Revitalizing Riverside: How Wilmington Is Building a Better Future Without Leaving Its Residents Behind

In the northeast corner of Wilmington, DE, a neighborhood once teeming with life and potential has long been overlooked. Riverside, initially built in the 1950s to house returning white World War II veterans, became a casualty of racist housing policies and systemic neglect.

As white families moved out and built wealth elsewhere, Black families, barred from those same opportunities, moved in, only to be denied the same investments in infrastructure, education, and opportunity.

But that story is changing.

The REACH Riverside initiative is bringing long-overdue revitalization to this historic neighborhood. But unlike many urban redevelopment projects, this one is being built with, not on top of, the people who already live there. It's not about making room for someone new. It's about making room to grow—together.

Redevelopment Without Displacement

Too often, when the construction crews arrive, longtime residents are forced to leave. Promises of "revitalization" are broken when gentrification displaces the very communities that should benefit. But REACH Riverside is different.

Backed by a powerful partnership between the Wilmington Housing Authority, the nationally respected affordable housing developer Pennrose, and community leaders, the project is grounded in a core principle: redevelopment without displacement.

That means:

• 700 units of high-quality, mixed-income housing—designed to raise the standard of living for current residents.
• No forced relocations—tenants are part of the process, not collateral damage.
• Built-in affordability and equity—so families who've lived here for generations can remain, thrive, and build wealth.

A Community-Led Vision

REACH Riverside is a blueprint for holistic neighborhood transformation. Beginning in 2020, REACH Riverside spent two years working with residents to shape a shared vision for the community's future. That plan goes far beyond bricks and mortar.

The WRK Group, led by Logan Herring, Sr., spearheads a $600 million effort to integrate housing, education, youth engagement, and wellness into a single, connected ecosystem. This sustainable development is about restoring opportunity to a neighborhood that has endured a long history of being last in line.

Just a few blocks from the Brandywine River, Riverside is transforming—on its own terms.

Facts That Frame the Challenge

The need for investment is urgent:

• The median household income in Riverside's subsidized housing is just $12,723, far below the city average.
• Only 33% of children in Riverside live above the poverty line—compared to 75% across the state.
• Single women lead 74% of households, often without access to the support systems they need.

This is not just about poverty. It's about decades of exclusion. REACH Riverside acknowledges that history and is working to repair it.

The WRK Group's housing, human capital, and community investments are helping Riverside residents build economic self-sufficiency by creating a broader economic impact that brings money back to Wilmington and the State of Delaware.

According to the data from the WRK Group, almost 293 Riverside families struggle to get by and are supported by a collective $15.2 million a year in costs and assistance paid by the State of Delaware. This investment will result in a mixed-income community with an expected $69 million economic impact while bringing the social benefits of economic self-sufficiency to hundreds of current and future Riverside residents.

"Every dollar invested in a Riverside household generates $6.48 in socio-economic return. That's a real, measurable impact," said Logan Herring Sr., CEO of The WRK Group. “It's proof that strategic investments in our community are changing lives and leading to new opportunities.”

A National Model, Locally Rooted

REACH Riverside is one of just 27 affiliates in the Purpose Built Communities Network, a national model that began in Atlanta's East Lake neighborhood in the 1990s. That initiative, supported by philanthropists like Warren Buffet and Tom Cousins, turned a neighborhood plagued by crime and poverty into one of the country's most celebrated examples of equitable urban renewal.

Purpose Built Communities' model focuses on four pillars:

• High-quality mixed-income housing
• Cradle-to-college education
• Community wellness infrastructure
• Economic vitality

In Riverside, that includes the redevelopment of the historic Kingswood Community Center and the creation of The Warehouse, a teen-centered co-working and service hub that provides everything from mentoring and mental health care to job training—all under one roof.

More Than a Project. A Promise.

This is a story of reconnection. Of a neighborhood reclaiming its voice and vision. Of leaders and residents working side by side to create a future that honors the past while building something better.

Wilmington's Office of Economic Development sees REACH Riverside as more than a local initiative. It's a proof point that sustainable, equitable development is possible. That systemic wrongs can be addressed, not ignored. And that a better city starts by investing in its people, not replacing them.

Riverside's next chapter is being written right now; this time, everyone's invited to stay.