Cape Region housing boom continues

COVID-19 state of emergency has not slowed Sussex County’s revenue engine

Tower Hill is one of the most recently approved subdivisions in the Cape Region. The 293-lot single-family housing project will be located along New Road just outside Lewes limits. RON MACARTHUR PHOTOS

Ron MacArthur

December 17, 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic has not slowed down the ongoing construction boom in the Cape Region. By all indications, 2020 may be a record year for building.

Sussex County government is coming off a near-record fiscal year for building-related revenue and realty transfer taxes, the best indicators of the health of the residential construction industry.

The county approved 10,700 building permits in fiscal year 2020, an increase of 300 from fiscal 2019. The county collected $13 million in building-related revenue, up 2 percent from the previous year. The $35.6 million collected in realty transfer taxes was one of the highest levels since a record amount of $36.3 in 2005. It was an increase of 6 percent from $33.5 million in fiscal 2019.

However, the fiscal 2021 county budget reflects a projected decrease in building-related revenue.

Housing data show increases in sales and selling prices throughout most of Sussex County, while the number of days houses are on the market is decreasing.

As of September, county officials have approved 10,000 residential units – mostly on single-family lots.

As land close to resort towns becomes scarce, the trend is to build on outlying roads such as Beaver Dam, Robinsonville, Warrington and Hudson roads, and in the Route 24 area near Angola and Long Neck.

The discrepancy between home prices in the Cape Region and the rest of Sussex County continues to grow. Homes cost more than three times as much in the Lewes-Rehoboth Beach area as they do in western Sussex County.

The average sales price of a home in the Lewes-Rehoboth area is $760,573 (a 2 percent increase from last year) compared to $220,558 in western Sussex County, a 14 percent increase. In other locales, the average sales price is $384,168 in the Angola-Long Neck-Millsboro area, an increase of 14 percent from last year; $357,972 in the Milton-Harbeson-Broadkill area, an increase of 10 percent; and $278,905 in the Georgetown area, an increase of 25 percent.

As of the end of September, home sales in Sussex are up 15 percent from last year with 3,451 homes sold, compared to 3,009 in 2019. That's an average of 383 sales per month.

Home sales in the Lewes-Rehoboth-Dewey area are up 33 percent from last year.

The average home price in the county is $450,103, a 10 percent increase from 2019. Pending sales are up 25 percent, and the days-on-market average is down 8 percent to 96 days.

APPROVED

Angola area:

Hailey's Glen, Angola Road – 68 single-family lots on 32 acres

**Headwater Cove, Angola Road – 163 single-family lots on 82 acres

Acadia, Conley's Chapel Road and Dorman Road – 234 single-family lots on 117 acres

Windswept Meadows, Angola Road – 201 single-family lots on 61 acres

Lewes area:

Tower Hill, New Road – 293 single-family lots on 134 acres

Fieldstone, Cedar Grove Road – 247 single-family lots on 201 acres

Chase Oaks, Robinsonville Road – 253 single-family lots on 145 acres

Tanager Woods, Wil King Road – 173 single-family lots on 103 acres

Beach Tree Preserve, Robinsonville Road and Route 24 – 155 single-family lots on 78 acres

Lovett's Reserve, Camp Arrowhead Road – 31 single-family lots on 14 acres

**Headwater Cove, Dorman Road near Route 24 – 163 single-family lots on 82 acres

The Grove at Love Creek, Ward and Cedar Grove roads – 247 single-family lots on 201 acres

Estates at Cedar Grove, Beaver Dam Road – 136 single-family lots on 70 acres

Mitchell Farm, Kings Highway – mix of 209 units, single-family, town homes, apartments

Dutchman's Harvest, Savannah Road – 140 multifamily units on 9 acres, approved by Lewes officials

OA Vantage Point, Kings Highway and Savannah Road, Lewes – 175 senior-living units, approved by Lewes officials

Reed property, Savannah Road – 24 multifamily units on 6 acres

Long Neck area:

Keastone Bay – Baywood LLC, Green Road – 675 single-family lots on 311 acres

Oak Landing, Oak Orchard Road – 163 single-family lots on 60 acres

Milton area:

Lewes Shores Estates, Hudson Road – 61 single-family lots on 81 acres

Overbrook Meadows, Route 1 and Beaver Dam Road – 135 single-family lots on 64 acres

