Another proposal for Wilmington. This is west of downtown in the very wealthy Rockford Park neighborhood. This area is ripe for this type of development, and from looking at the company's
website, their projects look decent.
The story....
Condos Planned for Former Bancroft Mills Site
Pa. Developer Wants 1,000 Units
By ADAM TAYLOR / The News Journal
06/18/2005
WILMINGTON -- A King of Prussia, Pa., developer plans to build about 1,000 expensive condominiums at the former Bancroft Mills site along the Brandywine near the Delaware Art Museum.
O'Neill Properties would demolish at least 40 of the old mill buildings to make way for 19 mid-rise condo buildings and 1,847 parking spaces, said Wilmington lawyer Lisa B. Goodman, who represents the developers.
The new development, called Rockford Falls, is the biggest residential project on the drawing board in Wilmington, city officials said. Nearby resident Rob Stenta said he is worried that the size of the project would hurt the neighborhood.
"I am concerned that 999 condominiums on this property would generate traffic and access issues that would substantially change the character of our community," he said.
Goodman said the developers are willing to consider building fewer condos to appease the neighbors. O'Neill officials have appointed Stenta and 47 others to a committee that could negotiate a compromise.
"I fully expect the plan will change in a significant way due to the committee's input," Goodman said.
O'Neill bought the 21-acre site for $7.4 million last year.
No zoning changes are required for the project to proceed, but the plan will be subject to a review by city officials before it gets the go-ahead. The developers also need to work out issues regarding access roads into and out of the property. Goodman said the company is negotiating about access roads with property owners at both ends of the site.
The buildings are contaminated with caustic soda products, dyes, asbestos and a variety of metals, Goodman said. Cleanup and subsequent demolition would begin at the end of this year and take about a year to complete. Goodman estimated the cleanup would cost about $10 million.
The actual construction of the condos would take place in phases over the next several years, Goodman said.
Condo prices would range from $250,000 for a one-bedroom unit to as much as $2 million for a penthouse suite.
O'Neill submitted a preliminary development plan to the city last week. City Planning Director Peter Besecker said the city will reply to the company's submission in about a week.
"We'll just tell them what we think they need to do in terms of work regarding access, utilities and drainage," he said.
Officials from the Brandywine Conservancy's Environmental Management Center have been monitoring the project to see if the plans might harm the river.
"We're not saying this project will do that, but we have concerns for anything that has the potential to do that," spokesman Halsey Spruance said.
Goodman said the development will have the opposite effect. She said the Northern Delaware Greenway will run through the site.
"This is a part of the river that no one had access to and we're going to open it up," she said. "We're also cleaning up a significantly contaminated abandoned industrial site and putting it back on the active tax rolls."
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With 19 buildings proposed, I'd say these are going to be three to four story buildings. Not going to add to the skyline, but the addition of 1,500 to 2,000 well off people to Wilmington is good news.