NEW HANOVER COUNTY — A new business park could soon add to the growing commercial and residential developments in the north end of New Hanover County.
Paramounte Engineering and property owner Jarrod Covington have set the date for a community meeting to discuss a 17-acre business park proposal. Paramounte, responsible for several high-density housing projects in the county, has designed a 10-building park totaling nearly 100,000 square feet of commercial space.
READ MORE: $500K, 35 jobs: NHC approves 2 sales in Blue Clay Business Park
The vacant tract sits near the General Electric plant at the intersection of Hermitage and Castle Hayne roads, bordering single-family homes and a couple other vacant parcels. The park will be accessible from both roads.
Covington requested a straight rezoning of the property in March and didn’t have a plan attached to it; however, the county’s planning board and community members requested a detailed proposal to clarify his intent.
With Paramounte’s site plan, Covington is requesting a conditional rezoning from the acreage’s R-20 single-family residential to a commercial district, CS. A majority of the buildings will be for industrial flex use, a type of commercial real estate that offers a variety of uses and amenities to tenants — offices, warehouses, or retail. One building will be reserved for office and building services.
Covington told Port City Daily the development originated with his search for warehouse space to accommodate his kayak and paddleboarding business, Wrightsville SUP, located in Wrightsville Beach. He bought a space in Dutch Square Industrial Park but became inundated with requests to rent it.
“That is when I saw the huge need in our area for similar small businesses, the trades, and storage,” Covington said. “[I’m] just trying to help fulfill and resolve some of that need from friends asking.”
All businesses that fit the zoning and flex space — office, retail, storage — will be welcome. Buildings range from 2,000 to 30,000 square feet, with rental units comprising 2,000 to 10,000 square feet. There is also an option to build to suite.
If the county approves the rezoning, Covington said he plans to phase tenants as building construction completes, with less than six at a time to start. The first phase will include the site’s infrastructure, including a stormwater pond and onsite septic area; utilities will be provided by Cape Fear Public Utility Authority. The front office building will also be constructed in phase one.
“I am not a big developer and can only do so much at once, but the co-tenants will certainly help make it happen,” Covington said.
The community meeting for the park will take place next week; the developer will discuss potential impacts on surrounding neighbors. According to the site plan, the business park includes a minimum of a 35-foot buffer — vegetation-only or with a combination of fencing.
A traffic analysis is not required for the development; however, Covington said the estimated impact is light, with around 30 peak morning and evening trips per day.
A stream runs down the middle of the property with a buffer between it and the development. Almost 4 acres of wetlands are present in one corner; the site design calls for a 0.88-acre stormwater pond near the wetlands.
According to the site plan, the parcel is located in a Federal Emergency Management Agency-designated Zone X flood zone, posing minimal flood risk.
Covington’s placement of the business park is aligned with the county’s desire to see this area — adjacent to the Hermitage Industrial area, General Electric, state property — rezoned to commercial rather than residential use, he said.
“It fit all the boxes for the perfect site, affordable for a small business like myself and in a fast growing area with potential,” Covington said.
The northern end of the county has been targeted for other business parks, such as the county-owned Blue Clay Business Park 4 miles away; county commissioners approved two more land sales within the 120-park Monday. The sales to Coastal Millwork Supply Co. and FTT Cabinetry are projected to generate 35 jobs and make a $15-million economic investment.
The county also approved a rezoning for 130,000-square-foot business park on Hermitage Road, less than a mile from the Castle Hayne proposal, in April 2022. Also designed by Paramounte Engineering, the plan calls for 11 buildings, each housing about three to four units ranging in size from 9,000- to 12,000-square-feet. The structures will take up 14% of the site and likely accommodate mostly warehousing, with a small front portion withholding offices.
In October 2022, commissioners also approved a 50-acre property donation from Sidbury Land and Timber as the foundation of a proposed business park on Holly Shelter Road. The county will fund the completion of water and sewer to the property by 2026 and pay for the construction of an access road to the area, completed three years after the utilities are installed.
The Holly Shelter business park came to fruition due to commissioner Bill Rivenbark securing the deal. He said he was inspired by the expansion of Pender Commerce Park in the late 2000s.
The community meeting for feedback on the Castle Hayne Business Park will take place on April 27 at 6:30 p.m. at picnic shelter 1 near the playground at Northern Regional Park, 4700 Old Ave. in Castle Hayne.
Reach journalist Brenna Flanagan at brenna@localdailymedia.com
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