WILMINGTON — Wilmington and New Hanover County continue to attract new residents and visitors to the region and with more and more people trying to live in the Cape Fear region, more development follows.
In 2018, the City of Wilmington, in particular, approved lots of different projects, from massive mixed-use developments to single family homes neighborhoods. In fact, in Fiscal Year 2017-18 the City of Wilmington’s Planning commission reviewed 50 different cases, half of which were conditional district rezonings.
Despite traffic concerns on Military Cutoff Road, City Council approved several major developments along the corridor from Market Street to Eastwood Road.
CenterPoint — 1531 & 1541 Eastwood Road
“On July 17, 2018, the City Council conditionally approved a request to rezone 23.2 acres from R-15 and SHOD to UMX (CD) for a large-scale, mixed-use development near the intersection of Eastwood and Military Cutoff roads. A special use permit was also approved to allow for a building height increase up to 75-feet on the site,” according to city documents.
The development received unanimous approval from City Council.
The Avenue — 347 & 349 Military Cutoff Road
In June, City Council approved another rezoning for almost 45-acres for the development of The Avenue.
Council also approved a special use permit to allow construction up to 75-feet.
Related story: Wilmington City Council gives final approval to The Avenue development on Military Cutoff
The development will take property currently zoned for affordable housing and mobile homes and instead construct luxury apartments, a hotel, and retail spaces.
Arboretum Village — 294 Military Cutoff Road
Another project that rezoned property formerly used as a mobile home neighborhood and affordable housing to construct a 98-unit townhome subdivision.
Arboretum West — 108 Station Road
In May City Council approved another rezoning for nearly 20-acres located on Station Road, the former home to Wheel Estates, a manufactured home community.
Related: Military Cutoff Road traffic gets an ‘F,’ but developer says its project trumps that
Arboretum West will be another mixed-use development with apartments and commercial and office space.
Kerr Station Lofts — 4599 Franklin Avenue
According to city documents, “City Council approved a request to rezone 8.4 acres from RB, CS, and R-10 to O&I-1(CD) for a student-oriented housing project
located at the corner of Kerr and Franklin avenues. A special use permit was also approved to allow for a building height increase up to 75-feet on the
site.”
Related: Major redevelopment is coming to Market and Kerr. What will it look like?
Wrightsville Avenue
On May 1, 2018, City Council rezoned 9.3-acres of, once again, mobile home property to a residential district.
“City Council approved a rezoning of approximately 9.3 acres located at 5501-5707 Wrightsville Avenue from MHP to R-7. A zoning map discrepancy mistakenly identified 26 parcels along Wrightsville Avenue as R-15. Staff held a community meeting with affected property owners and brought forward a staff-initiated rezoning request as a result of that meeting,” according to city documents.
Maximum height in urban mixed-use developments
“On April 3, 2018, the City Council approved an amendment to allow a maximum building height in the UMX district of up to 75-feet for a property associated with a development agreement in lieu of a special use permit. This amendment provides an additional tool to modify building height, however, it does not replace the special use permit as an option,” city records show.
Related: City Council says no to public role in early stages of development agreements
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