Downtown Development District
On August 19, 2019, Governor John Carney presented Delaware City with the designation of being named a Downtown Development District (DDD) City. To date, $31.6 million in DDD rebate funding has leveraged $597 million in private investment in eight designated downtown districts in 3 counties. The Plan strives to revitalize the downtown as a regional hub for ecotourism and history-based tourism. A successful DDD designation and the accompanying incentives will act as a tool to leverage private investments to help revitalize the downtown. More information about the DDD program. City Manager David Baylor will be the District Administrator overlooking the entire program. He can be reach at Town Hall, 407 Clinton Street, 302-834-4573.
The Plan 1. Encourages Homeownership and Home Rehabilitation; 2. It Encourages diversity of Commercial Retail and Services through Infill and Redevelopment; 3. Streamline the Plan Review and Permitting Process and Reduce Permit Fees if a property is designated by the State as a DDD. 4. Enhance the City’s Overall Appearance through physical improvements; 5. Improve Parking Conditions; 6. Improve Safety; Improve Sidewalks; and 7. Promote Revitalization through Preservation and Reuse of Historic Structures.
As a means of achieving the vision of the DDD plan Delaware City has incentives to those who qualify with the State as a DDD. The incentives are: 1. Property Tax Abatement on Rehabilitation Projects that increase the assessed value of the property by 50%. 2. Tax Abatement for DDD for Rental Properties that will now be Owner Occupied Properties; 3. The City’s portion of the Real Estate Transfer Tax will be waived for a parcel in the DDD that is a rental property that will now be owner occupied; 4. Facade Improvement Revolving Loan Program will be reactivated; 5. Permit Fees will be reduced by 2%. Building Permit Applications in the R-1, C-1L, C-2 or C-1M Zoning Districts located within the Downtown Development District (DDD), the permit fee will be the greater of $100 or 2% of anticipated costs of the construction. A building permit application in the C-1 zoning district within the DDD, the permit fee will be the greater of $100 or 1.5% of the anticipated costs of construction. 6. Streamlined Plan Review and Permitting Process.
Click here to see the Map of the DDD District to see if your property is in the DDD and eligible. All applications come from the Delaware State Housing Authority. The State will review all applications and decide if the project is eligible. The minimum amount for a project to be reviewed by the State is $25,000 to $350,000 for a small project and $350,000 upwards for a large project. This is a rebate program so the investor will pay for the project and if they qualify as a DDD they will receive the 20% rebate.
Click here for the DDD Program Guidelines Booklet. Click here for the Delaware City DDD Application and District Plan. For more information on the DDD incentives. Here is the link to the Delaware State Housing Authority DDD Rebate website.