NEW HANOVER COUNTY — Early framework on periodic inspections of historic structures was presented to commissioners this week. The new county program, if agreed upon, may require more funding to add a compliance division and by proxy fees to cover it could impact building owners.
READ MORE: Downtown building condemned after roof collapse, city opens case to ‘track’ situation
While still in the early stages, New Hanover County Inspections Director Hans Schult told commissioners Monday it would affect 400 properties countywide at first — specifically commercial properties over 100 years old.
Lisa Wurtzbacher, assistant county manager, informed there are still details to iron out and the program likely would not start until fiscal year 2026. Any costs associated with it would be worked through in upcoming budget discussions, as next fiscal year will be voted upon in late spring and go into effect July 1, 2025.
“There is statutory authority to do this,” Wurtzbacher clarified, referring to NCGS 160D-1117:
“The inspection department may make periodic inspections, subject to the governing board’s directions, for unsafe, unsanitary, or otherwise hazardous and unlawful conditions in buildings or structures within its planning and development regulation jurisdiction.”
The county, which oversees building inspections, currently only institutes them on new construction or renovations and updates on properties. Complaints can also trigger a closer look.
To date this year, the New Hanover County inspections department has garnered 97 complaints. In 2023, it had 118.
Schult told commissioners, while the proposed program focuses on structures 100 years or older, other aging buildings would likely come into play. The program could launch a better system to investigate concerns.
“So if we only look at buildings 100 years or older, that doesn’t mean that we can’t look at some a little bit younger,” Schult said. “If there’s a complaint of a building that’s 50 years old, we can surely look at that one, too.”
The plan is to inspect the 400 commercial properties in the first two years of the program and then update them every five years. It would give the county ample time to be proactive on failing structures and identifying needs before rising to complaint status.
“How about, like, New Hanover High School?” Commissioner Bill Rivenbark queried.
The 102-year-old school has a laundry list of repair needs.
Schult said facilities that have frequent large congregations, such as churches or schools, would be inspected every three years, due to more wear and tear.
According to the inspections director, structural and electrical inspections would take place using inspectors who are certified in multi-trades for efficiency instead of sending “two or three inspectors to one building,” such as one for electrical and another for plumbing. He further explained it would be indoor and outdoor “visual inspection,” for crews to look at the roof, basement, attic and other areas. Inspectors would not cut into walls, for example.
The program will require a compliance team, comparable to current electrical or mechanical inspector teams.
“In developing this program, we will evaluate our current processes, in addition to the new processes required for the program, and will determine the need for additional staff,” Schult told Port City Daily.
Right now, the inspections team is made up of 26 members and Schult said it maintains a “large volume of work,”
“As such, establishing a new program without additional staff could put additional strain on our current staff members,” he said.
This also could require more funding, though numbers have yet to be assessed. Schult said fees could be established to cover the program, though county staff has not broached that side quite yet.
Past issues
The City of Wilmington contracts building inspections via the county but also can open cases, whether complaint-driven or observed by city code enforcement staff.
In the last few years, a few instances have occurred making the issue rise as a top concern in regard to public safety.
For instance, a condemned building at 208 Market St., last known as Blue Eyed Muse (and before that The Manor movie theater, Jacob’s Run, Ziggy’s By the Sea and Throne Theater), shuttered in 2017 after years of disrepair. County building inspectors confirmed the building was unsafe due to numerous defects and violations from electrical, plumbing, mechanical, fire and building code requirements. It was razed in January this year to make room for new luxury apartments.
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“That owner didn’t do anything for years,” Commissioner Jonathan Barifled said at Monday’s meeting. “It should have been torn down to begin with, as it could have harmed a lot of individuals who went there for dancing and bands and whatnot.”
Two months later in March, a façade collapsed affecting a trio of businesses on Grace Street — Tacobaby, Whiskey Tango Foxtrot and Kat 5 Kava. Fallen bricks damaged the downtown structures, a car and one person sustained injuries. Businesses had to close while repairs were made.
