WILMINGTON — The city’s Planning Department has released its staff report regarding a proposal for a new development on Military Cutoff Road. The report comes ahead of the Planning Commission’s meeting scheduled for July 12.
Traffic concerns on Military Cutoff Road seem to be one of the main concerns of city staff. The volume of traffic on Military Cutoff Road is already at overcapacity – if approved the new project would increase traffic by 40 percent, according to staff findings.
“The additional traffic … would further exacerbate the traffic … from 1.35 times the capacity of the roadway to 1.91 times …”
“The additional traffic generated by the project traffic would further exacerbate the traffic overloading on Military Cutoff Road from 1.35 times the capacity of the roadway to 1.91 times the capacity – about twice the maximum design capacity,” according to the staff report.
Planning staff agrees the development, “offers considerable economic benefits,” but disagrees with the applicants’ claims that the development would allow a “more efficient transportation system.”
That refers to an application for rezoning the land by CIP Construction Company and Susi Hamilton. Hamilton, the former state representative and current secretary of the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, is a realtor who said she became involved in the proposed project two years ago due to her experience in commercial real estate.
The application for rezoning claims that allowing the mixed-use development on the land would help improve the traffic situation on Military Cutoff Road. Currently the only thing on the property is a 63-unit modular home park.
“Providing housing opportunities within a commercial environment will accommodate our population growth and mitigate traffic congestion more effectively than single use zoning by allowing citizens to reside in close proximity to the services they need,” the rezoning application states.
But the staff report refutes that claim, stating: “The development program, with over 300,000 square feet of commercial space plus a 237-room hotel and conference center, is heavily weighted toward commercial and is therefore a major traffic generator.”
Currently the land is zoned as manufactured housing park, and roughly 63 mobile home units currently exist on the property.
Apart from traffic congestion – the company also requested a special use permit to allow an increase in height for five buildings up to 75-feet. Under the Urban Mixed-Use zoning, there must be a setback of 10 feet from Military Cutoff Road.
“Building one complies with the setback of the UMX while buildings two and three do not comply with the maximum building setbacks,” according to the planning staff’s report.
City staff conceded that the proposed development does have, “desirable features consistent with the policies of the (city’s) Comprehensive Plan,” but ultimately, they believe it is the wrong location for the project.
“In sum, the proposal is a major destination-type project in the wrong location with insufficient road system connectivity,” the report concludes.
“The concern is the potential number of trips and the intensity of this development at this location on Military Cutoff Road. All Traffic movements to and from the project would be on Military Cutoff Road that is already overcapacity,” the report states.
“Despite efforts by the applicant to mitigate the development’s traffic impact on Military Cutoff Road, the projected (40-plus) percent increase on traffic on a critical, already heavily congested major thoroughfare is the overriding issue that must be given precedence,” the staff report states.
‘Exactly’ what’s called for
Hamilton on Friday said that the requested plans are actually based on the city’s comprehensive plan.
“The thing about this plan is that it is exactly what the comprehensive plan of Wilmington called for. It’s mixed use and medium density,” Hamilton said.
“The city planning director doesn’t seem to understand what makes good economic development,” she said.
In an email, Associate Planner Jeff Walton said the staff would not formally offer a recommendation to the commission on July 12.
“Since it’s a quasi-judicial hearing based on a request for a special use permit, as well as a conditional district rezoning, we are not offering a recommendation for this project,” Walton wrote.
The Avenue Case Summary – City of Wilmington by Michael James on Scribd
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