Laurel seeks ‘Downtown Development District’ designation
Looking to spur economic growth and development, Laurel has its eye on becoming one of Delaware’s ‘Downtown Development Districts’.
“It’s desperately needed. The town has been without growth for the last several years.” Said Town Manager, Jamie Smith.
Established in 2014, we’re told the grant program has dished out close to $10-million in Wilmington, Dover and Seaford. To date, it’s apparently led to over $160-million in private investment. We’re told the program’s purpose is to incentivize growth in Delaware’s downtown areas by offering private developers grants that offset 20-percent of capital construction costs.
Once a city has been given the designation, investors looking to develop in those areas can apply for funding for large projects periodically and small projects more often. On Monday night the Laurel town council approved their application for the grant program, meaning they will formally apply. Smith tells us that if chosen, Laurel would look to add some variety.
“Most people have to go to Seaford or Salisbury to get various things. We don’t have clothing stores here in town so I know there would be some interest in commercial as well as residential.”
Smith says the goal is to develop a 71-acre area downtown for commercial and residential use. We’re told if Laurel is chosen as a Downtown Development District, the town would be building on a project already in the works, ‘The Ramble’.
“It’s improvements to the walkway along Broad Creek, basically from Janosik Park to Roger C. Fisher Park. It’ll include a walkway that connects the whole riverfront. There will be a kayak launch,” said Smith. “It’ll include the development of small shops, ice cream shops, that type of thing.”
The Governor’s Office says one city from each county is chosen each year for the designation. These designations apparently last 10 years. This year’s deadline to apply is June first.
As previously mentioned, Seaford was one of three Delaware cities to receive the Downtown Development District title last year. Since then, Trisha Newcomer with the Seaford Economic Development Office tells us that things have been booming.
One of the most notable changes is coming in the form of the ‘Residences at Riverplace’, a 72 unit waterfront apartment complex that will sit along the Nanticoke River. We’re told its developer has also acquired other properties and is interested in building a Seaford Towne Center.
Newcomer says a number of other properties have also changed hands and that the overall morale around Seaford has drastically improved.
