Kingswood Community Center*
Wilmington, DE
Kingswood Community Center has been providing services to the Riverside Community in Wilmington for over 65 years, including early childhood education, after-school and summer care for children, a senior center, and a community gathering place.
In 2022, the community applied for a HUD Choice Neighborhood grant to support the transformation of Riverside and Kingswood. The Choice Plan involves redeveloping the surrounding low-income housing into high-quality, mixed-income housing, establishing a cradle-to-college education system, and promoting community wellness through outreach, health education, and enhancements in healthcare access.
As the key “Critical Community Improvement” in the Riverside HUD Choice Neighborhood, Kingswood is building a new 80,000 square foot multi-use community facility.
The new facility will provide a state-of-the-art Early Learning Academy offering a 5-STAR program, through Delaware STARS, an after-school teen program and summer camp, a health center operated by Nemours that will provide primary health care services and screenings in the medically underserved area (MUA), a sports and fitness center, a senior center, a multi-purpose room, meeting spaces available to the public, and office space for the staff members.
MBS Urban Initiatives CDE made a $8.25 million New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) investment into the new facility which was leveraged with $35.5 million of additional NMTC equity from Cinnaire, UACD, Dudley Ventures, NDC and Capital One.
The new center will allow Kingswood to quadruple its current services, impacting 19,720 Riverside residents annually.
This institution is an equal opportunity provider.
Quick Facts
Location: Wilmington, DE
Square Footage: 80,000 sq ft
Total Development Cost: $49,000,000
MBS UI NMTC Allocation: $8,250,000
QALICB: Kingswood Community Support Corporation
Allocatees: MBS Urban Initiatives CDE, Cinnaire, UACD, Dudley Ventures, NDC, Capital One
NMTC Equity Investor: Capital One
Architect: Fearn Clendaniel Architects
Leverage Lender and Indirect Lenders: Kingswood Community Center, Inc., The Nemours Foundation, Rech Riverside, HUD
Projected construction jobs: 250
Projected permanent jobs: 137