Seaford council delays decision on transfer of Hooper’s Landing lots to D.R. Horton

Seaford Mayor and Council on Jan. 14 unanimously postponed action on a request from Insight Land Company LLC to transfer five lots at Hooper’s Landing to D.R. Horton until a D.R. Horton representative can present performance specifications.

The items at issue are Lots 1–5 of Hooper’s Landing (tax parcels listed in council materials). Insight’s counsel, Andrew Campanelli, told council Insight installed sewer and the city installed water taps and that utility work and some electric infrastructure were complete. Campanelli said D.R. Horton (doing business as the company’s Tradition series) has agreed to the stipulations that survive the transfer but that he could not confirm D.R. Horton would match Insight’s previously advertised energy performance standards.

The delay follows repeated remarks from Vice Mayor Dan Henderson and other council members that the economic development committee’s 2022 recommendation to select Insight Homes under the RFP was based on factors beyond price, including the quality of construction and energy performance (the RFP materials emphasized a 1,800-square-foot minimum and specific energy expectations). Henderson said he was not comfortable approving a transfer without a D.R. Horton representative available to confirm the product and performance neighbors were told they would receive.

Council discussed the six conditions recorded in the original sale agreement. Those conditions, read into the record by a council member from a city memo, included: no further subdivision after purchase; a single-family house per lot; a minimum house size of 1,800 square feet; a minimum one-car attached garage per home; construction to begin on the first two houses within nine months of purchase; and all remaining lots under construction within 36 months, with the city retaining an option to repurchase if conditions are not met.

Campanelli described D.R. Horton’s Tradition series as a line that is “a step above” some other D.R. Horton products and said the buyer already has a buyer lined up for at least one home, but he acknowledged the Tradition series is not identical to the Insight product that had been the basis of the committee’s recommendation. He could not confirm D.R. Horton would meet the RFP’s zero-energy-ready or equivalent energy specifications.

Vice Mayor Henderson moved to postpone consideration until D.R. Horton can respond in writing or in person; Councilman McQuillan seconded. The motion passed unanimously. Council directed staff to contact D.R. Horton and ask the company to present performance characteristics so neighbors and council can confirm the product meets expectations established by the RFP and the sale conditions.

Next steps: city staff will invite D.R. Horton to a future council meeting or request written documentation of the proposed building specifications and energy performance metrics before the council takes final action on the transfer.