PHILADELPHIA-CAMDEN-WILMINGTON-ATLANTIC CITY-READING | Metro Development Thread

[mglan80]

Construction Begins on Downtown Garage
Six-level, 350-space facility will fill gap in key block in Wilmington's business district
By MAUREEN MILFORD, The News Journal

New life is being breathed into a high-profile block in downtown Wilmington now that work has begun on an approximately $10 million garage in the 900 block of Shipley Street.

The six-level garage, being built by Montchanin Development Group Ltd. of Wilmington, will fill an empty parcel reaching from Shipley to Orange streets, where 10 long-vacant buildings were demolished last year.

For the past year, the site had been a gaping hole in the fabric of the downtown area. The site is located one block south of the DuPont Co. headquarters building on Rodney Square.

"Anytime you've got a space so prominent, seeing it's being developed reflects that we're having continued progress in the city. It's really a vote of confidence for the city," said the city's new director of economic development, state Rep. Joe Di Pinto, R-Wilmington West.

The owner of the site, John Hynansky, has been acquiring properties in the block during the past 15 years. Hynansky, who is chief executive of the Winner Automotive Group, will be the majority partner in the approximately 350-car HyPark Garage.

Until the early 1990s, the block was a lively retail street, home to restaurants frequented by generations of office workers, including the Shipley Grill (formerly the Town House) on Shipley Street and the Copper Kettle Restaurant on Orange Street, the site of which later housed a succession of eateries.

Other shops included the McNelis Hallmark store and Mrs. Snyder's Chocolate Chippery.

But in recent years the block had become "unsightly," said Alan Perry, president of Montchanin Development Group.

"I think it's going to make the area more pedestrian-friendly. We've gotten rid of the old, obsolete buildings that were there. The garage will provide more street light and make the area more appealing," Perry said.

None of the buildings on the west side of the 900 block of N. Market St. has parking, he said.

"When it's up, it will provide a more convenient location for my customers to park and for the law firms and other businesses. Parking is always a question mark in downtown Wilmington," said Leonard Simon, owner of Wright & Simon men's clothing store at 911 N. Market St.

The developers were unable to put any ground-floor retail space in the garage building because of structural issues. But the garage is designed to accommodate a seven-story building on top, Perry said.

"There's nothing even contemplated for above the garage, but we wanted to preserve the opportunity to build something if the opportunity presented itself," Perry said.

The garage is expected to be completed in late 2007 or early 2008, Perry said. Monthly parking will cost about $165 a month. The garage will be run by a management company, he said.

Besides the buildings demolished to make way for the garage, Hynansky also owns several of the remaining shops in the block that face Ninth Street, including the former Eckerd drugstore property, later Happy Harry's, at the corner of Ninth and Orange streets.

In 2000, the Brandywine Brewing Company opened a restaurant and brew pub in the space. The $2 million restaurant closed in less than a year. Perry said he expects the restaurant property to become more attractive to a tenant once the garage is complete.

-------------------------------------------
Good news to finally see some work start, bad news about the retail.

[Joey D]

I'm glad it is finally being developed. There is also a nice picture in the paper if anybody cares to post it.

[mglan80]

The first of the facade is going up on the Renaissance Center. As of tonight there were two columns in place on the 4th Street side, and three more waiting for installation. At a glance it looks like a dark pink granite.

[xzmattzx]

Originally Posted by mglan80

The first of the facade is going up on the Renaissance Center. As of tonight there were two columns in place on the 4th Street side, and three more waiting for installation. At a glance it looks like a dark pink granite.

I'll have to get a picture of it.

[soynog]

Anyone know what they're doing to the old Rollins (now AZ) building up on 202? It looks like they're painting the different exterior columns different earth tone shades but only in one section on the south-facing side (which you see as you head north).

[BUILDER5000]

I found this legend to be amusing lol. I was a designer at the original firm which designed this building..btw we never designed it with the top 2 floors. The owners at the time hired another firm to do that after they got their permit. After all these years they're back at trying to make this project work. How many owners later? Article taken from http://delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs....21/-1/intlinks



Vacant hotel's owners set to begin repairs
Building now needs more than a year's worth of work
By ANGIE BASIOUNY, The News Journal
Posted Thursday, November 9, 2006 at 12:49 pm
This hotel built off I-95 never opened due to a dispute between the builders and New Castle County over its size – it's two floors higher than it was approved for. News Journal file/Bob Herbert.

The owners of a never-opened hotel along Interstate 95 said today they will begin fixing more than 650 code violations left by the original developers.

But it could take a few more years before customers will spend their first nights in the hotel, which was once under contract to become a Radisson.

“We have at least a year-and-a-half of construction work,” said Bill Fasy, chief operating officer of Delaware Park, which will run the hotel.

