Major redevelopment for Seaford shopping center
For decades, Seaford officials have debated the fate of the Nylon Capital Shopping Center property near the western boundary of the city.
The center, totaling 250,000 square feet on a 21-acre site, was once the economic hub of the region with anchor stores such as Peebles and Woolworth. In the 1990s, the same time DuPont Co. announced its departure from its sprawling plant in Seaford, commercial development was kicking into high gear along the Route 13 corridor on the eastern border of the city.
The two factors contributed to a slow-but-steady decline of the center, owned by Cordish Co. in Baltimore. Only a few stores remain, including a new Dollar Tree. About 15% of the available space is occupied.
The shopping center property was sold to 9th Street Development Company in Wilmington for $5.4 million Dec. 9. The company is a commercial and residential developer, specializing in multifamily, mixed-use, historic renovation and ground-up construction.
The company plans to invest $60 million over the next four years to make the center a destination hub in western Sussex County.
Funding for the project includes $3.1 million from the City of Seaford and $2 million from the state.
Gov. John Carney joined local officials, business leaders and community members Dec. 13 to announce the economic development project with a combination of private and public investment to redevelop the shopping center into a multi-purpose community facility that includes on-site healthcare services, an education hub, early learning center, co-working space and a job skills center.
Carney said redevelopment of the center has been a priority since he first ran for governor.
Rob Herrera, principal with 9th Street Development, is the developer of The Mill co-working spaces in northern Delaware.
“This Nylon Shopping Center project is the result of a community of leaders coming together and demanding a change,” said Herrera. “It’s impossible to quantify the importance of the Nylon Shopping Center to the local community, and our team at 9th Street Development Company does not take that lightly. We are eager to breathe new life into this shopping center with a diverse group of tenants spanning co-working, healthcare, higher education and the workforce training that Del Tech will provide.”
Delaware Technical Community College has already announced its commitment to occupy 15,000 square feet of the project to provide workforce training programs.
“As a lifelong resident of the Seaford and Laurel area, it is very exciting to not only see the development of this center coming to fruition for this community I care deeply about, but also to be a part of the project through my role at Delaware Tech,” said Justina Thomas, vice president for academic affairs.
“We need to promote prosperity for all areas of our state, and we have the opportunity to revitalize this center in Seaford that was once a source for good jobs and an economic engine for Sussex County,” Carney said. “This investment represents not just the revitalization of this center, but the future of western Sussex. I want to thank Mayor David Genshaw, Rep. Dan Short, Sen. Bryant Richardson, members of the Seaford council and Rob Herrera for partnering with us and transforming this center to be the core of the community once again.”
“The sale of the Nylon Capital Shopping Center is a positive step forward for the city of Seaford,” Richardson said. “Our city will benefit greatly from the improvements to the center. This is an important day for Seaford.”
“This shopping center has not only been an eyesore for decades, but it’s also been a drag on redeveloping this portion of Seaford,” Short said. “This project will not only remove a major impediment to revitalizing the western gateway to the city, it’s doing it in a way that will set this area up for success for many years to come.”
“The Nylon Capital Shopping Center for years was an icon of Seaford’s success, only to become a reminder of where we once stood. Today is a new beginning,” Genshaw said. “We thank Gov. Carney for his partnership in the vision of a better Seaford. To any current or past elected officials, as well as any current or past city of Seaford employees, we say thank you for getting us to this point of revitalization. Thank you to Sussex County which played an integral part in the start of this conversation. Lastly, Rob Herrera and the team with 9th Street Development Company, we thank you for your willingness to take on this project. Your gifts and talents will make this site something really special.”
