SOUTHEAST N.C. — This year in the Cape Fear region new development has been an issue on everyone’s mind. There have been several mixed-use developments proposed in the area, traffic concerns, and lots of rezoning requests in 2017, and 2018 will likely see several of these projects come to fruition.
Port City Daily has compiled a list of the top 10 most read stories about development in the region. The stories are in descending order from 10-1.
In Carolina Beach, a new development has been proposed for a piece of beachfront property located at the end of Texas Avenue. The development would consist of seven residential units along Lake Park Boulevard.
The two lots will be combined into a 30,000 square-foot lot, the development will be named Windward Isles and consist of three single-family homes, two two-unit townhomes, and a swimming pool. The project was proposed in November.
A 1,300-acre project known as Blake Farm is in the works for Pender County, as a part of the development, a retail portion of the project has been submitted to include a satellite aquarium for the State of North Carolina Aquarium System.
The project would have a shellfish theme, as well as offer a research component to it, according to Raiford Trask, president of the Trask Land Company.
The project has been met with resistance from the New Hanover County Democratic Party, which, at the end of October, filed an ethics complaint against state leaders, including N.C. Senator Bill Rabon.
Leland has seen an increase in growth as more restaurants and retails stores continue to move into the town.
Aldi recently opened after experiencing some delay due to an incomplete road, and Chick-fil-a as well as Panera have announced intentions of opening locations in the town.
An 85-acre residential development was approved in September by the New Hanover County Board of Commissioners, but traffic concerns on Gordon Road were not taken into consideration when commissioners approved the development.
The traffic impact from another development across the street from the proposed 85-acre Landing at Lewis Creek Estates was not taken into account by the engineers who completed the traffic impact analysis.
Chairman Woody White said he believed traffic could get worse on Gordon Road if the development was not approved.
A large mixed-use development called The Avenue was planned for Military Cutoff Road by the Carroll Companies. The development faced resistance from residents as well as city planners, who had concerns with the amount of traffic already on Military Cutoff Road.
In October, the developer withdrew its request for rezoning from the City of Wilmington. Since the developer withdrew its request, it is possible to resubmit plans in the future.
James Goodnight has spent the past several years renovating buildings in downtown Wilmington. The renovations have led to several discoveries including buried bones and an iron safe.
Reporter Ben Schachtman took a look inside several of the buildings with Goodnight to get a closer look into the past of Wilmington.
In July, a 22-square-mile tract of land near the western border of Leland went on sale. The property is actually larger than the entire Town of Leland and could be turned into commercial or residential developments.
Historically, the land has been a seedling nursery for industrial timber companies. But according to Mark Power, a director of real estate at Molpus who is helping to oversee the sale of the property, increasing growth in Brunswick County has made the property more attractive to new development.
A 24-acre mixed-use development in the Hampstead area will consist of a grocery store, retail stores, and restaurants located on U.S. Highway 17.
The development’s master plan was originally approved by the Planning Board in January of 2017, Commercial Planner for Pender County Barnes Sutton said. The developer Headwaters Properties LLC submitted a proposed a master plan revision which went to public hearing in October.
2. Builder of Wilmington’s Publix plans redevelopment of Carolina Beach’s Federal Point Shopping Center
In November, plans were submitted to the Town of Carolina Beach for the redevelopment of the Federal Point Shopping Center. GHK Developments, a New Orleans company that developed Publix in Wilmington submitted the plans to bring a new grocery store to the location.
The developer would have to get right of way access from neighboring properties including Wings and Harris Teeter, something that President of GHK Gordon Kolb Jr. does not think will happen.
Kolb was not able to release the name of the grocery store, but he did say it was a national grocery retailer
In October, Port City Daily took a look at the rapid growth in Pender County, and how Topsail Island was planning on dealing with the increasing traffic.
According to the North Carolina Department of Transportation, the average daily traffic over the new bridge in Surf City is expected over the next 20 years to carry nearly double the traffic of the current swing bridge. According to Brian Rick, communications officer for the NCDOT, the average number of daily trips across the bridge is predicted to rise from around 17,000 to at least 30,000.
“Our approach continues to be to support low density residential development that encourages small town charm and preserve the natural beauty of the island. Certainly, the number of daily visitors is expected to increase as the area around us continues to grow, and our planning efforts look to provide recreational opportunities without creating a negative impact on our natural resources or the peaceful living of our residents,” Town Manager Michael Rose said.
