We support Cottage Housing Developments in Georgetown DE.

A new zoning tool is now in place to help working families, seniors, and veterans find attainable homeownership.

We are firm supporters of dignified, compact housing for local workers, young families, seniors, and veterans. With Georgetown’s Cottage Housing zoning rules now adopted, this kind of housing is possible at real scale, with clear design standards and neighborhood protections.

Why Hearth & Shelter Supports the Cottage Housing Development Ordinance

Georgetown, Delaware, has always been a town where neighbors look out for one another. It is a place shaped by hard work, faith, and families who want the best for their children and their community’s future.

On December 8, 2025, Georgetown took an important step forward: Town Council adopted the Cottage Housing Development (CHD) ordinance. This ordinance is a forward-looking update to the zoning rules that guide new homes in UR-1 zoned neighborhoods, and it gives Georgetown a practical, well-defined way to support compact, thoughtfully designed neighborhoods.

At Hearth & Shelter Foundation, we strongly support this ordinance because it opens the door for beautiful, compact, permanent homes designed for Georgetown’s working families, seniors, and veterans. These are not temporary units or transitional spaces. They are thoughtfully designed cottages clustered around green spaces, with porches, pathways, and shared amenities that encourage a sense of belonging and pride.

Cottage communities like this already exist across the country. They are quiet, walkable, and visually appealing. They allow residents to enjoy the privacy of their own home and the comfort of a small neighborhood where people know each other. Most importantly, cottage communities can expand access to homeownership, especially for individuals and families who have struggled to find attainable housing in traditional markets.

What the Ordinance Does, and What It Does Not Do

It is important to be clear about what changed in Georgetown.

The CHD ordinance is a zoning tool. It establishes rules and standards that allow cottage housing in the right places and under the right conditions. It does not approve any specific development by itself.

Any particular cottage housing project must still go through the normal public process, including technical review, Planning Commission scrutiny, public comment, and Council approval, before construction can begin.

Why This Matters for Georgetown

Georgetown is growing, and so is the need for housing options that reflect the real needs of the people who work here, raise their children here, attend local churches, care for our seniors, and keep our small businesses running. Many long-term residents have been priced out of homeownership, and younger families are finding it difficult to put down roots in the community they love.

The cottages ordinance gives responsible nonprofits, private builders, and mission-driven developers a tool to help close that gap. It allows cottage homes, each with its own foundation, front door, yard space, and porch, to be built more efficiently and affordably than traditional single-family subdivisions, while still requiring strong standards for design, spacing, parking, landscaping, and open space.

The ordinance only allows cottage housing to be constructed on sites of at least one acre, which is a feature of the zoning rules that we also support.

Hearth & Shelter’s Commitment to Georgetown

Hearth & Shelter has a vision: to create a community where Georgetown residents can become homeowners in a neighborhood designed to strengthen community life. The newly adopted cottage ordinance is essential to making that vision possible.

Our goal is simple: help local individuals and families purchase high-quality homes at prices within reach, so they can build generational wealth and enjoy the security of owning a place of their own.

These homes are envisioned to be fee-simple, meaning each owner will hold the title to their cottage. We are committed to serving buyers who fall below the AMI (area median income), including first-time homebuyers, workers in essential professions, and seniors looking for a smaller, more manageable home without leaving Georgetown. Additionally, based on our belief that a healthy socio-economic mix makes a better America, we plan to include some premium market-rate cottages in the same development.

A Future Built on Community

Cottage housing is not just a zoning change. It is a statement about what kind of town Georgetown wants to be.

A town that believes:

• People who work here should be able to live here
• Homeownership should not be out of reach for the next generation
• New development should strengthen community bonds, not weaken them
• Grace, dignity, and opportunity should guide our choices for the future

With the CHD ordinance adopted, Georgetown now has the ability to welcome growth in a way that respects tradition, supports families, and reflects the values that make this community special.

At Hearth & Shelter, we are ready to partner with the Town, with our neighbors, and with local stakeholders as the first cottage proposals move through the public review process. Our commitment is to transparency, high standards, and neighborhoods that Georgetown can be proud of.

Everyone deserves a place where they can build a life, plant their roots, and belong, just like in all the Cottage Housing Developments marked on the map below. We’re thrilled to soon be bringing cottage housing to Georgetown, Delaware!

Your involvement can make a difference! Support Hearth & Shelter Foundation by donating, volunteering, or advocating for affordable housing. Together, we can create stable, sustainable homes for all.