A community garden is coming to this West Center City lot

West Center City in Wilmington – also known as The Creative District, with the addition of makerspace NextFab, the Rock Lot and community art projects – is going to get greener.

Wilmington Renaissance Corporation (WRC) and Creative District Wilmington have announced the 7th & West Community Green Space Project, a new greening and revitalization effort in an area of the city that has struggled with blight and indifference.

The project is the latest component of WRC’s Vacant to Vibrant initiative, which looks to revitalize blighted lots by turning them into public green space.

A look at the lot that will become a community green space. (Image via Google Earth)

The 17,000-square-foot empty space, purchased by WRC, will be remediated with the help of funding by the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC). The rigorous remediation process will include testing and evaluating the soil and other environmental conditions. Robinson Anderson Summers, of Wilmington, will be the landscape architects for the project, and Foresite Associates, of New Castle, will serve as the civil engineering firm.

When the project is complete in 2020, it will have a multipurpose lawn space, an activity area and a raised bed community garden where families can grow their own vegetables.

“The project at 7th & West represents a commitment WRC has to continuing our mission in the neighborhood,” said Glenn Moore, WRC Board Chair, in a statement. “The Creative District has already proved a successful project and with this new space, we are continuing our work and supporting Mayor Michael Purzycki’s West Center City initiative which seeks to stabilize and improve this long-neglected neighborhood.”