For much of the last century, a factory on southwest Wilmington's Maryland Avenue churned out fabrics and hardboards for the National Vulcanized Fibre Co.
For most of this century, neighbors say the crumbling brick industrial building has been an eyesore.
They're hoping a proposal by the developer Reybold Venture Group to convert the former factory into apartments will finally come to fruition.
Reybold Venture Group principal Jerome Heisler, Jr. said he plans to build 240 market-rate apartment units over two phases at the site at 700 Maryland Ave.
The developer is submitting the building for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places, which would provide tax incentives for its preservation, and he hopes to refurbish the factory's tall windows.
"It just has character," Heisler said of the building.
A city planning commission hearing to rezone the property from industrial use to a secondary business center is scheduled for April 21. That change would not only allow the construction of apartments but also leave the door open for future stores.
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The site is a brownfield, and Heisler said it has been tested for possible contaminants in accordance with the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control's health standards.
"DNREC's primary concern is the potential for vapors to seep up from the soil and impact any future residential redevelopment," department spokesman Michael Globetti said. "While data collected suggests that it is acceptable, DNREC has required additional data to clarify conflicting information."
Additional samples were taken last year, and the department believes the issues are limited, according to a document about the site provided by Globetti. Heisler said he will soon submit a draft report for state approval. He said there will be no site cleanup required.
If approved, the proposed apartments represent a significant private investment in the southwest Wilmington neighborhood of Browntown, which has seen far less development than the Riverfront that lies just across I-95.
Residents at the apartments would have easy access to the waterfront entertainment area via Beech Street, and Heisler said the site is "ripe for the possibility of integrating into the Riverfront."
"It's basically the gateway to the Riverfront," said John Kwiatkowski, president of the Browntown Civic Association.
Kwiatkowski said he's been reporting the vacant factory to city building inspectors for years, calling the blighted building the "the 600-pound gorilla in the room" for his neighborhood.
He and 6th District City Councilwoman Yolanda McCoy said they hope the conversion will usher in further development along the Maryland Avenue corridor and raise property values in the area.
Originally a leather tannery in the late 1800s, the factory in the early 1900s became the Wilmington outpost of the National Vulcanized Fibre Co., the former Yorklyn-based manufacturer of plastic laminates.
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"Everyone in the neighborhood worked there," said Kevin Kelley, Wilmington parks and recreation director and former city councilman for that district. "It was always running."
The factory stopped operating in 2003, according to the city, a few years before the company went out of business. It's been vacant ever since.
Reybold purchased the property in 2006 and entered an agreement with DNREC to develop the site that year. There was already neighborhood interest then in seeing the property redeveloped, Kelley said.
But progress stalled for years, partially due to the 2008 recession, Heisler said.
"That area's been sort of on the periphery of any development," he said. "We haven't found the energy yet to make it happen."
More recently, Heisler said, the city's growth prompted him to move forward — despite economic uncertainties from the coronavirus pandemic.
"Wilmington is becoming a more vibrant city," he said. "It just makes sense to do it now."
Jeanne Kuang covers Wilmington for The News Journal. Contact her at jkuang@delawareonline.com or (302) 324-2476.
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Can planned apartments at former factory push development beyond Wilmington Riverfront? - The News Journal
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