Project History

In 2006, a Special Area Management Plan (SAMP) was completed incorporating the feedback of residents of Southbridge, in partnership with the City of Wilmington, the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC), the Wilmington Area Planning Council, and Wilmington Housing Authority. The plan envisioned taking “a checkerboard of historic homes, public housing, waterfront luxury housing and mixed-use sites, brownfields, bisecting corridors, floodplains and wetlands, and create a single neighborhood rich in heritage, racial and social diversity, superior ecology and shared community amenities, including a substantial new park at the heart of the neighborhood.” This idea for a central wetlands and stormwater management park came from the community.

In 2008, the City formally adopted the recommendations of the SAMP in the South Walnut Street Urban Renewal Plan. The project team that works on the South Wilmington Wetlands Project was formed in 2010. This team meets every two weeks to advance the project. The team is comprised of individuals representing the City Department of Public Works, the City Office of Economic Development, the City Department of Planning and Development, the City Law Department, Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Controls (DNREC), and The Nature Conservancy. Consulting services are provided by RK&K Engineering, BrightFields, Inc. Environmental Services, and Oasis Design Group.