Peach Tree Acres will undergo major expansion
Story Location:
26890 Lewes-Georgetown Highway
Harbeson, DE
United States
Peach Tree Acres is in line for a major expansion.
At its Aug. 21 meeting, the Sussex County Board of Adjustment unanimously granted developer Envision Land LLC a special-use exception for the project and for a temporary manufactured home to serve as a rehabilitation center during construction on a 3.5-acre parcel of AR-1, agricultural-residential, land.
Peach Tree Acres, located along Route 9 between Lewes and Harbeson, has been in business since 1999. It's the only facility of its type in the state providing apartment-style assisted living and day-care rehabilitative services for adults with brain injuries, said Jim Fuqua, the developer's attorney.
Several people turned out in support of the project; no one objected.
Fuqua said there is definite need for expansion for apartments with a waiting list of 35 people. “The last new resident came here four years ago,” Fuqua said. “People with this type of trauma tend to be younger than typical people in assisted living, and those in residential care will live out their lives there.”
For some, that could be decades. The current facility houses 20 residents with space for day care and rehabilitation.
Fuqua said caring for those with brain injuries – vehicle crashes, falls, assaults or deprivation of oxygen among many causes – can be extremely taxing for families. “And nursing homes are not equipped to deal with them,” he said. “With the nature of their injuries, most people don't improve.”
The plans include construction of two, three-story buildings providing an additional 114 residential units plus the demolition of an existing house on the site to be replaced with a custom-built manufactured home to provide rehabilitation and day-care services. The manufactured home will be removed from the site within three months of completion of construction, Fuqua said.
Fuqua said nonprofit Peach Tree Acres has been in operation for nearly 20 years with no negative impacts. He said the parcel is in an area with several other businesses and an assisted living facility is a permitted use in AR-1 zoning with a special-use exception.
The new facility will employ 20 persons per 12-hour shift. Fuqua said the traffic impact will be minimal because the residents do not drive. Traffic will be restricted to staff, deliveries, visitors and buses for the day-care center. In addition, Peach Tree Acres operates a bus.
