The Imani Village project in Northeast Wilmington gets a major financial boost.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Human Development is sending a $50 million Choice Neighborhood grant to bolster the ongoing revitalization effort in Wilmingtn’s Riverside neighborhood.
HUD Deputy Secretary Adrianne Todman says the grants are designed for communities with a strong plan to redevelop their neighborhoods. Only 8 projects nationwide were recipients of the award.
“This program focuses on people, housing, and community,” said Todman. “And it’s our way, it’s the Biden Administration’s way of saying that we’re going to invest in people from the bottom up and the middle out.”
The money will help continue redevelopment in the Riverside community, and help put a dent in the affordable housing crisis in the First State. REACH Riverside’s plan includes mixed-income housing units, community spaces, green spaces, and educational and workforce development pipelines.
About 10 years ago, housing units in the area were demolished with the promise of new, modern, mixed-level income housing in their place.
In 2018, that work finally began. 600 units were slated to be built in a decades-long process. To date, 235 older housing units have been demolished, and over 150 new units have been built.
Wilmington Housing Authority Director Ray Fitzgerald says this HUD grant will accelerate their timeline.
“The plan was for it to take close to 20 years, but we’re able to cut that in half thanks to the funding we received,” said Fitzgerald.
By 2031, 295 more older units will be demolished, and over 700 modern mixed-level income housing units will stand in their place.
Fitzgerald adds that everyone currently living in the older Riverside units will have the right to move into the new units.
“There’s going to be some homeownership, there’s going to be some market-rate housing. The idea is to have a community of people of all different levels of income and backgrounds, rather than have all of the poorer people lumped together in one location,” he explained.
This fits REACH Riverside’s vision of a diverse economy that will help to bring new businesses and economic opportunity to the area.
Beautification projects, including the installation of public art and signage, are also built into the plan to help boost pride in the neighborhood.
The Northeast Wilmington revitalization plan is being implemented in collaboration with the City of Wilmington, the Wilmington Housing Authority, REACH Riverside Development Corporation, Kingswood Community Center, and Pennrose LLC.
