WILMINGTON — In July of 2018 the Wilmington City Council approved a rezoning and special use permit for the development of a 24-acre project off Military Cutoff Road and Eastwood Road known as CenterPoint. The project initially called for the construction of apartments, retail space, a hotel, office space, and parking decks — but now — the developer is hoping to amend the site plan with some pretty significant changes.
The developer wants to increase the height of three additional buildings to 75 feet; in addition, the amendment would decrease retail space and increase residential units.
Big changes
When the project got the rezoning approval it was zoned as an urban mixed-use conditional district and a special use permit granted the developer permission to build two buildings up to 75-feet in height. At the time developer David Swain said that in order to fit the 1-million-square-foot development on 24 acres ‘building upward’ was necessary.
Now, according to the City of Wilmington spokeswoman Malissa Talbert, a request has been submitted to allow for five buildings to reach that height.
“The applicant has also submitted an application to modify the existing Special Use Permit to allow for an increase in height up to 75 feet for five proposed structures; a 75-foot tall hotel, a 75-foot tall office building, two 75-foot tall parking decks, and a 75-foot tall multi-family and mixed-use building (scheduled for 4/21/20 City Council),” she said.
The developer is also hoping to change the previously issued conditions to build less retail and restaurants and increase residential and hotel space.
“The applicant proposes to modify the existing UMX (CD), Urban Mixed-Use District (Conditional District) to increase the number of residential units and hotel rooms, decrease the overall retail and restaurant space, and adjust the site layout including the relocation of the proposed hotel,” Talbert said.
Related story: Two Wilmington Planning Commissioners worked on a Military Cutoff development. They won’t talk about it
The application also lists Chairman of the Planning Commission Richard Collier as the applicant for the request. Collier is the regional manager for engineering firm McKim and Creed and has previously recused himself from voting on anything that the Planning Commission decided on regarding the project.
Development boom on Military Cutoff
CenterPoint is just one of several planned mixed-use developments in a relatively small geographic area. The Avenue, The Galleria, and the Arboretum projects are all in some stage of development at this time as well.
Recently, the developer of The Galleria project Jeff Kentner said plans for his development’s hotel height increase request are ‘dead.‘ The Galleria project had applied for a SUP to construct a hotel up to 75-feet in height before later withdrawing it.
The application for CenterPoint’s request is online with the city and consists of 18 pages — none of which actually list the proposed changes to the site plan. The amendment process requires a new site plan, outlining proposed changes; the site plan has not been posted online by the city yet.
You can read the application below.
CD 5917 m 3201541 Eastwood Road by Michael Praats on Scribd
