8/27/2008
NCC Council approves Brandywine Town Center changes; also OK's Renaissance Village design changes - Community News

By Jesse Chadderdon
Community News
Posted Aug 27, 2008 @ 04:53 PM

Wilmington, Del. —

Shoppers at the Brandywine Town Center could soon see some vacancies filled there.

New Castle County Council’s unanimous approval of new deed restrictions on the property will allow the owner, Acadia Realty, to seek tenants for a 6,000-square-foot un-utilized space under the large glass atrium in the middle of the center. That space, originally designated as a food court, has remained vacant since the center opened because of a cap on the amount of floor area the owners were allowed to lease.

In exchange, Acadia has committed that two of three restaurants planned for external pad sites near the center’s fountain will no longer be built. The third is a recently completed Red Robin family restaurant. Instead, Acadia will build a children’s play area there, with new walking paths that allow shoppers to easily walk between it and the front of the retail center.

Councilman Robert Weiner (R-Chatham), who helped facilitate talks between Acadia and the nearby community, said the changes were in the best interest of all parties.

Renaissance Village design tweaked

The council also unanimously approved changes to the proposed design of Renaissance Village, the mixed-use redevelopment project planned for the former Brookview site in Claymont.

The changes allow for more commercial space on Philadelphia Pike and a reconfigured interior. Under the new design, 15,000-square-feet of retail space along Philadelphia Pike and Manor Avenue would act as a gateway to the 1,226-unit residential community. Retail units would occupy the first floor of two four-story buildings there, with apartments available for rent on the upper floors.

Two clubhouses and swimming pools would be constructed in a town square of sorts just beyond the apartment units on Manor Avenue. The original plan called for more diverse housing types at the front of the site and only one clubhouse and pool.

Bob Ruggio, vice-president of the Commonwealth Group, which is leading the development of the site, said construction of the first buildings is due to begin November 1.

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