Two years after Frankford annexed 263 acres into the town, development of one of those parcels has officially begun.
Gathered at the front of what was known as the Cress-Parsons farm, which will now be known as Vines Creek Crossing, officials from the Town, as well as the developers, broke ground on the 150-acre development, which will include 584 homes.
Lennar Homes will be the developer for the project. The Miami-based company has built several other communities in the area, including Plantation Lakes in Millsboro, Schooner’s Landing in Selbyville and Lighthouse Bay in Ocean City, Md.
Robert Horsey, owner of Double H Land Development, purchased the property in April 2023. At Friday’s groundbreaking ceremony, Horsey said, “I want to thank the Town of Frankford” for helping to get the project moving. We’re very excited.”
His company has partnered with Lennar on several area communities, including Schooner’s Landing and Milos Haven, near Frankford. Horsey’s company is also the builder for Marina at Pepper’s Creek near Dagsboro and The Highlands in Dagsboro.
“We’ve done a lot of sitework for a lot of houses,” Horsey said.
Lennar Division President Matt Wineman said, “We are tickled to death to be here.”
Wineman said Vines Creek Crossing will consist of 264 single-family homes, 223 townhomes and 97 villas, which he said are two-story semi-attached homes.
“It’s going to be a more affordable community for a lot of people,” Wineman said.
The community’s amenities will include a clubhouse, a pool, pickleball courts, firepits, walking trails and tot lots, Wineland said. Sales of the homes will begin at the end of 2025, he said.
“We just want to be good neighbors and a good member of the community,” Wineland said.
“I’m always excited to see economic development in the town,” said Frankford Town Manager Sheldon Hudson. “You can’t have retail growth, you can’t have restaurant growth, commercial growth, employment growth without residential growth. You have to have the rooftops.
“We try to be a pro-business town. That’s really important,” Hudson said. “This helps to contribute to it, indirectly at the very least, if not directly. I’m really thankful to work with a council that is open to this type of change.”
Hudson said he believes growth within Sussex County’s towns is the key to managing development.
“If you don’t let the towns grow, you’re going to have sprawl. Allowing growth to happen around the existing towns is a win-win. The country stays the country, the town stays the town.”