LEWES, DE - Project organizers and state officials broke ground on the Chapel Branch Apartments Thursday afternoon. Officials from the Delaware State Housing Authority (DSHA) told WBOC that the project is the first new affordable housing complex to be built in the area since 2003.
DSHA Director Cynthia Karnai said the need for affordable housing in Eastern Sussex County is dire. According to Karnai, much of the housing in the area is out of many families' price range.
"We're talking about our families, our workers, our neighbors that need housing that's affordable so they can live here and thrive here," Karnai said.
The poster board above shows what the apartment complex will look like when completed. It will have 42 units with a mix of 2-bedroom and 3-bedroom apartments. The price of the units will range from $458 a month to $1850 a month.
Project Development Manager with Volker Development Inc. Matthew Padron told WBOC that it's critical to make mixed-income communities.
"People commute across the entire county from the Western side every day to go to work in Rehoboth and Lewes," Padron said. "So this will be helping to bring some of the housing closer to where people work so they can be in the community they participate in every day."
According to DSHA officials, the complex will also have services available on-site provided by Food Bank of Delaware and Stand By Me Delaware.
"For a lot of our residents it's helpful for them to have access to these services," Padron said. "To help bring food in, and to help provide educational and job opportunities as well."
According to project officials, the complex is expected to be completed and open sometime late next year. DSHA officials also told WBOC that they hope to bring other affordable housing options to the area in the coming years.