Grocer’s Arrival a Watershed Moment for Revival
Published Apr 16, 2008
Riverfront Wilmington is popular for festivals as well as everyday strolling.
One of the biggest issues people have about living in a downtown area is the lack of basic amenities such as grocery stores. Wilmington has met that challenge soundly.
Since the Riverfront Development Corp. of Delaware was created in 1995 to oversee development and other issues relating to the Christina River and Brandywine Creek, sensible, planned growth has been the watchword. Shops, recreation areas and other leisure destinations have been growing in number, and housing has developed as well.
Now that a 70,000-square-foot ShopRite grocery store is going into the Riverfront Market, the neighborhood feel is truly complete, which is exactly what Riverfront Wilmington planners have been hoping for.
“One of the big things you hear from everybody who is reflecting on living in downtown, or on the riverfront, is that none of the normal commercial amenities are in place,” says Mike Purzycki, executive director of Riverfront Development Corp. “They want a shopping center nearby.”
The ShopRite fills a big part of that void. It will anchor a 150,000-square-foot development with a variety of tenants.
Even before the ShopRite project was announced, there was no shortage of businesses looking at the possibilities along the riverfront.
“What has been striking to me is how high the interest has been for developing retail in this corridor of the city,” Purzycki says. “We have a fair amount of traffic going in and out now, and the amount of retail we have – and are getting – would have stunned anybody even five years ago.”
Residential development continues apace, with a few areas already developed and more projects being discussed. “Now that people are living there we’re seeing a kind of presence in the evening that we never saw before,” Purzycki says. “The riverfront has helped define the city. It’s had a very positive impact on the city’s image, and we’re very proud of that.”
Story by Joe Morris
Photo by Stephen Cherry
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