WILMINGTON — The City of Wilmington and New Hanover County residents are the new owners of 14 acres of land located at Echo Farms after closing on the property Friday. The park’s tennis courts will be open to the public starting Saturday, but all of the other facilities will be closed until renovations are complete.
“The new Echo Farms Park is an opportunity for the county and city to work together to ensure we maintain green space in our community,” said New Hanover County Commission Chairman Woody White. “It is a priority for our residents and for the county, so I am glad we could make this purchase and partnership a reality.”
Mayor Bill Saffo also weighed in on the purchase, citing the need to preserve greenspace in the city as part of the reason for the purchase.
“There is only about 10 percent of buildable land left inside Wilmington’s city limits and it’s important that we keep some of that land for the entire community to enjoy,” said Saffo. “Through our collaboration, the city and county are providing a new public park that will serve our community for many, many years to come and will be a great legacy to leave our children.”
The park is not expected to be fully complete until 2023 and county residents will be picking up the bulk of the funding.
“By June 2020, the first three phases are expected to be complete, including repairs to the tennis courts and pool and construction of a new tennis and pool building with restrooms and changing areas. The final phases will start no later than June 2023 and will include additional park amenities. New Hanover County will pay 60 percent of the cost for the development and construction of the first two phases of the park, with the city paying 40 percent. The county will fully fund the final three phases,” according to a county press release.
