State officials awarded $4.5 million to a variety of commercial and residential initiatives in the latest round of Downtown Development District grants.
11 larger projects in Dover, Seaford and Wilmington applied for and earned the grants, with a total build cost of more than $130 million.
Wilmington got the bulk of the grant money. About half a million dollars will help renovate a now vacant building into a 51 apartments for homeless veterans, among other projects along Market and King Streets.
Bob MacLeish, the owner of Lighthouse Construction, is involved with a $3.1 million project along Loockerman Street in the heart of Dover’s downtown.
The first floor next to Loockerman Plaza could house up to three retail stores with eight apartments on the second and third stories.
All told, MacLeish says there will be about 4,000 square feet of ground floor commercial space, with each market-rate apartment measuring 1,000 square feet.
“I think that downtown Dover – particularly this site – can really be a gem for the whole area to help anchor and foster people coming back,” he said.
Eventually, MacLeish says a second multi-story building will be constructed on the other side of the plaza. He expects to cut the ribbon on the first half of the project in the spring of 2018.
MacLeish says without the $500,000 state grant, raising money for the project would’ve been tougher.
“We just really want to do a nice job down there. We think that a good quality building with a nice appearance to it will go a long way in helping [revitalize downtown Dover] and we want to take those dollars and put it back into the building.”
Nanticoke Memorial Hospital will also expand its footprint in Seaford by rehabbing a two-story, former shoe store. It’ll house a community training center and more office space.
Since its inception in 2014, the Downtown Development District initiative has awarded $14.1 million in state money to leverage more than $290 million in private capital.
10 municipalities recently applied for a district designation, which would make those areas eligible for government grants. State officials will announce any new districts next month.