By August, when Tropical Storm Debby came through the region, a roof collapsed two blocks over at 205 Princess St. — a 119-year-old structure. It ruined the equipment and business of the Brand Engine tenant.
Business owner Justin Micthener told Port City Daily the roof collapse wasn’t just an incident caused by a storm; he had been complaining to the building owner for years about structural integrity and leaks but said he had been largely ignored.
Next door, at 201 Princess St. — built in 1902 — Memory Lane Comics also had a piece of the building collapse years ago. Though no one was hurt, it left the street closed for months as repairs took place with the landlord. The business’ entry and exit had to alter, due to scaffolding placed along the sidewalk.
PCD published a piece on Mitchener’s experience, with him questioning why government officials weren’t looking into historic building inspections more frequently, much like fire inspections are done annually. County Manager Chris Coudriet instructed staff to start assessing options not long after the roof collapsed at 205 Princess St.
“Commissioners, this building collapse, which happened 2 weeks ago, is the second one in the historic district in the last 6 months or less,” Coudriet wrote in September. “Public policy in our community around preemptive inspections, especially for buildings that may face elevated risk because of age, is largely silent. I have no recommendation for you right now, but I believe a recommendation is important.”
Coudriet embedded Port City Daily’s article link in the email, as the news outlet reached out to elected officials to see if they agreed the issue could have long-reaching effects. Many, including Commissioner Rob Zapple and City Council members Salette Andrews and Charlie Rivenbark, were united that looking into the idea could help with public safety and Wilmington’s historic landscape.
According to the National Register of Historic Places — a preservation list that culls the country’s historic buildings, districts, sites, and structures — there are almost 3,400 historic properties in Wilmington. Places on the registry are eligible for tax credits and legal protections for owners and local governments.
The 3,000-plus Wilmington properties include both commercial and residential. Schult said the county is starting the program to focus on commercial properties first since adding in residential would require a lot of “hoops” to jump through.
“Residential has restrictions requirements, such as targeted and blighted areas, which you, the government board, would have to designate,” Schult told commissioners. “We’d have to have specific complaints of a building. We’d have to know about the complaint. We’d have to have first-hand knowledge of it and reasonable cause.”
He said starting with the commercial side felt more reasonable and residential can be assessed later down the road.
The program would include beach communities and City of Wilmington properties — of which would also require board approval in those municipalities — as well as unincorporated areas.
“We have had buy-in from the city,” Schult told commissioners.
A letter was sent to city officials Oct. 7 from the International Institute of Building Enclosure Consultants, a North Carolina nonprofit of professional experts, who specialize in roofing, waterproofing, and exterior wall design and specification. They recommended the city consider a façade inspection program for commercial buildings due to the recent collapses.
This did not come at the request of the county, spokesperson Alex Riley told Port City Daily.
The letter indicated:
“While design construction requirements have seen increasing and more rigorous building codes and standards, time and the elements may eventually necessitate corrective action. A well developed inspection program can be one way to improve the public health and safety. At the end of 2021, the average U.S. commercial building was 53.03 years old, according to research done by Stuart A. Feldstein at SMR Research Corp. While commercial buildings are expected to last for decades, the increasing age suggests additional maintenance and repair will become necessary for many buildings in the coming years.”
Schult told commissioners advantages of the program would include upkeep of historic buildings, public safety, properly vetting tenant and landlord complaints, and reduced condemnations. It also will maintain market property values and protect investments.
He covered disadvantages, too — such as increased financial stress on building owners and potential for more business closures if buildings are out of compliance. Not to mention, it will require staffing and other potential costs to the county.
It already presented as an issue in downtown Wilmington as Waffle House was forced to close last month. The 255 N. Front St. Elks Temple Building, which housed the breakfast house, has been dilapidating for years, with neighbors complaining about its state.
