05/20/2026
At 9th Street Development Company, we can say with certainty that we invested in downtown Wilmington because we believed in the vision of Mayor Mike Purzycki.
Mike gave us confidence to take chances on Wilmington. He believed deeply in the future of this city, and more importantly, he made other people believe in it too. His leadership, encouragement, and relentless focus on revitalization inspired us to invest in the 9th Street corridor and continue building in downtown Wilmington.
Over the years, we had to call on Mayor Purzycki more than once for help, guidance, or support. Every single time, he responded. He encouraged us. He showed up for us. He attended our openings, celebrated our progress, and constantly pushed us to think bigger about what Wilmington could become.
One thing he consistently repeated to us was:
“If you are not growing, you are dying.”
That was Mike. Even after discussing one project, he would immediately ask:
“What else are you working on?” “What’s next?”
He was always challenging people to keep moving forward, keep investing, and keep revitalizing neighborhoods throughout the city.
As an experienced developer himself, Mike loved talking shop. He had a real eye for aesthetics, urban planning, and placemaking. He cared about the details — how streets felt, how buildings interacted with neighborhoods, how development could create energy and momentum for an entire community.
Some of our favorite conversations with him were hearing stories about what he remembered from the 9th Street Block decades ago. He had such a deep understanding of Wilmington’s history and an even deeper belief in its future.
We looked up to him. We valued our time with him immensely.
To us, Mayor Purzycki was more than a public official. He was a mentor, an advocate for small businesses and development, and someone who genuinely cared about the wellbeing and success of all Wilmingtonians and the people willing to invest in their future.
His vision and belief in this city gave many of us the confidence to keep building here.
Wilmington has lost a transformational leader, and we will miss him deeply.
