How Wilmington's skyline is changing in 2019 and beyond; new development and apartments

Editor's note: This story has been updated with the correct name of the hotel that received loan guarantees from the city and the Riverfront Development Corporation. 

Big changes are in store for Wilmington's skyline in 2019, with new hotels and apartments, not to mention the new 76ers Fieldhouse, which opens later this month. 

Here's a roundup of new development we'll see in the city in 2019 and beyond.

A new home for the Blue Coats

Delaware will host its first NBA G League game at the new 76ers stadium on Jan. 23 as the Blue Coats take on the Memphis Hustle.

Thanks to some weather-related construction delays, that's about three weeks later than originally expected.

As a result, the Blue Coats have made the following schedule adjustments for the team’s next three home games:

• Jan. 4 vs. Grand Rapids has been moved to 7 p.m. Jan. 29 at 76ers Fieldhouse
• Jan. 9 vs. Lakeland has been relocated to The Center in South Philadelphia at 7 p.m.
• Jan. 11 vs. Raptors 905 has been moved to Jan. 8 and relocated to The Center at 11 a.m.

The new field house will also serve as a recreational center aimed at providing area residents, especially Wilmington kids, with a large, modern indoor destination for year-round fun and competition.

It is situated just east of U.S. 13 (South Market Street) where South Walnut Street branches off on the north side of Garasches Lane west of the city’s Southbridge neighborhood.

Blue Coats delayopening of Wilmington's 76ers Fieldhouse until Jan. 23

Delaware taxpayers contribute millions to Buccini/Pollin's 76ers Fieldhouse

More Market Street apartments

Demolition has begun on a group of historical buildings in downtown Wilmington to make way for new apartments on Market and King streets. 

The Buccini/Pollin Group plans to build an apartment and parking building at 210 N. Market St., between the 218 Grille restaurant and the building that houses Al's Sporting Goods. 

The apartments are slated to open in early 2020, said Mike Hare of the Buccini/Pollin Group.

The housing will be built at the site of the old Cooper Furniture building and a neighboring house on Market Street and the former YWCA building on King Street.

The former Bill's Meat Market building on King Street also will be torn down.

BPG is also building luxury townhomes on the bank of the Brandywine River at the site of the former Bancroft Mills. 

Construction began in January and is scheduled to be completed by 2020. 

Bancroft Mills site gets new luxury townhomes two years afterdevastating fire

Just visiting? Stay in these new hotels

Not only did a new Residence Inn by Marriott open in March, but Buccini/Pollin is building a new Hilton hotel, Homewood Suites.

BPG first announced plans to develop the 120-room Homewood and 200-room Marriott in early 2016. In 2014, the Wilmington company helped bring the city its first newly constructed hotel in 30-plus years when the Westin opened its doors. 

The Westin project received loan guarantees of $1 million from the city and $3 million from the Riverfront Development Corp., the state-funded agency tasked in 1995 with revitalizing the waterfront.

Homewood Suites is expected to be completed in the summer of 2019. 

Wilmington's 'hotel row' continues at Riverfront

Joining BPG on the Riverfront is a Hyatt Place to be operated by the ONIX Group in partnership with Big Fish, the Riverfront restaurant that will be attached to the Hyatt by a banquet room. 

It is also scheduled to open this summer. 

Travel around Wilmington in style

By the end of 2019, Wilmington residents and commuters should be able to board buses and make connections at a new $10 million transit center. 

The public-private partnership will be run by Transit Center, LLC — made up of Colonial Parking, EDiS Company, and Emory Hill Real Estate Services, Inc. — on state land, officials said.

New Wilmington transit center coming December 2019, officials say

It will include a multi-story garage for parking and rental cars.

Customers will have access to a covered, seating area, real-time bus displays, ticket sales, WiFi, USB charging stations, restrooms, vending machines and bike racks with a bike repair station. 

Wilmington is also getting a bridge over the Christina River, which will have two 11-foot-wide vehicle lanes and 14 feet of bicycle and pedestrian pathways. The bridge is slated to be completed by 2019 and will lead directly to the new 76ers fieldhouse. 

Public, private sector officials celebrategroundbreaking for Christina River bridge

Say goodbye to East Side blight

Ten vacant rowhomes in the 900 block of Bennett Street on Wilmington's East Side have been demolished and are being replaced with 14 three-bedroom, 2.5-bath houses.

Construction is slated to start in winter 2019 and officials expect them to be completed by early 2020.

The new units will be sold for about $155,000. Three will be geared toward families earning 60 percent of median income, although that's not a requirement. 

Developers will next tackle up to seven units on Pine Street, said Steven Martin, executive director of the Wilmington Housing Partnership. 

Officials then hope to transform Church and Spruce streets from state highways to "user-friendly" commercial corridors with plenty of parking, coffee shops and a grocery store. 

Say hello to a new soundstage

Touring bands, film crews and Broadway stars may be making a pit stop in Wilmington late this year when an $8 million soundstage opens on the 7th Street Peninsula.

The 25,000-square-foot soundstage will be 95 feet tall and lit up at night.

It will be rented out to music acts, theater productions and film crews, which can use the space to build sets, practice performances and test out sound and lighting before taking a show to a theater or on the road. The building will also include video and lighting studios and office space.

Wilmington to get multimillion-dollar soundstage for touring bands, shows

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Contact Jessica Bies at (302) 324-2881 or jbies@delawareonline.com. Follow her on Twitter @jessicajbies.