Northeast Brandywine Riverfront

Visit this link to download or view a copy of the final report.

Excerpts From the Final Report

THE HISTORY - WHY PREPARE THIS PLAN?

This plan focuses on the opportunities to implement many of the planning concepts that have been discussed and worked on by the Northeast Neighborhood over the past few years. The key aspect of this effort is the fact that the City is not only addressing neighborhood revitalization, but it is also responding to new opportunities by rethinking how large swaths of land can set the stage for making its Brandywine riverfront more vibrant and serve as a major economic driver. This plan builds upon other efforts underway related to improving the environmental quality of the Brandywine River. A broad coalition and the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary (with support from the U.S. EPA), are leading initiatives such as the Shad 2020 Plan, which are focused on restoring habitat and removing old dams within the Brandywine River, in order to foster the American Shad, as well as fresh water mussels.

Community planning in this context is more than preparing a preferred development proposal or recommending a site be “cleaned-up” to address a single issue. Instead, it represents the proactive role government can take in working with residents, special interest groups, property owners, and developers to ensure that the redevelopment of former or underutilized industrial/brownfield sites are undertaken in a manner that fully maximizes their potential with regard to meeting community needs, and that the result is a greater quality-of-life for residents. Ultimately revitalization can be achieved in a manner that complements the existing neighborhood and melds the new with the existing, to the benefit of all.

Information About the Draft Plan

The City of Wilmington was awarded a Brownfields Area-Wide Planning Grant through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for $197,500. The project location – Brandywine River Northeast – is located in Northeast Wilmington with a specific project boundary of the Brandywine River, North Market Street, Vandever Avenue, and Northeast Boulevard. Within this project boundary, there are approximately 10 certified brownfield sites which are preventing economic development and recreational access to the Brandywine Creek. The project area provides enough acreage for green infrastructure solutions, a walking and biking path, and river access. As part of the planning process, a steering committee of community stakeholders was developed and in working with residents through several public outreach events a new vision for the project area, consistent with the larger redevelopment plans for the Northeast and the City of Wilmington has been developed. Plans are designed specifically to address the redevelopment of identified brownfields, provide economic development to this unique waterfront urban area and continue to build community capacity.

The planning process has included a series of public meetings to engage the community to shape the vision for the project area. The result of this grant includes the development of the DRAFT Brownfield Area-Wide Plan which includes the following elements.

• A summary of the various community activities performed throughout the project
• An explanation of the Communities’ priorities and a list of strategies that help meet those strategies.
• The results from the brownfield research and project area conditions.
• Specific re-use scenarios for the catalyst, high priority
• Detailed plan implementation strategies which identify specific actions, resources available and resources needed to implement the plan and will include:
  • Assessment and cleanup activities needed;
  • Catalyst, high priority brownfield site(s) improvements and other project area improvements, infrastructure investments that are needed to support brownfield reuse and advance sustainable revitalization, and improve public health, within the project area.
  • Near term versus long term actions and priority projects;
  • Specific partners already involved or need to be involved to lead the specific action; and
  • Specific resources of funding, prioritized investment projects, and resources needed within the project area.

The project partners include the City of Wilmington, Old Brandywine Village, Inc., UD Water Resources Agency, UD Small Business Development Center, UD CCRS Center for Community Research & Service, UD CCRS, UD Community Engagement Initiative, Delaware Sea Grant, DNREC, Christiana Care, and NOAA.