One thing we know about Wilmington’s riverfront development- critics would never have made the bold moves needed to move things forward.
That has been the case ever since a state legislator proposed a baseball stadium in what was decaying area that was once the home of a massive shipbuilding complex.
The views of many have been stuck in a time warp from that traumatic time after the death of Martin Luther King, Jr. and the belief that nothing could be done to expand and redevelop the city outside of the cluster of corporate high rises.
Time after time, critics predicted the failure of the latest project. Granted, the riverfront faced its share of challenges, ranging from the collapse of the condo market to a troubled outlet mall and a failed night club that interestingly enough ended up being a children’s museum.
The struggles of that small piece of the riverfront development came to symbolize the worst fears of critics who somehow ignored the hundreds of jobs that came to the area from other projects and the urban wildlife refuge championed by the late Gov. Russell Peterson.
Last week, the board of the Riverfront Development Corp. approved deals that should lead to construction of a hotel and movie theater in that area. An apartment complex is also in the works.
This came after a News-Journal piece on the deal making behind such projects by Buccini/Pollin Group, state government and others drew a muted response.
The hotel and theater project are key components of a successful riverfront. The cinema complex would fill a gap in the local market that came when the theaters closed at Christiana Mall years ago and another theater complex opened at the far end of Concord Pike. A multi-theater group in Stanton is a bit off the beaten track.
The hotel is a tougher sell and existing players don’t want to see more rooms in a slowly recovering market.
Ultimately, the market will determine whether a combination of regional conferences, exhibitions, tourism and business travelers can make the project work.
For now, it looks like the the riverfront is moving into a new, exciting phase in its development and the naysayers have one more thing to gripe about.
