Wilmington apartments and other plans under review

Brandon Holveck, Delaware News Journal
·4 min read
The Crosby Hill apartment complex as seen during a "topping out" ceremony on Jan. 19, 2022. Located on Shipley Street in downtown Wilmington, the complex will have 203 studio, one- or two-bedroom apartments.
The Crosby Hill apartment complex as seen during a "topping out" ceremony on Jan. 19, 2022. Located on Shipley Street in downtown Wilmington, the complex will have 203 studio, one- or two-bedroom apartments.

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– Brandon Holveck, bholveck@delawareonline.com

The Crosby Hill apartment complex on Shipley Street from above on Jan. 19, 2022. Developed by Buccini/Pollin Group, the complex includes an 11-story apartment building and two four-story buildings. It will have an underground parking garage.
The Crosby Hill apartment complex on Shipley Street from above on Jan. 19, 2022. Developed by Buccini/Pollin Group, the complex includes an 11-story apartment building and two four-story buildings. It will have an underground parking garage.

Apartment buildings in Wilmington

Two of Delaware's largest residential developers are finalizing apartment projects in Wilmington.

Capano Residential recently opened the second phase of The Falls, its luxury apartment complex on the Brandywine in place of the historic Bancroft Mills. Buccini/Pollin Group on Wednesday celebrated the "topping out" of a 203-unit apartment building at 517 Shipley St. expected to open this fall.

The second phase of The Falls introduces 165 apartments across two buildings to the Bancroft Mills site. Once the country's largest cotton finishing mill, Bancroft Mills was destroyed by fire in 2016.

Whether your preference is Broadway-caliber theater, live music, great works of art, upscale and innovative dining, or just finding a great place to gather with friends, Wilmington and The Falls put it all within reach.
Whether your preference is Broadway-caliber theater, live music, great works of art, upscale and innovative dining, or just finding a great place to gather with friends, Wilmington and The Falls put it all within reach.

The first phase of The Falls opened last year. The complex's four buildings have a combined 350 apartments. Among the amenities are a fitness studio, private yoga station, collaborative workspaces, a pool, a library and multiple lounges.

Rent for a studio apartment begins at $1,650 per month, according to a website for The Falls. A two-bedroom apartment starts at $2,550 per month.

A rare land swap between the state and BPG in 2017 facilitated the development of the Bancroft ruins. BPG later sold the site to Capano. The opening of the second phase of The Falls concludes the development Capano has currently planned for the area, according to marketing director Zachary Busby.

Rob Buccini at a "topping out" ceremony for Buccini/Pollin Group's Crosby Hill apartment complex on Shipley Street in downtown Wilmington on Jan. 19, 2022.
Rob Buccini at a "topping out" ceremony for Buccini/Pollin Group's Crosby Hill apartment complex on Shipley Street in downtown Wilmington on Jan. 19, 2022.

Built on what was a parking lot, BPG's Crosby Hill complex will feature an 11-story apartment building, two four-story buildings and an adjacent courtyard and swimming pool. A private 124-space parking garage for residents will be below the apartment building. It's a $62 million project, according to BPG.

The 203 units will be a mix of studio, one- and two-bedroom apartments. The top floor will be a penthouse clubroom with a game room, coworking space, indoor fireplace and outdoor terrace.

Rent ranges from $1,200 to $2,900 per month.

Crosby Hill is one of several residential projects undertaken by BPG in recent years. In 2021, BPG opened 101 dupont place, a collection of 198 luxury apartments in the century-old DuPont building in downtown Wilmington, and The Cooper, a 92-unit apartment building on North Market Street.

Those complexes are more than 80% occupied, according to BPG.

BPG will convert the upper-floor office space at Lincoln Square into apartments.
BPG will convert the upper-floor office space at Lincoln Square into apartments.

The Wilmington-based developer is also converting a block of North Market Street from office space to apartments.

Located at 300-318 N. Market St. and known collectively as Lincoln Square, the buildings will have 39 apartments with retail space remaining on the ground floor.

The developer said it will invest $12.1 million in the project and estimates it will be done in June.

New plans

Development plans filed to county and city governments in the past month. Plans must advance through multiple rounds of review before being enacted.

  • A plan has been filed with the city of Newark to replace the Red Roof Inn & Suites off South College Avenue with a Home 2 Suites. The new hotel would be five stories above ground-level under-building parking. The site is bordered by a Candlewood Suites and Friendly's.

  • Oekos Management Corporation of Columbia, Maryland wants to build a Mission BBQ and a yet to be determined fast food restaurant in the parking lot of Kirkwood Plaza, the shopping center on Kirkwood Highway home to Kohl's and Acme.

Last week in review

Notable projects reviewed by county and city governments in the past week and other developments.

  • The Rehoboth Beach mayor and commissioners set a public hearing on a proposed rezoning at 330 Rehoboth Ave. to enable a hotel project. The planning commission previously voted against the rezoning, but the mayor and commissioners can still vote to approve it. The public hearing is scheduled for Feb. 18.

An artist's rendering of the student apartment building proposed by George Danneman at 132 E. Main St. The building will have two retail spaces on Main Street.
An artist's rendering of the student apartment building proposed by George Danneman at 132 E. Main St. The building will have two retail spaces on Main Street.

On the calendar

Development projects of note that will be reviewed in the coming weeks.

  • The state's preliminary land use service Wednesday will review three plans to build a combined 357 residential units in Sussex County. The meeting provides developers with feedback before projects are reviewed by local bodies.

  • The New Castle County Planning Board on Tuesday will review a plan for two logistics warehouses totaling more than 2 million square feet at Jameson Corner Road and Route 301 in Middletown. Behind the plan is Dermody Properties, the Nevada-based company that partnered with Amazon on its 3.8-million-square-foot Boxwood Road warehouse.

  • The planning board will also review two plans to build a combined 360 single-family homes bordering a planned development called Bayberry Town Center in Middletown. The developments are planned along Boyds Corner Road near Jamison Corner Road.

  • The Newark Planning Commission on Tuesday will reconsider a 33-unit apartment building with ground-floor retail at the center of the city's Main Street. A larger version of the project was previously rejected by the city because it did not want to grant a parking waiver it required.

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Wilmington apartments and other plans under review