River Rock Glen, Hudson Road – 26 single-family lots

Estates at Milton Crossing, Reynolds Road – 87 single-family lots on 102 acres

Rehoboth area

Seaglass at Rehoboth Beach, Route 24 east of Beebe facility – 224 apartments

Other major subdivisions:

Azalea Woods, Shingle Point and Gravel Hill roads, Georgetown – 610 single-family lots on 316 acres

Old Mill Landing South and North, Millers Neck Road near Fenwick Island – 227 single-family lots on 283 acres

PENDING

Mitchell Farm, Kings Highway, Lewes – 209 multifamily units on 30 acres

Fusco Properties, Stockley Road near Cool Spring Road, Milton – 266 single-family lots on 188 acres

Overbrook Meadows West, Route 1 and Cave Neck Road, Milton – 82 single-family lots on 43 acres

SITE WORK OR UNDER CONSTRUCTION

Long Neck area:

Walden, Hollymount Road and Route 24 – 265 single-family lots on 159 acres

Walden Villas, Route 24 and Sloan Road – 100 town homes on 53 acres

Pelican Point, six phases, Indian Mission Road – total 452 single-family lots

Baylis Estates, Mount Joy Road – 37 additional single-family lots

Seabrook, Route 24 and Autumn Road – 120 single-family lots

Liberty East and Liberty West, Harmons Hill Road – 296 single-family lots

Stonewater Creek, Phase 7, Indian Mission Road – 100 single-family lots

Pelican Point, Indian Mission Road, Long Neck – 365 single-family lots on 200 acres

Angola area:

Middle Creek Preserve, Angola Road – 314 single-family lots on 147 acres

Lewes area:

Outer Banks North and South, Jimtown and Robinsonville roads – 49 single-family lots on 33 acres.

Sunset Glen, Shady Road – 53 town homes on 6 acres

Vineyards at Nassau Valley Phase 3, Route 9 – 108 apartments, 56 condominiums and 25 single-family lots

Four Seasons at Belle Terre, Mulberry Knoll Road – 269 single-family lots on 124 acres

Lewes Crossing Phase 8, Beaver Dam Road – 42 single-family lots on 19 acres

Kindleton, Cedar Grove Road – 90 single-family lots on 49 acres

Stonewater Creek Phase 7, Indian Mission Road – 100 single-family lots

Ocean Meadows, Beaver Dam Road – 136 single-family lots on 70 acres

Anchors Run, Beaver Dam Road – 265 single-family lots on 133 acres

Marsh Farm Estates, Camp Arrowhead Road – 134 single-family lots

Marsh Island, Camp Arrowhead Road – 152 units

Showfield, Gills Neck Road – 166 single-family lots on 132 acres

Tidewater Landing, Robinsonville Road – 213 single-family lots on 163 acres

Saddle Ridge, Route 24 – 81 single-family lots on 37 acres

Governors, Gills Neck Road – 423 units, 287 single-family lots and 136 town homes

Coastal Tide Apartments, Plantation Road – 168 units

Covered Bridge Trails, Tulip Place – 134 units, 43 single-family lots and mix of 91 units of duplexes and town homes

Spring Breeze, Hollymount Road – 235 single-family lots on 140 acres

Woods at Burton Pond, Conley's Chapel Road – 167 single-family lots on 114 acres

Old Orchard Ventures, Old Orchard Road – 104-bed assisted- and skilled-living facility

Admirals Chase, Gills Neck Road – 24 multifamily units on 7 acres

Compass Point, Hudson and Sweetbriar roads – 277 single-family lots on 135 acres

Milton area:

Vines at Sand Hill, Sand Hill Road – 393 lots on 266 acres

Woodfield Preserve, Broadkill Road east of Route 1 – 253 single-family lots on 196 acres

Rehoboth area:

Wellesley at Hidden Meadow, Warrington Road – 132 single-family lots on 73 acres

Osprey Point, Old Landing Road – 217 single-family lots on 132 acres

Arbor-Lyn, Warrington Road – 142 multifamily units on 35 acres

The Farm at Truitt Homestead, Shuttle Road – 90 single-family lots and 88 senior apartments on 23 acres

Under state agency review

Cardinal Grove, Beaver Dam Road/Kendale Road, Lewes – 98 units on 49 acres

Adkins Novosel-Gray, Robinsonville Road/Webbs Landing Road, Lewes – 304 units on 152 acres

Wil King Station, Wil King Road, Lewes – 75 units on 29 acres

Fairmont, Hollyville Road – 104 units on 74 acres

Unity Branch, Hollyville Road – 195 units on 145 acres

New phases

Vincent Overlook, Cave Neck Road, Milton

Windstone, Cave Neck Road, Milton

Coastal Club, Beaver Dam Road, Lewes

Red Mill Pond South, Route 9, Lewes

Sawgrass South, Old Landing Road, Rehoboth

List of projects includes those approved or under construction over the past three years in the areas of Long Neck, Angola, Lewes, Rehoboth Beach and Milton.

