The News Journal
WILMINGTON - Gov. Jack Markell, Wilmington Mayor James Baker, representatives from St. Francis Hospital and the Delaware Valley Development Company and first-time home buyers spoke at the Cornerstone West celebration event on Thursday. They joined Cornerstone West employees to celebrate their efforts to turn the corner on the West Side including 80 renovated and sold homes, 83 mixed-income rental units and 94 home and facade improvements – over the last 10 years.
One recent homeowner, Zakiyyah Moore, discussed how she never thought she would be able to purchase her own home, especially considering the current housing market. When she heard about The Pavilion, a community of townhomes with low mortgages, she decided that it was the right time to invest in a home.
“I’ve always wanted to own a home, but it seemed out of reach,” Moore said during the press conference to break ground on The Pavilion at Madeline’s Restaurant. “Then I found Cornerstone West and they are making my dream a reality.”
Both Governor Markell and Mayor Baker congratulated the West End Neighborhood House’s community development arm, Cornerstone West, on the $30 million of community revitalization work on the West Side of Wilmington that they have undertaken over the past few years. The event was centered around the two newest developments constructed by Cornerstone West, The Pavilion and Clayton Court, and the importance of this development in providing housing resources to Delaware residents at an appropriate price.
With a continued emphasis on providing Delawareans with affordable housing, Governor Markell congratulated the Cornerstone West development on providing a neighborhood and a community for many Delawareans and allowing these people to participate in private investment. He emphasized the importance of home investments by people like Moore as providing themselves with a home while simultaneously helping grow the state’s economy. Governor Markell also noted the importance of the collaboration of various organizations across the state to help create an affordable living community for Delawareans.
“This is an incredible example of government agencies, non-profit organizations and private companies working together to help a community thrive,” Said Gov. Jack Markell, who placed the West End Neighborhood House community puzzle piece on the board. “From DNREC, who remediated The Pavilion site, to the City of Wilmington, who purchased the property on behalf of Cornerstone West, to the private organizations that have invested in both of these projects, this type of collaboration is exactly what Delaware needs to move forward.”
Created in 1999 from a collaborative partnership between West End, St. Francis Hospital and the community, Cornerstone West has created a total of 338 affordable housing opportunities and home improvements in the Wilmington area since their inception, investing over $50 million into the Wilmington community.