Wilmington Mayor And The City Share In The Celebration Of The 25th Anniversary Of The Riverfront Development Corporation

Press release from the City of Wilmington:

Mayor Mike Purzycki today proudly shares the following announcement from the Riverfront Development Corporation of Delaware marking the organization’s 25th anniversary. Mayor Purzycki served as the RDC’s first Executive Director beginning in 1996, and was instrumental in resurrecting the blighted, industrial wasteland along the Christina River and transforming the former WWII shipyard into an economic, cultural, and social hub of the City. “It was my great fortune for twenty years to be part of a team that had a dream and committed itself to seeing the dream come true. What a wonderful ride,” said the Mayor. The news release from the RDC is presented below.

Riverfront Development Corporation of Delaware Marks 25th Anniversary, Looks to the Future

The Riverfront Development Corporation of Delaware (RDC), the state-funded 501c3 founded to oversee the growth and restoration of Wilmington’s Christina Riverfront will celebrate its 25th anniversary beginning this month. Since beginning its work in April 1996, the RDC has overseen the transformation of the Christina Riverfront from an abandoned shipbuilding community to one of the State of Delaware’s most vibrant and exciting destinations to live, play, and work.

During the RDC’s 25 years, it has been focused on creating economic vitality along the Brandywine and Christina Rivers while enhancing the environment, encouraging historic preservation, and increasing public access. Through targeted and leveraged investments, RDC has created employment and residential development while promoting education, the arts, recreation, and tourism. RDC has spearheaded the construction of the Michael S. Purzycki Riverwalk, Tubman-Garrett Riverfront Park, Hare Pavilion, the Chase Center on the Riverfront, and the DuPont Environmental Education Center, participated in the recruitment of numerous businesses, such as AAA Mid-Atlantic, Barclays, and Navient, and facilitated the construction of new residential units and a multitude of attractions, such as the Delaware Children’s Museum, Riverwalk Mini Golf, the Horizon Riverfront Rink and Constitution Yards Beer Garden.

Now, as the RDC looks ahead to the future, it has set its sights on expanding to the east side of the Christina. With the recent opening of the Senator Margaret Rose Henry Bridge directly connecting the west and east banks of the Christina, a new RDC project will see the redevelopment of the river’s eastern shore, creating a new network of roads, an extension of the Riverwalk, additional green spaces, attractions, businesses, and residences.

“It was my great fortune for twenty years to be part of a team that had a dream and committed itself to seeing the dream come true. Far too many people to recognize and too many to thank but Megan McGlinchey and Mike Hare deserve special mention. What a wonderful ride!” proclaimed Wilmington Mayor Michael Purzycki, who served as the RDC’s first Executive Director.

“The RDC and its board is extremely proud of the progress we have made over the last 25 years to reclaim the Christina Riverfront and to create a place where everyone in and around Wilmington is welcome. We are excited to continue the next phase of development”, said RDC Executive Director, Megan McGlinchey.

To learn more about the Riverfront Development Corporation of Delaware, Riverfront Wilmington, and their current and future projects, visit riverfrontwilm25.com, the new web landing page created to mark the anniversary, or follow them on Facebook at Friends of Riverfront Wilmington or Instagram at RiverfrontWilmington.

This press release was produced by the City of Wilmington. The views expressed here are the author’s own.