Wilmington releases 2028 plan to guide development

For the first time since 2009, Wilmington is getting a new comprehensive plan that will guide development for the next 10 years.

Mayor Mike Purzycki and City Planning and Development Director Herb Inden on Thursday, May 8 announced the completion of “Wilmington 2028: A Comprehensive Plan for Our City and Communities.” 

The process of developing a new unified plan began in August of 2017 after to a variety of citizen, business and government groups. Over the past 20 months, hundreds of additional citizens have offered their ideas regarding the overall development of the city as well as their respective neighborhoods.

The 2028 Comprehensive Plan outlines a handful of overarching goals:

• Strong and safe neighborhoods focusing on the physical environment including housing, community character, safety, and open space and recreation;
• Healthy and thriving communities focusing on the city’s people, community building, health and services;
• Robust local economy focusing on cultivating a resilient and diverse economy;
• Connected city and region focusing on balanced transportation and mobility across all modes of travel;
• Sustainable and resilient city focusing on city infrastructure and services, resource conservation and climate readiness.

“On the night of my inauguration in January of 2017, I spoke about the importance of working together to set ambitious goals that will inspire us, and about imagining the city as we want it to be and not as it is,” said Purzycki. “This 2028 comprehensive plan embodies those thoughts from two years ago and will set a course that we, and others who will come after us, can follow. This plan will guide future development, and shape where and how public and private investment dollars can be spent to make Wilmington a stronger and more prosperous City over the next decade.”

The new plan consolidates 13 existing comprehensive plans into a single document.

“This new format will help us take ownership of where we want to see our City in the future and to develop the tools to help us get there,” Inden said.

Since the last update in 2009, Wilmington has undergone a series of new developments such as the 76ers Fieldhouse, The Residences at Midtown Park and a pedestrian and bike trail linking the city to Newark.

Interface Studio, which specializes in community-driven planning processes, assisted with community outreach and plan development. Over 2,500 citizens have given feedback of some kind since August of 2017.

The completed plan must now be approved by the City Planning Commission, followed by Wilmington City Council and the State of Delaware.

The full plan is available here: https://www.wilmingtonde.gov/home/showdocument?id=8490