Rain moved the official groundbreaking for the H. Fletcher Brown Apartments inside, but that didn’t dampen the spirits of the partners and community leaders who gathered to celebrate the long awaited start of work on 35 new affordable housing units for low income residents.
Ingleside Homes and Leon N. Weiner & Associates are renovating the historical mansion. The Delaware State Housing Authority (DSHA) provided a $1.9M loan from the state’s Housing Development Fund, in addition to a $4.7M Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) equity investment from Cinnaire. “We are pleased to help Ingleside meet the need for affordable senior housing in Delaware,” said Anas Ben Addi, DSHA Director. “Many senior renters face cost burdens, making affordable housing opportunities such as this all the more important.”
The mansion once belonged to DuPont Engineer and philanthropist H. Fletcher Brown. Brown’s intention for the mansion was for it to become affordable housing for low income seniors.
“For me, this is a special day not only because it represents perseverance, but it also represents our collective community,” said U.S. Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester, D-Delaware. “To see so many partners come together through so many years and to be able to accomplish such a great thing.”
The 10,000 square foot home was built in 1917 and is listed on the National Historic Register. The $12M project is expected to take 18 months to complete. The first residents should move in by 2019.
Cinnaire Senior Vice President Susan Frank & Wilmington Mayor Michael Purzycki
From L to R: Glenn Brooks, SR VP, Leon N. Weiner & Associates; DSHA Director Anas Ben Addi; Susan Frank, Cinnaire SR VP; U.S. Representative Lisa Blunt Rochester, D-DE; U.S. Senator Tom Carper, D-DE
