southbridge neighborhood plan

Steering Committee Meeting #2

Southbridge Neighborhood Plan

March 01, 2021

Agenda

• Welcome + Intros • Project updates

» Project timeline » Existing Conditions Report findings

» Public Workshop 1 report back

• Southbridge Community Priorities Survey 1• Break out groups• Report back


IntroductionsPlease share:• Who you are• 1 word that describes how you are feeling


Project Updates


Project TimelinePhase 1: Understand (Jan-Apr)

Phase 2: Envision (Apr-May)

Phase 3: Act (May-Jul)

• Existing Conditions Report• Workshops with the SC and public• Interviews• Survey

• Working Group Meetings• Draft recommendations and action steps• Mission and Vision Statements• Survey

• Final Prioritized Recommendations and Action Steps • Workshops with the SC and public


Existing Conditions Report Findings

Equitable Development

Christina Landing

• Large underutilized industrial parcels make new development likely.

Southbridge

Equitable Development • COVID-19 has created an unstable economic environment,

while new developments have brought little in terms of job or housing benefits for local residents.

31%of residents in South Wilmington are living in poverty*

9%of residents in Wilmington are unemployed

* Most likely this figure would be higher if Christina Landing is excluded from the data* The estimate is for before the COVID-19 pandemic, so may be higher today

Equitable Development Things to consider for the Southbridge Neighborhood Plan: • How can we make sure employers in the surrounding area are

bringing jobs and other benefits for residents? • How can we minimize negative consequences of new

development and industry? • How can we better space out industry from residential uses? • What job opportunities are missing in the neighborhood?

Affordable Living and Quality Housing• The increasing cost of housing and the impact of COVID-19

on people’s ability to pay their monthly rents and mortgage costs is posing a challenge for the community.

South Wilmington Rents Over Time

Source: ACS 2015-2019 data for Census Tract 19.02 in New Castle County, DE

Less than $500

$500 - $999 $1,000 - $1,499

$1,500 or more0

20

40

60

40%

19%14%

25%

12%

33%

23%

34%

2010 2019

Expensive units have increased while cheap units decreased as a share of the total

50%of renters in South Wilmington are paying beyond their means on housing** Most likely this figure would be higher if Christina Landing is excluded from the data

Things to consider for the Southbridge Neighborhood Plan: • What impacts have COVID-19 had on income levels and housing

availability, affordability, values, and occupancy/vacancy rates?• Does the existing housing types and prices meet the needs of

Southbridge residents (renters and owners)?• What are some ways to repurpose or redevelop vacant housing

units into more useful and needed development?• How can we try to make sure housing available is of high quality?

Affordable Living and Quality Housing

Local Entrepreneurship • Businesses have closed down in the past several decades,

and existing businesses face flooding and a shifting business climate, in part due to COVID-19.

Carry My Own Weight located at 411 New Castle Ave (image source Google Maps)

Consolidated LLC at 1216 D St (image source Google Maps)

Largest Employers in Wilmington

Largest Employers in South Wilmington

Category Employees

Public Administration: Port 1,500

Public Administration: Correctional 339

Retail and Wholesale 322

Other Public Administration 311

Manufacturing 192

Category Employees

Public Administration 335

Retail and Wholesale 251

Medical 141

Manufacturing 136

Day Care 81

Source: Esri Business Analyst, Business Locator, Wilmington, 2020 forecasts.

Local Entrepreneurship Things to consider for the Southbridge Neighborhood Plan: • How can we increase locally-owned businesses so the community

can take charge of economic development in Southbridge and South Wilmington?

• How can we make sure employers in Southbridge are bringing jobs and other benefits for residents?

• What job opportunities are missing in the neighborhood?

Improved Mobility• Getting around by walking, biking, and bus is important for Southbridge

residents who have both less access to vehicles and higher transit ridership compared to the city as a whole.

WilmingtonSouth Wilmington

Vehicle Access by Household

No Vehicles 1 Vehicle 2 Vehicles 3 Vehicles0

20

40

60

27%21%

43%

26% 24%

6%

49%

5%

Source: ACS 2015-2019 data for Census Tract 19.02 in New Castle County, DE and place Wilmington, DE

27%of residents in South Wilmington do not have access to a car** Most likely this figure would be higher if Christina Landing is excluded from the data

16%of residents in South Wilmington take the bus to work*

Things to consider for the Southbridge Neighborhood Plan: • How can we reallocate street space for physically distant

activities, such as walking and biking?• What do we need to know to better understand on-street parking

demand and off-street parking availability to discourage parking on sidewalks?

• How do we prioritize walking and biking along existing bridges to the rest of Wilmington?

• What is the state of truck traffic in Southbridge?

Improved Mobility

Resilience to Flooding and Sea Level Rise • Southbridge is one of the most

flood prone areas in Wilmington, and it is expected to be impacted by sea level rise in the coming decades.

FLOOD RISK IN WILMINGTON

100-Year Floodplain

Water

Southbridge

Study Area Boundary

Highway

Road

Railroad

Brown Park

Wetlands Park (planned)

Downtown Wilmington

13

13

Christina River

Ch

ristina A

ve

New

Ca

stle

Ave

95

95

495

Pennsylvania Ave

4th St

Lancaster AveC

on

cord

Ave

N Market S

t

Vandever Ave

N W

alnu

t St

N C

hurc

h St

N S

pruc

e St

N K

ing

St

N U

nion

St

N L

inco

ln S

t

Maryland Ave

S Union St

Kosciuszko Park

Eden Park

M.L.K. Jr. Blvd

Sources: US Census Bureau shapefiles; South Wilmington Planning Network; New Castle County GIS Open Data; Delaware FirstMap Data; FEMA Flood Map Service Center

64%of the Study Area is in the floodplain

Resilience to Flooding and Sea Level Rise • Southbridge is one of the most

flood prone areas in Wilmington, and it is expected to be impacted by sea level rise in the coming decades.

