The Vineyards at Nassau Valley:

a future lifestyle in Sussex County

By Henry J. Evans Jr.
hevans@capegazette.com


After nearly six years of designing, planning, negotiating, tweaking and initiating changes in the way Sussex County’s administrators view community development, three men bearing shovels broke ground for The Vineyards at Nassau Valley on Wednesday, June 11.


Gene Lankford, chairman of Ocean Atlantic Companies; Bob Raley, owner of Nassau Valley Vineyards; and Preston Schell, Ocean Atlantic Companies president, celebrated the event to mark the project’s start.


“Having a project like The Vineyards, with its complexity, its mixed-use nature and being one of the first lifestyle communities in Sussex County – there were a lot of hurdles that we needed to get over,” Schell said.


He said the community was made possible with significant assistance from the Sussex County Council and Sussex County Planning and Zoning Commission. “Without their support this kind of development could never happen,” he said.


Schell said the county had to shift thinking – and adjust zoning codes – away from single-family half-acre lots, toward a community with urban lifestyle elements – condominium housing, retail stores, office spaces and a freshwater lake – all within walking distance.


The community will feature 927 condominium units, a 150-room hotel, 350,000 square feet of retail space, and 75,000 square feet of office space.


A freshwater lake, amphitheater, pool and children’s park are among the community’s highlights.


Schell said the project has broken new ground in the county, which could lead others to develop similar lifestyle communities.


“Single-family housing subdivisions really isn’t the way people want to live,” Schell said. He said the concept for The Vineyards at Nassau Valley really isn’t new in Sussex County.


“It’s just a large-scale version of Lewes’ Second Street and it’s like downtown Rehoboth Beach,” Schell said.


Wendy O. Baker, Ocean Atlantic’s public relations director, on Wednesday, June 18, said Kohl’s is going through its internal approval process to become the community’s anchor retailer. The Wisconsin-based department store operates more than 950 stores in 47 states.


Schell said the community would also contain one name-brand electronics store, a sporting goods store and a half-dozen restaurants. He said significant attention has been paid to the community’s streetscape and its architectural styling.


“We want people to know they’re having a southern Delaware experience and not just walk into a street that would be anyplace, USA,” Schell said.


He said the community is planned for construction in 12 phases, and he projected build-out would occur in eight to ten years. Schell said retail stores would be built during the project’s first four-to-five-year period.


Schell said he frequently hears compliments on Paynter’s Mill, a community adjacent to Route 1 and Cave Neck Road, which the company completed in 2002.


“It’s true, Paynter’s Mill is a beautiful project. But this project is really going to be unbelievable – the vineyards, walking down the streetscape, the amount of time and effort that we put into the architecture. Thanks to Bob Raley for that. Thanks to Bob for a lot of it,” Schell said at the groundbreaking.


Raley retains ownership of vineyard land, and condominium owners and commercial enterprises will pay a land-lease fee.


Dennis Forney said the project pushes the envelope for development in Sussex County.

“I’ve watched it all along the way, and I’ve had lots of questions all along the way,” he said.


Forney said the county has never experienced a project like it, and he commended Raley for his vision, mixing wild Sussex County with a metro-style community.


He said Schell and Ocean Atlantic take seriously their responsibility to give back to the community.


“The Vineyards project will continue Schell Brothers, Ocean Atlantic and the Vineyards’ commitment to the Sussex County Land Trust by dedicating a percentage of the sale of every unit to the land trust,” Forney said. He said through the land trust, money from the development would be used to leverage open space preservation.


Forney is publisher of the Cape Gazette.


Condominiums will be spacious one-to-four-bedroom units available in a variety of floor plans. Designs allow natural light to enter and feature dramatic windows and large balconies.


The community will incorporate the culture and conveniences of a metropolitan area in a natural pedestrian-friendly setting.


The Vineyards at Nassau Valley’s first offering event will be held noon to 4 p.m., Sunday, June 22, at Claret Hall on the vineyard grounds.


Details of floor plan designs and community features will be available. There will also be wine tasting, light fare and music. One lucky winner will receive a weekend getaway to Napa Valley.


For additional information, call 302-645-5440 or visit www.vineyardslewes.com.