UPDATES

Upcoming Events 

City Council Meeting: First and Second Readings likely to occur

Date: Thursday September 3rd, 2026  | Time: 6:00pm

City Council Meeting: Third Reading and Final VOTE likely to occur

Date: Thursday September 17th, 2026  | Time: 6:00pm

August 27th, 2026 | The Rezoning Is Moving to City Council, Action Needed Now 

Despite the Planning Commission's 4-1 vote recommending against this rezoning, the application is moving forward to City Council. Likely dates are:

• September 3: First and second readings

• September 17: Third reading and Final vote

We're also hearing there are negotiations of a smaller building than the version proposed on 8/13. A smaller building does not fix the underlying problem. The question before Council isn't what the developer says it will build today — it's whether to permanently change the zoning to allow up to 15 stories and 180 feet on this site, for this developer or any future owner.

What you can do now:

Contact (email and call) ALL City Councilmembers and ask them to vote NO when this comes up for vote.  

Click here to launch a draft email with all ALL City Councilmember email addresses.

More information: Contact City Council →

August 18th, 2026 | Planning Commission Votes 4-1 to Recommend Denial 

After more than three hours of public testimony, the City Planning Commission voted against Resolution 13-26, the resolution recommending approval of the Bancroft rezoning application. Final vote: 4 Against, 1 For.

Thank you to the 35+ speakers who testified, and to everyone who attended, submitted written testimony, or helped spread the word. This vote is a direct result of that turnout.

What this means:

• The Planning Commission has formally recommended denial of the rezoning.

• The application moves next to Wilmington City Council, which will hold committee review and three separate readings before a final vote.

• Because the Commission recommended denial, City Council would need a three-quarters supermajority — 10 of 13 members — to approve the rezoning over that recommendation.

Next steps: More details to come in the coming days.

August 14th, 2026 | Councilman Johnson Announces Developer Commitments 

On August 14, Councilman Chris Johnson released a signed letter from Tsionas Management (dated 8/13) with new commitments, including:

• 4-story height limit facing Bancroft Parkway; 8 stories max toward the rail corridor (down from 12 in the amended application)

• 180 units maximum (down from 193)

• Traffic routed away from the Bancroft Parkway median

• Local and union hiring commitments

• $50,000/year for 3 years toward a West Side Public Safety & Complete Streets program

• Continued community communication during construction

Why this doesn't change our position:

These commitments live in a private letter, not the zoning code. They are not legally enforceable and don't bind any future owner of the property. The rezoning application itself is unchanged — it still requests R-5-B and C-2 zoning, both of which permit up to 15 stories and 180 feet, with no reduction written into the ordinance.

If this rezoning is approved, the numbers in the letter have no legal weight. Tsionas, or any future owner, could build up to the full zoning maximum regardless of what the letter promises.

We support the reductions described in the letter. What we oppose is a permanent zoning change that allows far more than what's being promised. A letter is a promise. Zoning is the law. Only binding height and density limits written into the zoning itself would actually guarantee this smaller building.

August 10th, 2026 | Land Use & Planning Department Recommends Approval 

The City's Land Use and Planning Department issued its public notice ahead of the August 18 Planning Commission hearing, recommending approval of the Bancroft rezoning as filed — including the R-5-B and C-2 designations that permit up to 15 stories / 180 feet. Context that matters:

• The Planning Department is a staff agency. It reviews and recommends, but does not vote or decide.

• The Planning Commission holds the hearing on 8/18 and votes independently of staff's recommendation.

• Even after a Planning Commission vote, the matter still goes to City Council for three separate readings before a final vote.

A staff recommendation is not a decision. This makes turnout on 8/18 more important, not less.

August 4th, 2026 | Rezoning to be on agenda for the Tuesday 8/18 City Planning Commission Public Hearing

We've got word the Bancroft Parkway rezoning request is on the agenda for the Tuesday August 18th City Planning Commission public hearing. This is the formal public hearing where the City Planning Commission will take testimony and vote on a recommendation regarding the rezoning application.

Submit Your Written Opposition Testimony by Sunday August 9th!

Written testimony must be received 5 business days prior to the 8/18 public hearing, so if you have not -- submit your written testimony ASAP. It does not need to be a hard copy letter -- email is fine!

See Submit Written Testimony for instructions and guidance.

Attend the public hearing on Tuesday August 18th!

Date/Time: Tuesday August 18th, 2026 6PM (arrive up to 1 hour before to ensure a seat)
Location: Louis L. Redding City/County Building, 800 N. French Street, Wilmington DE 19801 (view in Google Maps)
Where to Park: Parking should be available at the Government Garage off 9th Street (view in Google Maps)

Your presence matters. Fill out THIS RSVP FORM to let us know if you plan to attend. 

May 29th, 2026 | Developer Files Amended Rezoning Application 

On May 29, 2026, Tsionas Management filed an amended rezoning application with the City of Wilmington. The developer has characterized the amendment as a response to community feedback. Revised renderings are available on the developer's website.

What changed:

The original application requested C-2 zoning for both parcels. The amended application requests a different designation for each:

• 2140 W. 11th Street (the parcel fronting Bancroft Parkway): C-1 → R-5-B

• 1010 N. Bancroft Parkway (the larger parcel): C-1 → split zoning, with the Bancroft-facing portion designated R-5-B and the interior portion designated C-2

The building's massing has also been revised. Rather than a single nine-story structure, the amended proposal describes a stepped building: 4 stories along Bancroft Parkway, 8 stories through the middle section, and 12 stories toward North Grant Avenue. The overall program remains largely unchanged: 200 apartments, a ground-floor coffee shop, and a 290-space parking garage totaling approximately 320,100 square feet.

What didn't change:

The height ceiling. R-5-B — the new designation on the parcels fronting the parkway — permits structures up to 15 stories and 180 feet under Sec. 48-151 of the city's zoning code. That is the same maximum as C-2. The amended application reduces the C-2 footprint on this site, but does not reduce the legal height exposure on this corner.

The city's own R-5-B purpose clause requires that its density controls "assure that they could adjoin one-family neighborhoods without impairing the value of homes therein" (Sec. 48-138(a)). The parcels are adjacent to Bancroft Village and sit across Bancroft Parkway from single-family homes. A building stepping up to 12 stories in that context does not meet the compatibility standard the code sets for this designation.

Our position remains the same. We continue to oppose this rezoning. Changing the zoning label on the Bancroft-facing parcels from C-2 to R-5-B does not protect the parkway from high-rise development. The height blank check remains.

You can review the full amended application here.