The six-story structure was completed in 2000 but never opened because of a dispute between the builders and New Castle County over its size -- it was two floors higher than approved.

Parkside V, an affiliate of the racing and slots park, purchased the hotel in 2003 with plans to open it for park patrons.

The new owners first had to address problems including flooding and electrical, mechanical and safety problems. The site work began a year ago and is completed, Fasy said.

The county last week issued a building permit, allowing the owners to begin working on the interior.

[mglan80]

^"old fossil" is right. That building's changed hands at least three times since it was built and the county held the line all these years. Glad to see it's finally going to open. I never did see the appeal of the location: marsh view or salvage yard?

soynog: I'd like to know what's up, too. It looks horrible.

[Joey D]

Yeah, what is the deal with that red patch on the Rollins Building? Crazy.

BTW, they need to roll that sucker downtown where it belongs.

[xzmattzx]

Originally Posted by Joey D

Yeah, what is the deal with that red patch on the Rollins Building? Crazy.

BTW, they need to roll that sucker downtown where it belongs.

I thought it was paint work, but it hasn't moved in months. If it was paint work, you'd see progress.

The Rollins Building is ugly. It wouldn't do much to make our skyline look better in my opinion.

While we're on the subject of the Concord Pike/Fairfax area, does anyone else think the roadwork there is confusing now? They should've just built a cloverleaf interchange at Weldin Road.

[Joey D]

Originally Posted by xzmattzx

I thought it was paint work, but it hasn't moved in months. If it was paint work, you'd see progress.

The Rollins Building is ugly. It wouldn't do much to make our skyline look better in my opinion.

While we're on the subject of the Concord Pike/Fairfax area, does anyone else think the roadwork there is confusing now? They should've just built a cloverleaf interchange at Weldin Road.

I think the stone walls look nice going from Foulk Road to 202, but it is confusing.

I have to say, though, I am pretty excited for the 141 expressway being built to alleviate that kamikaze situation in now. I have almost had at least 10 head-on collisions and been sideswiped by people pulling out of the neighborhoods on the right and left.

Today I tried to stay away from 95 around 5 o clock as it has been getting progressively worse over the years. I got on 95 around the Staples on Delaware ave in Phila. It was stop and go 'till around Naamans Road. After this, I got off in Wilmington for food, and I decided to stay away from 95 this time, so I go down 13, and I'm in standstill traffic (yet no accident,) all the way down to 141, then I got on 141 and went 20 mph all the way down to Kirkwood Highway, and then stared at the endless stream of red brake lights until I turned off on Limestone.

I have to say for a metro its size, Wilmington has some freaky traffic problems, especially in the southern burbs.

[xzmattzx]

I know it will never happen, but I think another "141" would benefit the Pike Creek area. What I mean is that we could use another expressway that provides direct access to Kirkwood Highway (or even bypasses Kirkwood Highway, like 141 has with the interchange). It could provide faster access to Limestone Road.

Route 1/Route 4 at Churchman's Crossing would work if they fixed that interchange (worst interchange I've ever seen) and extended Route 1 all the way past the Route 4 intersection. The expansion to bypass Route 58 was good, but they should've done the same for the Route 4 interchange up the road a mile. The Border Cafe and AAA office could have access roads coming to them from somewhere else, like Route 58. The expressway could end at Delaware Park, or better yet, closer to the Route 7 intersection.

I also think they should've made 273 an expressway between I-95 and Newark while doing construction years ago. The neighborhood area would've had to stay the same, but that new section where they utilized the Bridge to Nowhere should've been an expressway with an interchange. It's supposed to be faster, yet there's one more traffic light in that stretch of road than there was before they built it.

[mglan80]

^^It looks like the old Rollins building is being repainted. The mech penthouse is now a bright white.

The Renaissance Center looks pretty good on the 4th Street side. The prefab panels use actual brick (wish they did that on Symphony House!) and the difference between the faux brick of the courthouse really shows.

[soynog]

I had no idea there was a "Christiana Landing" development in Bear that has nothing to do with Christina Landing. Wonder why I never heard of it before now?

NCCo police make arrest in fatal shooting
BY DAMIAN GILETTO, The News Journal


New Castle County Police were on the scene of a fatal shooting Wednesday night in Bear. (Buy photo)

New Castle County police have arrested a man in connection to a fatal shooting late Wednesday night in Bear.

Police apprehended Ryan Dwayne Sinclair, 21, at about 9:30 a.m. at the Woodland Park Apartments, and will file murder and weapons charges against him shortly, said Cpl. Trinidad Navarro, a spokesman for the New Castle County Police Department.

