Despite a zoning change that allowed Little Living to continue with a project in Georgetown designed to provide affordable housing, another project by the organization proposed for Milford has not seen progress. The land, owned by Robert Murphy, is just north of Milford near the DE Turf Sports Complex and will be known as “Murphy’s Village.”
“Our governor ran on the affordable housing issue,” Murphy said. “He even issued a proclamation stating that Little Living had a great plan to address the issue. Georgetown is up and running and next should be the one on our land. I’ve asked the governor to look into this, but I have heard that Levy Court has asked him to stay out of it.”
In an interview in October, George Meringolo, founder of Little Living, was optimistic about bringing the project to the area. This optimism was despite Kent County Levy Court’s refusal to schedule a pre-application meeting. At the time, Meringolo expected the response, but pointed to the proclamation from Governor Matt Meyer stating they were the foremost advocate and producer of affordable housing in the state.
“We are zoned commercial and I have the minutes where commissioners were warned that if they zoned us commercial from agricultural-residential, there were 119 things we could put there and it would be a buy-right application with nothing they could do to stop us,” Murphy said. “Then, they tried to claim we were out of the growth zone, but we proved we were. Now, according to Kent County code, mixed use cannot have both residential and commercial on the same property. That is the very definition of mixed use.”
The development Meringolo wants to create would have a convenience store, a fast-food restaurant, a laundromat and self-storage as well as homes between 450 and 650 square feet. He does not call the homes ‘tiny homes,” but instead calls them cottages. The units will be one-, two-, and three-bedroom. Some of the units will be rented for less than $1,500 per month. Others would be sold for between $110,000 and $135,000, within affordable range for a family making between $35,000 and $50,000.
“We will have to charge fees similar to a homeowner’s association to maintain roads and other amenities, but they will not be significant,” Meringolo said. “We will have some requirements such as if you purchase the home, you must live in it. Short-term rentals will not be permitted, and we will have requirements for yard maintenance, but nothing stringent.”
The development is designed for the working class and is not meant as a homeless encampment, Meringolo said.
“The affordable housing crisis in Delaware is immense,” Meringolo said. “In the next five years, we will need 45,000 affordable homes, but the term affordable is a problem in itself. What is affordable for me may not be affordable for you. So, the real definition for affordable is that you spend less than 30 percent of your salary on housing. That would mean someone making $60,000 per year should not be paying more than $1,500 a month on housing or a mortgage. The average two-bedroom apartment in this area is almost $2,000.”
Murphy and his wife hoped to do something with the land that would have meaning.
“When we presented this to Matt Heckles, he said, ‘this is great’ and asked what we needed from him,” Murphy said. “George said ‘get out of the way. No offense, sir, but we are a 501(c)3. We are not here asking for state funds. We’re not even applying for federal dollars.’ He then said that the Murphy’s have gone into partnership with us. The bank is willing to do the financing. And once we get the houses built, it will be self-sufficient. George said they may partner with the Veteran’s Administration because they are always looking for this type of housing for veterans. This is what we would like our legacy to be.”
Murphy understands there is supposed to be a hearing at Kent County Levy Court in January or February but was not sure if the public would be invited or when the meeting was planned.
“It is just sad that Kent County is holding this up,” Murphy said. “When we have a plan that can help address the affordable housing crisis, even in a small way, the county is playing games.”
