The Station on Kings coming to Lewes
Lewes businesswoman Leisa Berlin is planning to build a new 4,200-square-foot market and bakery at the gateway to Lewes.
Berlin, whose children Chris and Sarah McKeown own Agave and Nectar, respectively, in downtown Lewes, received a stamp of approval from the city’s commercial and architectural review commission on Jan. 5 to build The Station on Kings on a vacant lot along Kings Highway near the railroad crossing.
She said it will not be a full-service restaurant, but will follow a concept is similar to Half Full in Lewes, where customers walk up to a counter to order food then seat themselves. She plans to offer soups, salads and sandwiches along with a fresh market with organics, fruits and vegetables.
The property will also have a greenhouse where she will grow vegetables for the garden and an accompanying potting shed.
The ground on which the bakery and market will be built is designated as a brownfield by the state. Berlin has been working with the state since purchasing the property in May. To avoid penetrating a concrete cap, 18-inch troughs will be dug to install footings for the building.
She said they must follow the brownfield management plan and any dirt that they find that may be contaminated must be removed. However, she said, all tests have come back negative and she is confident the site is clean.
The property was previously home to the Lewes Coal and Gas Company, which operated a coal gasification plant at the site. The neighboring property was the location for the Queen Anne’s railroad.
“You can’t test every inch of a brownfield, but [the state] has tested a lot of this land over the last 12 years and it’s come up clean,” she said. “We’re pretty confident that all of it is clean.”
As for aesthetics, Berlin worked with Solutions IPEM to create a building that fits in with Lewes’ character. She plans to use Hardie board to recreate a look similar to homes in Shipcarpenter’s Square.
“I don’t want this to look like a brand new building that we just planted there,” she said.
Nick Roth is the news editor. He has been with the Cape Gazette since 2012, previously covering town beats in Milton and Lewes. In addition to serving on the editorial board and handling page layout, Nick is responsible for the weekly Delaware History in Photographs feature and enjoys writing stories about the Cape Region’s history. Prior to the Cape Gazette, Nick worked for the Delmarva Media Group, including the Delaware Wave, Delaware Coast Press and Salisbury Daily Times. He also contributed to The News Journal. Originally from Boyertown, Pa., Nick attended Shippensburg University in central Pennsylvania, graduating in 2007 with a bachelor’s degree in journalism. He’s won several MDDC awards during his career for both writing and photography. In his free time, he enjoys golfing, going to the beach with his family and cheering for Philadelphia sports teams.
