WILMINGTON — Next week, the Wilmington City Council is set to discuss the acquisition of a property for parks and recreation use, with a resolution asking New Hanover County and the New Hanover Community Endowment to help pay for it. Some elected members from both the city and county boards were left in the dark about the proposal.
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According to city documents, the resolution states staff have located a “potentially viable property” for purchase in an “area that currently lacks notable park amenities.” The property in question remains unnamed; Port City Daily asked city staff, council members and the mayor to confirm, but could not get confirmation.
The resolution explains the anticipated cost of property would exceed what the city can independently afford. The city will put up to $1 million, but the resolution would authorize City Manager Becky Hawke to apply to The Endowment and other grant sources to fund a portion of the acquisition, as well as seek a commitment from New Hanover County.
If council approves the resolution, Hawke would be authorized to enter into a purchase agreement for the unnamed property. The resolution notes it’s requesting the county to “ideally” match the city’s investment.
The city first made the resolution public Friday morning, including it on the city’s agenda for Tuesday night’s council meeting.
Port City Daily reached out to each council member about the proposal. Both Kevin Spears and Salette Andrews responded they weren’t aware of it.
“Frankly, I’m a little surprised that the whole thing is on a public agenda when we haven’t really discussed this,” Andrews said.
Still, she said she was supportive of exploring ideas to preserve green space.
“The devil would be in the details as far as how all this comes together financially, and whether it’s a good transaction for the taxpayers,” Andrews said.
Council member Luke Waddell has been posting commentaries about needed green space in the community recently and on his socials. Port City Daily called the council member to discuss the proposal; though he didn’t answer, he sent the following text message:
“As you know, I’ve made my position clear on this. Our community needs more green space, and meaningful undeveloped tracts of land are becoming increasingly rare. I will support any common-sense effort that advances this goal; especially initiatives that create public recreational space in areas currently underserved in that regard.”
Port City Daily asked Waddell if he was behind the city’s proposal and if he could confirm what property was being assessed. No response was received.
Last month, Waddell expressed opposition to the Mayfaire West development, a 39.49-acre townhome project on vacant land near Mayfaire Town Center. The development would bring 500 townhomes to the parcel, making nearby residents uneasy in a May community meeting. In a Sept. 2 Facebook post, Waddell said he didn’t think the apartments were appropriate.
“I believe we have the tools and funds to protect and conserve this property,” Waddell wrote. “If the City of Wilmington, New Hanover County, The Endowment and surrounding property owners work together — this can be the type of ‘transformational change’ that is a win/win for us all.”
The resolution was also a surprise to some commissioners, though they were given a heads up before it dropped to the public Friday. At the commissioners’ meeting Thursday afternoon, Chair Bill Rivenbark asked county manager Chris Coudriet to elaborate on an email the manager sent earlier about the “green space” initiative at the city.
“Are they gonna call us and tell us we need to write them a check for a million dollars?” Rivenbark asked.
None of the commissioners indicated they knew what property was being assessed. The resolution notes “time is also of the essence” as the current owner is considering selling the land for development purposes.
Chair Rivenbark indicated his fellow Republican colleague and council member Waddell had identified a parcel and said it would “be the end of the world” — a presumably happy announcement he thought the community would favor. He also said the proposal should be sorted out before the election. Port City Daily asked Rivenbark for clarity about both comments but didn’t get a response by press.
Both commissioners Scalise and LeAnn Pierce told Port City Daily Friday they had discussed green space with council member Waddell, but did not know what specific property was part of the current proposal.
“From what I know, he has been actively working on a number of possibilities,” Scalise said. “I don’t yet know the details of how this potential City/County partnership will ultimately play out, but I’m grateful for the opportunity to discuss it with our colleagues at the City.”
Coudriet indicated he had met with city staff about the proposal, but said he sent everything he knew about the proposal in an email to commissioners Thursday morning, which noted clarity would come next week.
“If the council adopts the resolution and the county commission does not object, county staff will begin meeting with the city and endowment to discuss the project details for green space preservation,” Coudriet wrote in the email.
In a follow up, he added the city’s resolution “may be silent” on The Endowment and instead refer more broadly to grant providers, though the resolution does mention the $1.3-billion entity specifically.
Commissioner Rob Zapple said he was supportive of preserving green space but disappointed about how the resolution came to commissioners’ attention.
“The way I read the information that came across is the city was going to let us know how we should spend our money,” Zapple said. “And so I hope there’ll be some more information, kind of backfill for that interesting idea.”
Scalise said he didn’t see the proposal as a directive.
“There is an invitation, as I read it and understand it, for us to collaborate on the concept for the green space in this community,” Scalise said.
The commissioner went on to say the county has been the leader on preserving green space, pointing to the $11.6-million purchase of the Flossie Bryan Tract on Independence Boulevard in April.
Coudriet noted the city had previously expressed an interest in partnering with the county in the development of the Bryan tract.
“So I reminded staff of that, meaning their staff in our discussion, that we hope this doesn’t become a substitute for another commitment that already has been made,” Coudriet told commissioners. “My belief is they, and we, can do two things at once.”
PCD asked the city for the status of its commitment to the Bryan tract but did not get a response by press.
Council member Andrews pointed to the city’s resolution in support of preserving the acreage, passed in March. The resolution calls to action relevant stakeholders — “New Hanover County, local preservation groups, and community leaders” — to collaborate and ensure the security of all “necessary resources and protections for this important site.”
But as far as developing the park, Andrews said there hadn’t been an interlocal agreement between the city and county.
“I certainly hope the city does get on board with preserving open space because they sure have built all over the city,” Pierce told her colleagues Thursday. “So it would be nice to have some open space, like the county has took the lead and done.”
Tips or comments? Email journalist Brenna Flanagan at brenna@localdailymedia.com.
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