Police and paramedics were called to the unit block of Stephanie Drive in the Christiana Landing development at 11:45 p.m. Wednesday night and found a man, said to be in his 20s, with multiple gunshot wounds, Navarro said.

The victim was transported to Christiana Hospital, where he died at about 3 a.m., Navarro said.

[xzmattzx]

I'm guessing Christiana Landing is near the town of Christiana.

In reality, Christiana is not historically correct. The river was named "Christina" after Queen Christina of Sweden. So the town upstream on Christiana Creek (different spelling from Christina River I believe) is a modified use of "Christina".

[soynog]

xzmattzx,

I always thought so too. Then I saw a historical marker in the town of Christiana [sic] that says it was originally called "Christiana Crossing" which can only refer to the bridge over Christina River there so that proves the typo to me.

It ain't good spellin' but, since this mistake is over 200 years old, it may be historically correct. After all, Delaware is just a corruption of the "de la Warr" name. I don't see us putting the D in lower case and the W in upper case any time soon to "correct" the punctuation though.

[mglan80]

ShopRite to Anchor Shopping Near Riverfront
Buccini/Pollin to Break Ground Next Month at Howard Street Site
By MAUREEN MILFORD, The News Journal
Posted Wednesday, December 13, 2006

A major developer announced plans Tuesday to build a $25 million community shopping center in Wilmington on the south side of the Christina River, within walking distance of the newly built Christina Landing residential community.

A ShopRite supermarket will anchor the 125,000-square-foot center to be built by Buccini/Pollin Group Inc. on Howard Street, between South Market and South Walnut streets. The 80,000-square-foot supermarket will include a 7,000-square-foot pharmacy and drug store. The developer plans to break ground next month.

"It's going to completely change the character of that area, which has been industrial and junkyards," said Michael S. Purzcyki, executive director of the Riverfront Development Corp., which is selling 8.5 acres of land to Buccini/Pollin for the shopping center site. "All of a sudden you've got a big shot in the arm economically and visually."

When the supermarket opens in January 2008, it will be the first new grocery store in downtown Wilmington in more than 20 years. The market is expected to employ about 70 people full-time and about 140 people part-time.

Wilmington-based Buccini/Pollin is finalizing a 20-year lease with Delaware Supermarkets Inc. in Stanton, which owns three ShopRites in New Castle County.

Richard Kenny, co-owner and chief financial officer of Delaware Supermarkets, said his company, which is controlled by the Kenny family, considers the new store "a great opportunity." The company has been looking in the city for a supermarket location for about five years. Studies have shown that roughly half the food dollars spent by city residents are spent outside the city.

"Wilmington is an underserved area, so we're excited about it," Kenny said.

Delaware Supermarkets also plans to move its headquarters to the site in early 2008, said Dan Tanzer, director of administrative services with Delaware Supermarkets.

Robert E. Buccini, a partner with Buccini/Pollin, said he has been trying to land ShopRite for about six months. That lease was needed to make the shopping center viable. It's estimated the supermarket will bring 30,000 customers a week to the center.

Buccini/Pollin also had to negotiate with the Riverfront Development Corp. for the land. The corporation has been assembling the parcel for several years, Purzycki said. On Friday, Buccini signed an agreement to buy the land for $3.5 million, Purzycki said.

"This is really a milestone date in the history of the city of Wilmington," Buccini said. "I'm as happy about this than anything I've done in the city of Wilmington because we're bringing needed services to the community we're developing. This will just add to the momentum."

Buccini/Pollin is the developer of Christina Landing and Justison Landing residential projects on the Riverfront, which total about 1,300 condominiums, town houses and apartments.

"It's critically important for people who want to live there to have services," Purzycki said. "Otherwise, it's way too much of a hike. You have to go all the way out [U.S.] 13 or up [U.S.] 202."

Buccini said other possible tenants for the shopping center include a bank, coffee shop, restaurant, apparel stores, a salon and a fitness center.

Plans call for Howard Street to be realigned to the south of the shopping center site.

John Rago, city communications director, said the city also is committed to sewer improvements and traffic lights.

"Everybody wants one sweeping project to change everything -- all the negatives that we face, just get them out of the way," said Mayor James M. Baker. "But it takes all these little things to make it happen."

[xzmattzx]

Market Street is the next big thing.

[Joey D]

Hmmm.. I was thinking ACME, but Shoprite will cut it, I guess.

[mglan80]

^I was hoping for a Safeway. At least soon I won't be forced to go to Trolley Square and wait in line for 15 minutes just a buy a gallon of milk.

[xzmattzx]

A Wegman's would've been nice, especially with upper-middle class people living in the area and all. It's only a matter of time before Wegman's expands into Delaware, as they are already in SE PA.