Seaford council approves revised Seaford Town Center plan with waivers for denser riverfront housing

Seaford Mayor and Council voted unanimously June 24 to approve a revised preliminary site plan for the Seaford Town Center, a multi‑parcel riverfront redevelopment that would replace a 2015 office‑and‑hotel concept with primarily multifamily housing, a riverfront restaurant and two commercial spaces.

The council's approval includes six waivers from the city's C‑3 zoning standards: a reduced parking ratio (from the code's 3 spaces per apartment to 1.5), an increase in allowed units per acre (from 25 to 64), a building height waiver (from 50 feet to up to 70 feet where requested), relief to allow dwelling units over parking rather than over commercial space in some buildings, a rear‑yard setback waiver for Building B and permission for parking or drive aisles to encroach over the city property line (to be addressed by easement).

The plan presented by developer David Perlmutter and his team shows 194 apartments across multiple buildings, a ground‑floor riverfront restaurant and two commercial storefronts facing High Street. Perlmutter told council the project shifts from the 2015 plan — which showed 32,000 square feet of retail, 61,000 square feet of office, 43 apartments and a 100‑room hotel — to a housing‑focused scheme the developer said responds to community requests for a riverfront restaurant. "We're gonna be bringing that to Seaford now," Perlmutter said while describing the proposed restaurant at the waterfront.

City planning staff told council the proposed lot and building footprint meet minimum lot width and lot size requirements for the R2 components where applicable, but the development requires the council‑granted waivers because the developer seeks higher density and taller buildings than the current C‑3 standards allow. Planning staff also noted the plan removes a previously proposed 147‑space multilevel parking structure and that the restaurant's final parking demand was undefined because the restaurant square footage remains a placeholder; restaurant parking will be calculated at the required 1 space per 50 square feet once a tenant and floor area are identified.

Council members pressed the developer on parking, event access, and building profile. Vice Mayor Dan Henderson and Councilman Alan Quillen expressed concern that reducing the required parking ratio could create parking pressure if units have two vehicles each; Perlmutter pointed to management practices used at his other River Place developments and said the project is being phased so later phases can be adjusted if lease‑up demonstrates parking shortfalls. Council members also questioned the location and quantity of parking that may be on city property; the developer responded some parking and drive aisles will cross city land and will require easements from Seaford.

Architects and the development team described how the design attempts to balance emergency access and event flexibility: a riverfront building has been set back to allow an emergency corridor that could be closed for festivals, while providing pedestrian space on the Riverwalk. Council members asked how the council would guard against a taller than approved building being built at final plan; City Manager Lehi Burley explained the council's vote was for preliminary approval and that any final plan will return to the city for detailed review — final plans will specify exact setbacks, balcony locations and floor counts and are subject to building department and fire marshal review.

The motion to approve the revised preliminary plan was made by Councilman Orlando Holland and seconded by Councilman Mike Bradley. The roll call vote recorded each council member voting yes. Planning staff noted the project will still require additional approvals from DelDOT, Sussex Conservation District and the State Fire Marshal and that the developer will return with final plans for each phase.

If built as proposed the development will be phased: the developer described a phased approach starting with one riverfront apartment building and the restaurant (phase 1), followed by additional apartment buildings and parking structures in later phases. The developer said demolition and remediation work on the former power plant site is under way and that he hopes to start phase 1 construction in early 2026, with an estimated one year to build an initial phase depending on lease‑up.

Council and staff listed outstanding issues to be resolved before final approvals, including final restaurant square footage and parking calculations, easement terms for areas encroaching on city land, fire marshal requirements for drive aisles, and final elevations to confirm the number of stories and actual building heights. The council's vote grants preliminary approval and the six requested waivers; it does not authorize construction beyond the usual building‑permit and final‑plan review process.