Download - Southbridge Neighborhood Plan
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
Southbridge Neighborhood Plan
IntroductionsPlease share:• Who you are• 1 word that describes how you are feeling
Southbridge Neighborhood Plan
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
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 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
education, housing, health care, jobs, walkability, social and community cohesion
Please share:• What you heard in the meeting• What was surprising or what stood out to you
• 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
education, housing, health care, jobs, walkability, social and community cohesion
What we heard• Southbridge Community Priorities Survey 1 Draft
» Part 1 » Part 2 » Full version » Quadrant map
Health &Wellness
education, housing, health care, jobs, walkability, social and community cohesion
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
education, housing, health care, jobs, walkability, social and community cohesion
• 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
Southbridge Neighborhood Plan
Thank you for your time!
Mayu Takeda [email protected]
(504) 656-9129
Bill [email protected]
(302) 737-6205 extension 113