An innovative $30 million project that combined an apartment community with a fire station was dedicated earlier this week in the Trolley Square area of Wilmington.
Ceremonies marked the opening of Lincoln Towers, a newly constructed high-rise apartment community that also features a new home for the city’s Fire Company No. 5. The city had been looking for a new home for an outdated fire station.
The project came about in a partnership between the City of Wilmington and the Wilmington Housing Authority.
Located at 1800 North DuPont Street, Lincoln Towers replaces outdated public housing with a mixed-income affordable community for seniors aged 62 and older, with 88 apartments on floors three through 10. The first floor features a lobby area for residents on one side and a state-of-the-art fire station on the other.
Lincoln Towers is designed with high energy-efficiency systems and materials. All of the apartments, 80 one-bedrooms and eight two-bedrooms, are adaptable for residents with disabilities. In addition, Lincoln Towers features a community center on its second floor where residents can gather for recreational and educational activities.
An on-site underground parking garage, laundry facilities on each floor, a fitness center, and a computer room were also part of the project.
Wilmington Housing Authority developed Lincoln Towers, in partnership with The Michaels Development Company. Interstate Realty Management is providing professional property management services. Architect was Design Collaborative, Wilmington.
Funding for the $30 million development came from equity raised from the sale of Low Income Housing Tax Credits allocated from the Delaware State Housing Authority, WHA Replacement Housing Factor Funds, tax-exempt bonds issued by the City of Wilmington, and Federal Home Loan Bank Funds.
The development also benefitted from a “green” grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, which WHA won through a competitive funding process as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Lincoln Towers is already 100 percent leased and has a two-year waiting list. The fire station is expected to be fully operational within the next month.
