Sussex residents form new group to revitalize the area
SEAFORD, Del. – A group of motivated residents have formed the Western Sussex Revitalization Corporation, a new organization to revitalize the area. The group is focusing on Seaford’s potential but they’re hoping the changes they make will have a ripple effect on nearby towns.
“What I hear a lot is, ‘We want more things to do in the city of Seaford and Western Sussex,'” says Matt MacCoy, the founder of the Western Sussex Revitalization Corporation.
The Nylon Capital Shopping Center, now home to boarded up windows and empty storefronts, has seen better days. But organizers are hoping the best days are still to come.
“DuPont left and as we shared in our first meeting we are sort of sick and tired of being sick and tired about the change in economy,” says John Hollis, a board member for the Western Sussex Revitalization Corporation.
The group, made up of nine residents, wants to tap into the area’s economic potential. “I think you’ll see an abundance of new ideas, new concepts. People aren’t afraid to have conversations about their ideas anymore. They’re bringing them up. We’re going to put these ideas into practice and see what we can do,” says MacCoy.
Organizers tell 47 ABC, this group will be the engine that mobilizes the community. “When we unite around a common cause, it is untapped potential, we can accomplish a lot of things,” says Hollis.
But board members don’t want to do this alone. So they’re reaching out to the public, the real stakeholders of this community. “If we don’t incorporate and build around what the people want, we’re not going to have their backing. We’re not going to have their participation,” says Clarke Tobin, a board member for the Western Sussex Revitalization Corporation.
Their goal is to transform the future that this once thriving area has. “I’m looking very much forward to seeing what the City comes back and our residents come back and say what they are excited about and then pairing that information with what the city already has ongoing. I think it’s going to give us a a good kind of road map for where we can head,” says MacCoy.
The Western Sussex Revitalization Corporation meets on the second Wednesday of each month at the Boys and Girls Club. They will be distributing a short online survey in January where residents can give feedback on what they want to see happen in the community.
