Major projects coming!

A local website recently compiled a list of initiatives and projects coming to the Wilmington area, and I have to say, it's an impressive and encouraging list.

17 Projects Worth $900 Million Coming To Wilmington

This list includes new office space, apartments, restaurants, entertainment space, transportation improvements, our new Creative District, and more.

I encourage you to check out the full list by clicking here and look for ways to take advantage of these exciting new developments in and around our city.

Marty

Innovation Week

Downtown Wilmington is home to a growing number of great tech companies and start ups - and starting this Friday, you'll have a chance to experience more than a week of exciting events centered around that technology.

Delaware Innovation Week presented by 1313 Innovation and organized by Technical.ly Delaware is a week-long celebration of technology and innovation, taking place November 13-21, 2015. 

Whether you would like to explore creativity, education, media, business development, and/or the impact of technology on government and civil society, then there's going to be events for you to attend and in which you can participate.

Click Here to learn more and set up your schedule.

There's also a great printed guide available at locations around the city and a digital version available by clicking here.

I look forward to seeing you at these great events.

Marty

Small Business Saturday is going to be incredible!

Our Downtown community is gearing up for a truly impressive Small Business Saturday on November 28.

The Wilmington Jaycee's Christmas Parade starts at 11:00, followed immediately by photos with Santa at the Grand Opera House.

Throughout the afternoon, you'll have a chance to enjoy shopping at a variety of businesses with live music as well as great productions at The Grand and The Playhouse Theatre.

And, Gable Music Ventures is holding Wilmo Rock Circus at World Cafe Live at the Queen from 5:30 until 1:00 in the morning! This event features 15 bands from all over the East Coast.

Bring your family and friends out for a great day of fun, music, entertainment, food, and shopping!

Marty

Delaware Today Magazine Calls Wilmington Cool

Delaware Today Magazine just published a great story on Downtown Wilmington:

The Birth of Cool: Wilmington Grows in Popularity

Here's a couple of excerpts:

singer-songwriter Jonatha Brooke played at the groundbreaking of the World Cafe Live at the Queen—in the middle of Market Street, in the middle of a workday, with hundreds of very excited people gathered ’round. It seemed to me that Wilmington had crossed some threshold of cool.

...

Downtown Wilmington now has the coffee shops and music, and plenty of people—urbane locals and newcomers have caught on—in numbers sufficient to support even more new housing. By the end of the year, BPG will have created well over 1,000 units, with more on the way soon, and it aims to attract five new restaurants downtown over the next 12 months.

You can read the entire piece here.

I am thrilled with the public recognition we're getting in Downtown Wilmington - a cool place for dining, entertainment and living.

Marty

Making it easier to invest in Downtown Wilmington

The new Downtown Development District plan to encourage investments in properties in downtown areas of Wilmington, Dover, and Seaford is getting better.

Administrators with the Delaware State Housing Authority are proposing a series of changes to the program that will, among other things, lower the minimum qualified investment threshold from $25,000 to $15,000.

Click Here to learn more about this exciting program.

I appreciate all that the state of Delaware is doing to encourage people to live, work, play, and invest in our downtown.

Marty