The building owner racked up $52,000 in fines and has been under the watch of city code enforcement and closed due to a nonresidential code violation in August. In September, council agreed to give the owner 180 days to bring it up to code.
Property owners
Though he was favorable to more frequent inspections of historic structures, Commissioner Dane Scalise didn’t want to overlook those who would be affected.
“Have we spoken with property owners to get their feedback?” Scalise asked.
He also wanted to make sure if the county had to invest money that the program proved itself as a need.
Commissioner Jonathan Barfield said he expected some pushback since it could cost building owners more who aren’t compliant.
“The old Manor owner fought tooth and nail,” Barfield said, referring to when it came to correcting issues on the property before razing 208 Market St. entirely this year. There was roughly $1.5 million in repairs needed.
Commissioner Rob Zapple agreed it would be “tricky” when it comes to required fees; however, he maintained periodic inspections were a “long overdue plan.”
“It’s a minor miracle that no one has already not been hurt in the downtown area,” Zapple said.
Port City Daily spoke with historic building owner James Goodnight, a developer who restores properties in Raleigh and Wilmington. Locally, his work can be seen at Dean Neff’s restaurant, Seabird, beer tech company Untappd, and Sunny Gerhart’s restaurant on Castle and Third streets, Olivero.
He also just purchased properties at the corner of Front and Princess streets, including the building that’s home to Bourbon Street.
“It certainly seems overdue in Wilmington,” Goodnight said of periodic inspections. “I think the historic downtown is so dense with historic buildings, and there’s such a big piece of infrastructure there, that it does make sense to take the time and find the budget to make sure they all stay.”
While conceding buildings that are maintenance-heavy may impact owners more financially, he sees the real issue being with neglectful absentee landlords. Many have property management companies take over — as was the case in 205 Princess St. Michener worked with a property management group representing a former judge who has owned multiple Wilmignton properties.
“There are people who either have owned the building for years or inherited it and they live somewhere else and get a check from the property manager every month, and they don’t have the budget or the interest to make improvements or even do maintenance on it, so they fall in such bad shape,” Goodnight said.
Most recently, Goodnight purchased 539, 545 and 551 Castle St. and 515 Price’s Alley, all of which date back at least a century. He said they will not be torn down but repurposed. Tenants Modern Love and Dan Beck Art will remain in place, while new businesses — yet announced — will take over other spaces, such as Michael Moore Antiques (Moore passed away in the spring).
Having upfitted around a dozen historic properties in Wilmington, Goodnight’s purchase comes after many Castle Street buildings were torn down in recent years or degraded without upfit due to natural disasters, such as hurricanes. Overall, it adds to a dwindling Wilmington Historic District. There is no magic number of how many buildings have to be lost before an historic district loses its status on the national registry. Thus programs of this ilk could help preserve it further.
MORE: Castle St. building to come down, adds to dwindling list of historic resources citywide
Periodic inspections have already been launched in other municipalities. The IIBEC noted in its letter to the city that cities like Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Milwaukee, New York and Cincinnati have them.
Goodnight also buys historic properties in Raleigh and couldn’t recall the capital city having a program like this.
“But, I mean, Raleigh tore down so many of their historic buildings over the years,” he said — unlike Wilmington, “it doesn’t have the density of historic structures.”
Goodnight said he couldn’t count how many properties in Wilmington he has looked at where on the top floor there are trash cans collecting rainwater due to roof leaks. That’s where many issues begin.
“Some of these buildings have old flat roofs — once those go bad, you have water coming through the building, and then you have structural issues,” he explained. “I think that was the issue at the building on [205] Princess and the old Waffle House.”
Larger cities often utilize drones to help with inspections on roofs and elsewhere, Goodnight added.
Zapple asked for the county to get feedback from the Wilmington Homebuilders Association as well. Port City Daily reached out to the association’s executive director, Cameron Moore — also a county planning board member — but did not receive a response.
Port City Daily also reached out to multiple other historic building owners but did not hear back by press.
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