Demolition complete at reserve center site

The Adrian B. Rhodes Armed Forces Reserve Center near Wilmington's Greenfield Lake as seen in February during its demolition. The building has since been completely torn down. Photo courtesy of Dylan Lee

After years of planning, a former military reserve center near Wilmington's Greenfield Lake has been demolished.

Removing the former Adrian B. Rhodes Armed Forces Reserve Center is another step toward the implementation of plan to build housing for the formerly homeless.

The demolition is part of an agreement between the city and Lakeside Partners of Wilmington Inc. The city owns the 4.26-acre property at 2144 W. Lake Shore Drive. Eventually, the city plans to transfer ownership to Lakeside Partners.

Initially, the partnership was composed of the Wilmington Interfaith Hospitality Network, the Good Shepherd Center and Wilmington Housing Finance and Development Inc.

Only Good Shepherd Center remains a member of Lakeside Partners.

Katrina Knight, Good Shepherd's executive director, said the circumstances of the other two organizations changed.

"When this process started, no one thought it would take eight years or more," she said.

The city formed a committee in 2006 to consider uses for the building, which would later be donated by the U.S. Department of Defense. City officials determined federal guidelines required the city to use the donated property to help the homeless. The center closed in 2011 and the city officially accepted the property in 2012.

According to a 2010 agreement between Lakeside Partners and the city, the plan was to build up to 24 housing units with a mix of bedrooms to house both families and individuals.

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Demolition complete at reserve center site