.
Conlon was relocating to Lewes when he came across an advertisement for a reporter job at the Cape Gazette, and the decision to pursue it paid off. His new position gives him an opportunity to stay in a career that he loves, covering local news for an independently owned newspaper.
Conlon is the father of seven children and grandfather to two young boys. In his spare time, he trains for and competes in triathlons and other races. Now settling into the Cape Region, he is searching out hilly trails and roads with wide shoulders. He is a fan of St. Bonaventure sports, especially rugby and basketball, as well as following the Mets, Steelers and Celtics.
