WILMINGTON — A 20-acre plat annexed into Wilmington city limits in December has been greenlit for 253 apartment units, despite city staff’s claims the development is not suitable for the area.
READ MORE: ‘The kind of projects we need’: Wilmington council passes Market St. annexation at staff’s caution
Developer HHHunt wants to build an apartment complex, Abberly Landing, at 7725, 7729, 7753 and 7759 Alexander Road. It will be the company’s first development in town.
At the Wilmington City Council’s December meeting, Amy Schaefer, representing the developer, won over council on the annexation request for the property, despite staff’s concerns regarding increased traffic onto Market Street and a lack of utility connection. However, the site design preserves as much green space as possible and provides workforce housing.
On Tuesday, Schaefer again persuaded most council members to vote against staff’s recommendation to deny HHHunt’s request to conditionally designate the property as MD-17, high-density multiple-dwelling residential district. The action passed 5-1, with Salette Andrews dissenting and Mayor Bill Saffo absent. It paves the way for the six-building apartment complex, 10% of which will be dedicated to workforce housing.
Staff’s qualms with the proposal revolve around the placement of hundreds of residences away from essential services; the nearest grocery store is a mile away, city planner Patrick O’Mahony told council Tuesday. He also reported staff didn’t think the project fit in with surrounding neighbors.
“Staff agrees that this is an area of transition, but a transition from the lowest density zone, district R 15, to a higher density is not appropriate,” O’Mahony said.
Countering a point Shaefer made at the last council meeting, Amberleigh Shores, a close-by development deemed similar and last approved by the city in 2018, is located closer to core services along Market Street and has access to a traffic signal. Drivers from HHHunt’s development will need to exit via two access points on Alexander Road, which connects onto Market Street.
To Schaefer’s point on traffic mitigation, however, the development does not add curb cuts to Market Street; drivers will only be allowed to turn right onto the busy highway. The developer has voluntarily agreed to fund a pedestrian connection to Market Street as well.
Schaefer also compared an example image of a transition area — where two differing zonings meet, eased by buffers and site designs — in the city’s comprehensive plan alongside the transition offered by Abberly Landing. She claimed the two practically matched.
“I can’t think of a project that is more safe, inclusive, accessible, functional and has its own distinct identity,” Schaefer said.
She also made note of the nearby church, located in the R-15 zone but is not residential use. HHHunt has worked with this neighbor on the complex’s design, as the church has future plans of opening a school onsite.
As another proof of HHHunt’s attempt at good stewardship, the developer is planning to fund an environmental clean-up of the site, considered a brownfield due to petroleum contamination. In addition, all nine specimen trees on the property will be preserved, though several dozens of other trees will come down as a result of the construction.
Despite staff and the development team’s amicable disagreement, council had little debate or discussion of the proposal, although councilmembers were primed with site plans at the December meeting.
Though the workforce units — totaling 25 — are set to be spread around the development, council member Luke Waddell said he would like to see many of them clustered in the four-story building, to include elevator access.
“Especially with the growing elderly community that needs 80 and 60 AMI, I think it’s important to kind of take a look at that,” Waddell said.
AMI refers to the average median income of the area, used to calculate workforce housing requirements; half of Abberly Landing’s workforce units will be dedicated to those earning 60% AMI and the other half will go toward those earning 80% of the AMI.
Council member Andrews read off an email she received from a constituent concerned that the addition of hundreds more people could make the overcrowding schools, streets and infrastructure even worse in the northern part of the county.
“I know you cannot solve these issues, but I ask you to please not make them worse while we try to get the county to fix it,” resident Steven Foley wrote.
Beyond the correspondence, Andrews did not provide more reasoning for her vote against the project.
Allens Lane
City council also approved the rezoning of 1.28 acres at 1729 Allens Lane from office and institutional to MD-17, in line with staff’s recommendation.
The plan is to spread 18 townhome units across five buildings with 36 total bedrooms; this will make the density 14 units per acre, while MD-17 allows for a maximum of 17. The property is bordered by other O&I uses and lower density residential to its south.
Access is provided to the site from a driveway located along Allens Lane, which connects to Military Cutoff Road. This stretch is currently operating at an “E” level of service per North Carolina Department of Transportation standards, though its planning capacity allows for more than 7,000 new cars.
The current proposal is expected to generate 191 average daily round-trips, while the projected trip count was 315 under the previous O&I zoning. The site is bordered by
The developer is constructing a sidewalk along the road as well.
“This turned out to be the best thing I think we could put here, which is with some nice units,” Josh Mihaly, the project’s developer, said at the meeting.
City planner Zach Smith pointed out the development aligns with the city’s comprehensive plan components regarding the encouragement of infill development.
“A mix of housing types is encouraged in proximity to and within employment areas, mixed-use centers and neighborhood nodes identified,” Smith said at the meeting. “The proposed plan provides an alternative for the development of the currently underutilized commercial area. The rezoning request also provides compatible density near services and is consistent with other developments along Allens Lane.”
Waddell questioned the progress of the resurfacing project along Allens Lane, though council did not raise any protests to the development.
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