An Aldi grocery store was approved in Seaford on April 22, marking another step toward economic growth for the city.
Ten minutes down the road, the Nylon Capital Shopping Center welcomed a new but familiar tenant, which opened its doors on April 21.
Here’s what to know.
Aldi to open first Seaford store
The Seaford City Council unanimously approved the final site plan for an Aldi grocery store on April 22.
The approved plan set the stage for a 20,275-square-foot store located at Sussex Highway and Spotless Street. The site is currently a vacant plot adjacent to the Duck In car wash.
Property owner Terrence Doyle received variance approvals in November, which reduced the number of parking spots from 102 to 93, relocated the shopping cart storage area to a spot next to the entrance door and increased the size of the wall signs from 36 feet to 75.1 feet.
The plan still requires final approvals from the Delaware Department of Transportation. According to the City Council’s meeting minutes, the plan already has received approvals from the Sussex Conservation District and the Delaware State Fire Marshal.
The new grocery store comes at a time when both Seaford and Aldi are banking on economic expansion.
Aldi was recently approved for a taxpayer-funded grant for a $550 million automated warehouse just south of New Castle, around two months after the grocery announced its plans to open over 225 stores around the U.S. in 2025.
The Seaford location will be at least the 11th Aldi site in Delaware. The most recent opening in Delaware was in December, when the company opened its store on Concord Pike.
Nylon Shopping Center's continued growth
A few miles down the road from the new Aldi, Seaford has been investing in a $60 million revamp of the Nylon Capital Shopping Center, which began construction in March of 2024.
The over-218,000-square-foot center, which has been mostly vacant for years, will become a mixed-use hub of restaurants, retail, offices, health care, and pickleball courts joining anchor tenants like Dollar Tree, Rite Aid and Sal’s Italian Restaurant.
On April 21, Community Bank of Delaware announced that it would open its new branch in the Nylon Capital Shopping Center, where it had initially set up shop over 40 years ago. The new location is located at 1023 W. Stein Highway.
In March 2024, confirmed tenants included a vocational training center from Delaware Technical Community College, an early education center with BrightBloom, TidalHealth facility and a co-working space The Mill.
Robert Herrera, developer for 9th Street Development Co, which is spearheading the project, has said that the site will comprise 11 buildings and two pad sites for future development.