Joists are lifted high in the air at the construction site of the Vineyards at Nassau Valley off Route 9 near Lewes. Phase 3 of the project includes apartments, condominiums and single-family homes.

Construction at Governors, along Gills Neck Road near Lewes, continues. The subdivision is a mixture of single-family homes and town homes with a total of 423 units.

Sloan Road has been realigned with Hollymount Road at the Route 24 intersection where new traffic signals have been installed. The developers of Walden and Walden Villas, on both sides of Route 24 at the intersection, provided funding for the project.

Walden Villas, along Route 24 and Sloan Road, will offer 100 town homes, which will be across the road from Walden, a 265-single-family-lot subdivision.

Ocean Meadows, a 136-lot subdivision, is one of several projects approved on or near Beaver Dam Road. Entrance roadwork to the community has recently been completed.

Wellesley at Hidden Meadow, a 132-lot subdivision on Warrington Road, is across the road from the Arbor-Lyn subdivision, which is also under construction.

Construction is underway at Tidewater Landing, a 213-lot subdivision on Robinsonville Road near Lewes.

When completed, Admiral’s Chase on Gills Neck Road near Lewes will have 24 multifamily units.

The Woods at Burton Pond, located along Conley’s Chapel Road near Lewes, will have 167 single-family homes on 114 acres.

Red Mill Pond South is being built along Route 9 outside Lewes adjacent to the Red Mill Pond community.

Vineyards at Nassau Valley, Phase 3, includes 108 apartments, 56 condominiums and 25 single-family lots. The community along Route 9 near Nassau Valley Vineyards will eventually add retail construction, including a Redner’s Fresh Market.

Middle Creek Preserve is being built along Angola Road near Long Neck. The subdivision will have 314 single-family homes when completed.

Site work is underway at Marsh Island on Camp Arrowhead Road. The parcel is the former location of a golf course.

Governors, located along Gills Neck Road, Lewes, is a mixed residential community with 287 single-family homes and 136 town homes.

When construction is completed, Coastal Club on Beaver Dam Road will be one of the largest mixed-housing developments in the Lewes area.

Showfield, with 166 single-family lots on 132 acres along Gills Neck Road, Lewes, is building under its final phase with nearly all lots sold.

Construction on 52 town home units is underway at Sunset Glade along Shady Road off Plantation Road near Lewes.

Compass Point, one of the newest subdivisions under construction along Sweetbriar Road near Lewes, will have 277 single-family lots.

Framing wood for most houses in the area is delivered by truck ready for construction such as this site at Red Mill Pond South along Route 9 west of Lewes.

Spring Breeze, a 235-single-family-lot subdivision, is under construction along Hollymount Road.

Walden Villas, along Route 24 near Long Neck, is part of major housing construction near the Route 24-Hollymount intersection. A new traffic signal has been installed to deal with the increased traffic in the area.

Pelican Point, on both sides of Cannon Road and along Indian Mission Road near Long Neck, is entering its final stages. When complete, the community will have 365 single-family homes.

Site work is underway at Walden, a 265-lot subdivision with an entrance along Hollymount Road near Long Neck. It’s across Route 24 from Walden Villas.

Carillon Woods, recently completed, offers 204 senior apartments just off Route 24 in Long Neck.

Home construction is just underway at Arbor-Lyn, a 142-multifamily-unit subdivision along Warrington Road between Lewes and Rehoboth Beach.

Site work has started on the 132-acre parcel at the end of Old Landing Road near Rehoboth Beach for Osprey Point, which will offer 217 single-family homes. The property was the site of Old Landing Golf Course.

The Lodge at Truitt Homestead, 85 senior apartments, is completed and sold out. The Homestead single-family community adjacent to The Lodge, with 90 single-family homes, is still under construction.