WILMINGTON — The product of New Hanover County’s Comprehensive Greenway Plan would be a network of corridors safely connecting bicyclists and pedestrians with various destinations across the county. That could mean gas-free trips from neighborhoods to local grocery stores, post offices, schools and workplaces.
But best implementation will depend on public input. For that, agencies collaborating on the plan will hold three public meetings this week to gather comments from residents on what they’d like to see take shape.
“It is the support from the people who are using the network that are going to make it successful,” said New Hanover County Planning Director Chris O’Keefe, a cyclist who said he often bikes to work and understands concerns from residents who want safe, convenient paths to pedal or walk around the county.
This week’s public input meetings, each of which will take place from 4 to 7 p.m., are:
- September 11, Wilmington City Council Chambers, 102 N. 3rd Street, Wilmington;
- September 12, Carolina Beach Town Hall, 1121 N. Lake Park Boulevard, Carolina Beach;
- September 13, Ogden Elementary School, 3637 Middle Sound Loop Road, Wilmington.
The Wilmington Metropolitan Planning Organization, the City of Wilmington and New Hanover County are partners in the plan’s development, which began in January and is expected to conclude at the end of this year, according to information at the greenway’s website, https://www.wilmingtongreenway.com.
“It’s planning for the future,” O’Keefe said. “The product is going to be a plan to make greenways connecting the places where we live to the places that we like to go, whether for shopping, play, whatever it is.”
Planners have cited surveys by the Federal Highway Administration that show Americans are willing to walk as far as two miles, and bike as far as five miles, to a destination. They have also noted that greenways promote healthy communities, with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention finding that such amenities could create a 25-percent boost in the number of neighbors who exercise at least three times per week.
Collaborators on the local Comprehensive Greenway Plan have logged more than 3,600 comment forms so far. The draft plan in its current form is viewable here.
