WILMINGTON — A former apartment complex torn down after Hurricane Florence is slated to make its return, per plans submitted to the city.
Cape Fear Development has submitted plans for the first phase of The Glen, a 320-unit multi-family complex proposed for the site of the former apartment complex of the same name, located off College Road behind Little Ceasar’s Pizza.
In 2020, 500 units were demolished after enduring damage in 2018’s Hurricane Florence. Less than a month after the storm, around 1,000 residents were evicted due to the buildings being condemned and were told they would need to vacate in less than a week, according to a report from WECT.
The new site plans show 320 units will go on 16.75 acres of the site; two more phases are to follow on the 12.11-acre and 10.05-acre parcels adjacent to phase one. Plans don’t detail how many units are planned in total.
The proposed development will not require a rezoning; site plans are in the pre-technical review committee phase currently before formal TRC approval. Once staff OK the project, it will be allowed to proceed directly to construction without input from the Wilmington Planning Commission or Wilmington City Council.
Per the plans, the first phase of the development is intended to be a mixture of townhomes and apartments, the latter spread across four buildings in the interior of the site, while seven townhome buildings are arranged on the perimeter. The tallest will be four stories at 58 feet, well under the 96-feet allowance in the MD-17 zoning district.
The apartment units will include 124 one-bedrooms, 116 two-bedrooms and 32 three-bedrooms. The townhomes make up 30 two-bedrooms and 18 three-bedrooms.
The site plan also includes a 2,400-square-foot pool area.
The development is accessible via University Drive, which deposits onto College Road, and Crete Drive to the north of the development. Trip generations included in the site plan estimate 127 morning peak hour trips and 118 evening peak hour trips with a daily total of 1,438 trips per 24 hours.
It is unclear if the property will be geared toward students, given its close proximity to UNCW. As previously reported by Port City Daily, The Glen, constructed in 1967, didn’t lease by the bed nor offer furnished units.
However, the demand for student housing has grown with the university. UNCW expanded its reach to off-campus apartment complexes, including Plato’s Lofts and the Cottages at Randall in recent years. It sought more units after enrolling more freshman and sophomores, both required to stay in campus housing, than it has room for in the last several years. Even without being explicitly geared toward students, the property could become a popular spot for those seeking non-university housing close to the campus.
Per technical comments on the project obtained by Port City Daily, the Glen project falls in the Burnt Mill Creek Watershed, is listed as a poor benthic community by the state and drains to the Cape Fear River.
“Any additional infiltration or pollution treatment onsite would help reduce the amount of stormwater runoff and pollution that could enter Burnt Mill Creek and, eventually, the Cape Fear River, and contribute to current pollution problems,” the document states.
Staff are requesting the developers save as many trees as possible, while also considering the implementation of “green” infiltration and bioretention practices, such as green roofs and pervious pavement ( much of the site is already impervious material).
Staff have also suggested the development’s required sidewalk connect to College Road.
Reach journalist Brenna Flanagan at [email protected].
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