WILMINGTON — The City of Wilmington could be changing its regulations on homeless shelters after public outcry over Living Hope Day Center’s planned relocation to 10th and Dock streets.
“We don’t have a homeless population in this neighborhood, so it may be a win for the downtown businesses and residents that you relocate the unsheltered homeless, but that relocation isn’t the solution; it just negatively impacts a completely different neighborhood,” resident May Pierce said.
While not on the city council’s agenda Tuesday night, discussion of Living Hope Day Center’s plans took up the majority of the Tuesday meeting’s public comment period.
Many residents urged council to step in, either by stopping the plans outright or mandating certain requirements. Several people requested the Perezes provide an operational plan explaining how they will mitigate potential safety concerns with what is presumed to be a no-barrier shelter without 24/7 hours.
After starting as a street outreach program by Christine and Tony Prez in 2020, Living Hope Day Center opened out of First Baptist Church, located in downtown Wilmington in 2023.
Earlier this year, the Perezes were told the center — which operates 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday — would need to move out to make way for church renovations. Now, they are looking to take over the 19 S. 10th Street facility. Formerly, the spot was a tiki and burlesque bar Sorrow Drowner, which closed in May 2025, and before that, the almost 5,000-sqaure-foot building served the arts community as TheatreNOW.
Despite resident concerns, council has no control over Living Hope Day Center’s plans for the new location.
The center is allowed to move into the Sorrow Drowner building by-right, as long as it meets permitting requirements. The property is zoned urban mixed-use, which allows community centers.
“We do recognize that the community center category doesn’t quite capture the day shelter use that is now being proposed, and so staff has been working on how to change that,” City Manager Becky Hawke told council Tuesday.
After the meeting, city staff informed Port City Daily land code amendments are to be brought to the Wilmington Planning Commission’s October meeting. When Port City Daily asked for specifics a city spokesperson said they have not been ironed out.
Several speakers Tuesday mentioned the city’s comprehensive plan, as well as previous comments made by Director of Community Building Rachel Schuler during a presentation on homeless services earlier this year.
“When we’re talking about low-barrier, you may have a person with an active addiction. They may have mental or physical disabilities,” Schuler said. “Folks that may have some criminal background that may not be able to be in the same population as families or children.”
Many public speakers said they recognized the need for homeless services, but some suggested it would be irresponsible for the new center to be in close proximity to schools — including New Hanover High School and the International School at Gregor.
“Our playground sits unused overnight and it is only a block away,” Mike Camps, representing the private institution School of Wonder, said at the meeting. “We need to consider the possibility that staff and young children could arrive in the morning while someone is still sleeping or sheltering on school property, or encountering belongings, drug paraphernalia, human waste, or other situations that our staff must address before children can safely enter the area.”
New Hanover County Schools Superintendent Chirs Barnes also spoke at the meeting.
“We encourage continued communication among the district, Living Hope Day Center, neighborhood residents, community leaders, and other stakeholders to better understand the proposed location and identify appropriate measures to support individuals in need, while also maintaining a safe environment for students,” Barnes said.
Port City Daily reached out to Tony Perez for a response to community concerns but did not receive a response by press.
If the amendments result in Living Hope Day Center’s facility being prohibited from its 10th Street location, they could derail the nonprofit’s plans for the new facility. So too, could any appeals to the city’s classification of the nonprofit’s facility as a community center.
Planning Director Linda Painter explained people could request the city provide a zoning determination letter explaining how staff reached the conclusion that Living Hope Day Center’s facility would classify as a community center. This decision-making could be appealed, either to the board of adjustment or Superior Court.
A recent example of this is the board of adjustment case involving The Rift in June. Owner Justin Smith challenged the city’s definition of “outdoor amplified sound” after a determination letter would have prevented the bar from continuing its outdoor screenings of sports games, reality shows, movies and more. The appeal was successful, with the board of adjustment requiring staff to relook at its definition.
Painter explained the person making the case against the city’s determination would need to have standing, meaning they have a special interest in or would be directly impacted by the outcome of the property’s new use.
Several of the speakers Tuesday lived in the area, including Patrick Sheen, the next-door neighbor to the Sorrow Drowner building.
“We all are very vested in this neighborhood,” Sheen said. “The immediate impact is about a 7% impact, negative impact to our values, Wilmington’s own [comprehensive] plan makes neighborhood character an adopted priority and requires new institutional uses to protect it.”
As of Friday, the city had not received any appeals.
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