POLLUTING SITES

Sources: Environmental Protection Agency, data accessed Jan 8, 2021.

Dugan Park

Hicks Park

Stoney Davis Park

Millie Cannon

Park

Liberty Triangle

Eden Park

Wetlands Park (planned)

Southbridge

Study Area Boundary

Major Polluting Site

Superfund

Brownfield

Other Hazardous Site

Railroad

Christina Energy Center

Ch

ristina A

ve

A St

S W

alnu

t St

Garasches Ln

A St

B St

C St

D St

Elbe

rt P

l

Townsend Pl

New

Ca

stle

Ave

Lobdell St

S C

laym

ont

StB

radf

ord

St

Grasches LnNew York Ave

Wilm

ingt

on A

ve

Terminal Ave

13

13

Christina River

495

Elbert Playground

S H

eald

St

48 The number of brownfield contaminated sites within a 1 mile radius of Southbridge, more than half of all brownfields in the state

Things to consider for the Southbridge Neighborhood Plan: • How can we reduce or prevent flooding in Southbridge? • How can we work with industry to make sure flooding doesn’t lead

to toxic substances beings spread about the community? • How can we prepare for the health and social consequences that

are expected from climate change and flooding?• Where can we install rain gardens and other infrastructure to

reduce flooding?

Resilience to Flooding and Sea Level Rise

The Neighborhood Plan and Wellness• Planning goal: to improve health and wellness • COVID-19 and exposure of health inequities • Leverage the Neighborhood Plan to strengthen the foundation of wellness

Health &Wellness

education, housing, health care, jobs, walkability, social and community cohesion


What We Heard: Public Workshop 1

What People Love About Southbridge

What we heard:

• “Roots in Southbridge run very deep”• “[People who have left Southbridge],

come back to worship and for fellowship”

• “[Accessibility and close proximity] to neighborhood resources like Neighborhood House”

• “Civic Pride and long-standing institutions”

• “Commitment to community”

What we shared:

• Strong sense of community and identity

• Southbridge Wilmington Wetland Park • Neighborhood House • Henrietta Johnson Medical Center • Mt Joy United Methodist Church• Low crime rate

Biggest Challenges Facing Southbridge

What we heard:

• “Perceptions of crime” is one of the key challenges facing the neighborhood, particularly for residents living at the Southbridge Wilmington Housing Authority (WHA) complex

What we shared:

• Flooding, sea level rise• Getting everyone to the table and on

the same page• Perceptions of crime• Development and changes to the

neighborhood

Top Priorities

What we heard:

• “Education” is also a top priority for Southbridge.

» Participants also shared that when Elbert-Palmer Elementary School closed, it removed a neighborhood and historical asset for Southbridge, including programming and development opportunities for youth.

What we shared:

• Equitable Development -- make sure Southbridge benefits from development

• Affordable Living and Quality Housing• Local Entrepreneurship• Improved Mobility -- biking, walking,

public transportation• Resilience to Flooding and Sea Level

Rise

Public Workshop Feedback

Health &Wellness


Please share:• What you heard in the meeting• What was surprising or what stood out to you


Southbridge Community Priorities Survey 1

• Timeline: » Launch On-line version week of 3/15 » Training with survey administrators week of 3/22 » Administer surveys in-person week of 3/29

• Budget• Survey Administrators

» Cornelius Johnson Jr. » Cynthia Faulkner » Diana Dixon » Rich King » Laretta Wilson » The Warehouse Teen Executives (4)

Survey 1 Tentative Work Plan

Health &Wellness


https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/17QRRWhEIoMLwkhOnfgle51U8wHxUat9gIceqedJ6Vls/edit?usp=sharing

What we heard• Southbridge Community Priorities Survey 1 Draft

» Part 1 » Part 2 » Full version » Quadrant map

Health &Wellness


https://docs.google.com/document/d/1K-B4eGC9omyzaLq2z64OtcW7wYGDYB4wsktppqAPxrM/edit?usp=sharing


Break Out Groups

Priorities • Equitable Development: Develop a plan that tries to mitigate the harmful impacts of

development and maximize the beneficial ones.• Affordable Living and Quality Housing: Direct housing assistance and programs

towards improving the ability of long-time residents to stay in the neighborhood and access quality housing.

• Local Entrepreneurship: Increase locally-owned small businesses so the community can take charge of economic development in Southbridge and South Wilmington and increase job opportunities for local Southbridge residents.

• Improved Mobility: Increase residents’ ability to access amenities through walking, biking, public transportation, and other active modes of transportation.

• Resilience to Flooding and Sea Level Rise: Make Southbridge more resilient to flooding and sea level rise and make sure that the community is prepared for the negative health and social impacts of flooding and climate change.

Groups

Health &Wellness


• Group 1: Mobility and Resilience

» Bill » Ellie » Jen Adkins » Marie » Councilwoman Michelle Harlee

» Victor

• Group 2: Housing and Entrepreneurship

» Diana » Kate » Ella » Cornelius » Cynthia » Matt Harris » Rich

• Group 3: Development + Entrepreneurship + Resilience

» Haneef » Travis » Thomas » Daymon » Britt » Dr. Hanifa Shabazz


Report Back


Thank you for your time!

Mayu Takeda [email protected]

(504) 656-9129

Bill [email protected]

(302) 737-6205 extension 113

southbridge neighborhood plan

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