[Ed. note: The resolution passed unanimously at Tuesday evening’s city council meeting.]
WILMINGTON — After being pulled from rezoning consideration, and with conservationists and area leaders speaking out for its preservation, a swath of land on Independence Boulevard is at the center of a city resolution this week.
READ MORE: Community responds to ‘Airlie 2.0,’ as rezoning application to usher in 580 units is withdrawn
ALSO: ‘Legacy for future generations’: UNCW geologist advocates for Independence property conservation
Wilmington’s council will take a vote on Tuesday regarding its support to conserve around 60 acres at 3990 Independence Blvd., partially owned by New Hanover County. The city has rezoning authority over the land and council member Salette Andrews has put forth a resolution asking council to support its public preservation. The resolution also points to the land’s cultural and ecological significance and green space needs for the city and county.
“A lot of this land is very much hydro soils and environmentally sensitive — not very economically feasible to develop,” Andrews, a Democrat, told Port City Daily Monday.
Last year, Charlotte developer Northwood Ravin wanted to purchase the parcel and build 512 apartments, 45 townhomes, and 25 single-family units. However, the rezoning application was withdrawn before ever going to the city planning commission. It has not been resubmitted since.
“There’s only a very small part of the property that’s buildable to begin with,” Andrews said.
Her resolution calls to action relevant stakeholders — “New Hanover County, local preservation groups, and community leaders” — to collaborate and ensure the security of all “necessary resources and protections for this important site.”
The resolution indicates Barnard Creek is on the property, described as the headwaters for “both water quality in the Cape Fear River, and control of stormwater runoff and flooding along Independence Boulevard.” There are wetlands and upland sandy soils on the tract as well.
Andrews told PCD access to the property would likely require engineering of a bridge “as to not disturb the creek bed.”
More so, her resolution calls on honoring the memory and wishes of Flossie Bryan, a former nurse for James Walker Memorial Hospital — which served the area near North 10th and Rankin streets until New Hanover Regional Medical Center was built. Bryan was a proponent of the natural environment and died in 2002. She wanted the property to become a park and requested as much in her will, bequeathing land to the county.
But it was challenged in court by her heirs, who said Bryan suffered dementia and didn’t have the mental capacity to properly execute her will. The parties agreed to a court-ordered settlement for the rezoning of the land to its “highest and best use” before selling it, with one-third of the proceeds going to the heirs, the rest to the county. As of 2025, New Hanover County property records show the land appraised for $11.6 million.
As reported last month, Democratic commissioner Rob Zapple wrote in an email to a constituent earlier in 2025 that under “the right conditions” the county may be interested in purchasing the property from the heirs. If it chooses to do so, the county would only owe the heirs their portion of the sale price.
The county, heirs, and the general public have the option to make an upset bid during a private sale process, according to a 2022 updated agreement between the county and heirs, as ruled upon by Superior Court Judge Frank Jones. He also appointed attorney Jerry Mannen to oversee the property sale. To PCD’s knowledge, no one has bid on the property.
Community pushback to develop the area, primarily forested, has filtered through to both county commissioners and city council members. Andrews said she personally has received hundreds of emails from locals asking for the acreage to be saved, particularly since land is scarce in the county.
“And when commissioner Scalise made public statements last fall about Airlie 2.0, I called him and he told me he was very sincere about it and wanted to make it happen,” Andrews said.
Republican commissioner Dane Scalise has been outspoken about preserving the land. At the end of 2024, Scalise told Port City Daily he had requested a meeting with New Hanover Community Endowment CEO Dan Winslow to discuss potential opportunities.
Andrews’ resolution “suggests grants, public-private partnerships and other funding measures to ensure preservation.”
On Monday, Scalise said the commissioners are “actively engaged in discussions on potential next steps” and recognizes the community’s interest in its preservation — he, too, has received countless emails from constituents.
“This land could be of great benefit to the community,” Scalise wrote to PCD via text. “Preserving and conserving greenspace is among the strategic priorities identified by commissioners for the upcoming fiscal year.”
It is something Republican city council member Luke Waddell has written about as well — the need for green space. In a February op-ed for Wilmington Business Journal, though not calling out the Independence Boulevard project outright, he said it may be financially unfeasible for the city or county to scoop up remaining land at market value; however, he made it clear the entities have an asset in the billion-dollar Endowment.
“This endowment, guided by a board of community leaders and an executive director with a clear mission, offers a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to preserve land for parks and public use. In my opinion, we are at a critical juncture — perhaps the only one we’ll have — to invest now in future green space,” Waddell wrote.
He added area leaders and stakeholders needed to “think boldly” and act urgently and collaboratively to make it work.
Waddell asked UNCW geologist Roger Shew to come before city council last month after seeing Shew’s presentation given to nearby Del Webb property owners about the Independence Boulevard property. Similar to Scalise, Shew suggested putting forth the use of a “Legacy Park” for generations to come.
His vision beyond preservation included walking and biking trails, water monitoring, and agrivoltaics — the practice of using the land for agriculture and solar energy production — as well as farming.
“The best use of this land would be to provide lots of educational opportunities,” Shew told council. “Training for job opportunities, and to give the community ownership of the property to see what could be done there.”
Shew will give county commissioners his presentation at their March 24 meeting, according to NHC spokesperson Alex Riley.
The Del Webb group, located in the Riverlights area, has been vocally against the 60 acres being developed between Independence Boulevard and Southgate Road, concerned with more luxury apartments coming to the area Andrews said while she, too, has heard from this community, she also received emails from other pockets of Wilmington residents — from Carolina to Wrightsville beaches, midtown to downtown.
The Alliance for Cape Fear Trees has expressed support for her resolution and State Conservation Policy Director for the North Carolina Sierra Club, Erin Carey, has advocated for preservation of the land. Carey worked for the New Hanover County Cooperative Extension when Airlie Gardens was purchased by the county in the 1990s.
“I was one of the first workers to begin shaping that land into the beautiful oasis it is today,” she wrote. “We, as a community, have witnessed the profound benefits of public green space in the immense popularity of our parks. In a time when rampant development is stripping our city of what’s left of its standing tree canopy, and people are looking to get outside and connect with nature more than ever, this is an extraordinary opportunity for the city to meet a true need, one that the community has called for over and over again.”
Local resident Ray Pelletier has suggested the acreage become the new site of the New Hanover County Arboretum: “Its current 7-acre site is no longer sufficient to meet the growing needs of our region.”
The resolution emphasizes a public park on the Bryan estate could become a place “for reflection, education, and public engagement.” Andrews said she feels confident about its support, considering her conversations with commissioners, the council and the mayor.
Democratic city council member David Joyner told PCD he would vote in its favor.
“Virtually any option other than public green space requires the County to ask for a rezoning from the City, since the land falls within City limits,” Joyner wrote. “I would vote against a rezoning. I hope our Commissioners will resist the temptation to sell off land for rental units and keep the parcel as large as possible ahead of converting it to a public park.”
By press, no other city council members, nor the mayor responded whether they would support the resolution; it is accompanied with a recommendation by city staff.
“Certainly, we are all aware that our natural spaces are getting gobbled up at an alarming pace,” Margee Herring, president of the Alliance for Cape Fear Trees, wrote to the council on Monday, March 17. “I hope your vote tomorrow will encourage the county commissioners and other stakeholders to work cooperatively toward saving this important parcel.”
Council will vote on Andrews’ resolution Tuesday night, 6:30 p.m., in council chambers, 102 N. Third St. The meeting is open to the public.
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