Ground broken on Nylon Capital shopping center revitalization in Seaford

SEAFORD, Del. – Seaford Mayor Genshaw says that, for decades, residents have been begging for rehabilitation and reconstruction of the Nylon Capital shopping.

Thursday, officials broke ground on an ambitious revitalization project at the once-hub, that was once-bustling.

“The people of Seaford deserve better.”

Seaford was once a company town. However, when the DuPont Nylon Plant shuttered its doors in the late 1990’s, the local economy felt a big blow. Businesses moving closer to Route 13 didn’t help the fate of the shopping center, either.

Now, almost every single one of the Nylon Capital shopping center’s storefronts are boarded up or smashed out.

“The people of Seaford deserve better. They’ve been very hopeful, and they deserve this. I’m excited for the future of Seaford,” remarked Mayor David Genshaw at the groundbreaking ceremony.

Learning and Innovation Hub

Delaware Technical Community College will serve as the new center’s largest anchor, at 30,000 square feet. At the new facility, the school plans to put a focus on workforce development.

“They’re calling it a health care lab, and they’re also building a welding lab, and an innovation center,” said developer Robert Herrera of 9th Street Development Company (9SDC).

Having a state-of-the-art learning hub in the center of the city could help retain locally-grown talent, says Mayor Genshaw.

“We have been trying to rebuild our community,” Mayor Genshaw said. “So, people, if they choose to and want to stay here, there’s an opportunity to have a good-paying job.”

9SDC also plans to build its own innovation hub on the site, to be dubbed The Mill. “Its an innovation hub for entrepreneurs and small businesses. That’ll be around 15,000 square feet,” Herrera said.

The Community Bank of Delaware and Vanderwende Creamery have also signed on to be some of the first to move into the site, once it’s completed.

Health Care at Heart of City

In addition to serving as a hub for learning and innovation, the site is also being anchored by a new TidalHealth clinic, along with a BrightBloom facility.

“[TidalHealth] just announced today that they’re bringing clinics to the space, mostly [dealing with] PT, and orthopedic services,” Herrera said. “[BrightBloom is] a center for children with autism, and they are coming to the site right next to TidalHealth.”

Health care resources in Seaford, says Mayor Genshaw, will prove to a be a crucial part in ensuring that the eastern side of the county isn’t outpacing its western neighbors.

“TidalHealth has been so important to Seaford for so many years,” Mayor Genshaw said. “I think it secures our place in Western Sussex. When people are looking to relocate, to move their businesses or just residences, health care is important.”

9SDC Advances Vision

Herrera says that 9sDC was only attracted to the project after decades of previous hard work. “There was a foundation laid here well before we got involved, of what this project would mean to the community,” he said.

Part of what’s making the project run so smoothly, says Herrera, is the positive relationship between 9SDC, the City of Seaford, and other stakeholders. He says bringing ambitious development ideas to new places isn’t always met with the same welcome.

“‘Not in my backyard’ is more prevalent than it’s ever been in our lifetime. So, it’s very rare that you get welcomed into a community where you want to do a redevelopment project like this,” Herrera said. “It’s just meant the world for our team, and we just don’t want to let [Seaford] down.”

“Good things happening”

By the time all is said and done, $60 million will have been invested into what, for some, has become a painful memory of industry past.

“Nylon Capital shopping center as life changing for the community back in the 70’s, but that deterioration really represented the loss of Dupont, and reminding people what we once were,” said Mayor Genshaw. “This is really the beginning turning point for Seaford. There are a lot of other great things in Seaford, but this is one more piece of good things happening here.”

Buildings will start coming down in the next few weeks. Site work is expected to take about a year to complete; Herrera said the last few tenants should move in by summer of 2026.