The Welfare Foundation has stepped away from the planned Whitehall development in New Castle County. The 87-year-old nonprofit announced it will refocus on its core mission of charitable giving.

EDiS Company and Eastern States Development Company will continue with the Whitehall development.

"We are thrilled to continue the dream that is Whitehall and that we started several years ago with our incredible partner, the Welfare Foundation,” stated Brian DiSabatino, CEO of EDiS Company. “The unprecedented vision and leadership of the Welfare Foundation laid the foundation for this groundbreaking community and we are honored and privileged to be vested with the responsibility to continue implementing that vision.

Welfare Foundation Chief Executive Officer Peter Morrow added that the organization still stands behind the project.

“We have no doubt that it will one day become the lasting legacy that our late chairman, Robert Bolling, Jr., had envisioned when he started us on this journey over 15 years ago,” Morrow said. “At the same time, the Trustees feel that now that the project is off the ground and is gaining considerable traction, it is time for us to get back to our core mission."

Separately, Welfare has entered into an agreement with OA North, LLC, an affiliate of Schell Brothers and Ocean Atlantic, a builder and developer based in Rehoboth Beach, to purchase the bulk of the remaining land surrounding Whitehall, including Scott Run Business Park, which is zoned for industrial and office use.

“This is a developer’s dream. We have been looking to establish a stronger presence in northern Delaware and this property will serve as the foundation for that growth,” said Preston Schell, president of Ocean Atlantic and an owner of Schell Brothers.

The Welfare Foundation, headquartered in Wilmington, was created in 1930 by Pierre S. du Pont and has made grants of more than $300 million to nonprofit organizations serving the state of Delaware and southern Chester County, PA since its inception.