In the City

THE CITY

CITY ARPA FUNDS TO AID NEIGHBORHOOD REVITALIZATION

Wilmington Mayor Mike Purzycki last month announced plans for an anticipated $50M residential redevelopment and stabilization plan—the most ambitious housing and neighborhood plan in the City’s history. The Mayor said the effort will include investments in new construction, full rehabilitation of existing homes, façade, systems and roof improvements for current homeowners, and the demolition of dilapidated and vacant properties.

Mayor Purzycki said the first phase of neighborhood redevelopment—totaling approximately $30M—will begin on the City’s historic east side in an area bounded by Walnut to Church Sts. and from 4th St. to 11th St. The Mayor said the City is engaging with the community as it moves forward because it’s important to listen to concerns and heed advice regarding improving the quality of life.

Mayor Purzycki said the physical improvements to east side neighborhoods will also include 290 new and brighter streetlights to improve public safety thanks to a partnership with Delmarva Power. The Mayor said while additional crime reduction strategies will be announced soon, his Administration continues to believe that rebuilding neighborhoods can be equally effective in reducing violence.

Mayor Purzycki said the ambitious east side effort requires not only a tremendous amount of resources, but unprecedented partnerships with key organizations such as the Wilm. Housing Authority, the Dela. State Housing Authority, the Central Baptist CDC, the Wilm. Neighborhood Conservancy Land Bank, Habitat for Humanity, Woodlawn Trustees, the New Castle Co. Vo-Tech School District, and Delmarva Power.

The Mayor said in addition to the millions of dollars that will be spent over the next few years to stabilize and rebuild neighborhoods on the east side, he expects a total of $50M dollars to be invested city wide. He noted that the Administration and City Council have committed another $4M to fund workforce development by providing skills training and employment internships as well as an additional $5M community investment to assist nonprofits in restoring programming for individuals, children and families, and to launch community-based efforts to curb gun violence. The total neighborhood appropriations announced are the largest amount of funding ever committed by Wilmington to its neighborhoods and, more importantly, to the people who live in City neighborhoods.

Mayor Purzycki said the east side neighborhood enhancements will be anchored by a new, statefunded, state-of-the-art Bancroft School with classes and programming for students in K-8, along with new athletic fields and after-hours programming. Gov. Carney, the Mayor said, is to be commended for his commitment to education and to students, parents, teachers, and administrators.

East Side – before and after.

• The City has an agreement with the Woodlawn Trustees to build 20 new houses and rehabilitate 60 homes currently owned by the Trustees. • The City has an agreement with Central Baptist CDC to fund completion of the rehabilitation of 10 houses on the east side. • tThe Wilmington Housing Authority has agreed to fully rehab 22 of their properties on the east side. • The City has an agreement with Habitat for Humanity to improve the exteriors of up to 100 properties owned by residents to include roofs, trim, windows, and doors at no cost to homeowners; Habitat also has agreed to build 20 new houses for home ownership along Bennett St. • The Wilmington Land Bank and the City will improve 10 houses currently in inventory for sale for under market value, ensuring that homeowners will have immediate equity in their homes.

East Side – before and after.

• The City has demolished 31 dilapidated houses and will demolish and rebuild 12 more houses to be offered for sale at prices far under cost. • The City will engage the owners of the several hundred vacant properties to either improve or sell the properties so they can be converted to productive living units; the City will use every tool available to encourage positive decision making by landlord investors. • Holloway Park, an otherwise beautiful park with mature trees, unfortunately is plagued with illegal drug activity due in large measure to poor lighting; the City will erect new lighting throughout the park to ensure that this beautiful public place will be welcoming to our young people and seniors alike. • The City will ensure that minority contractors and City residents are hired to do the neighborhood work on the east side and throughout Wilmington. • To assist our youth with career opportunities, the City has signed a groundbreaking memorandum of understanding with the New Castle Co. Vo-Tech School District to teach the construction trades to 25 or more young people from local neighborhoods and pay them for on-the-job internships while they learn both in the classroom and the work site. • The City has sponsored a unique drone and virtual reality (VR) school for 20 of students who live in Wilmington; drone classes are underway and VR classes begin in March.

The new Bancroft School (rendering).

Wilmington is receiving $55.6M in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds over a two-year budgeting period. The Administration and City Council say their shared goal is for ARPA funds to be deployed throughout the City to help resolve some of our most pressing needs. These include neighborhood revitalization, reducing gun violence, improving education, increasing access to capital for budding entrepreneurs, training City residents for employment, and stabilizing the government’s financial condition.