Thursday, February 13, 2025

Newsroom Podcast August 11 – Leland makes a rare and complicated move to help a developer

Our weekly podcast takes a deeper look at recent stories, answers reader questions, and goes behind the scenes of the Port City Daily newsroom.

We kick off this week with the good news (at least for cigar fans): Wilmington’s first cigar bar opens.

Many have asked, and — yes — it is legal (an exception in the state law that banned smoking in bars and restaurants allows cigar bars) and — yes — it is the first of its kind in the area.

We also take a look at a Wilmington businessman who, thoroughly dissatisfied with other locally distilled rums, decided to make his own — but not in Wilmington. We find out why. (Hint: it’s GenX).

Then it’s time to get serious, and take a deep dive into the Special Assessment District proposed in Leland’s Brunswick Forest development. Created by state law in 2008, only three previous Special Assessment Districts (SADs) have ever been created. But what is a SAD, and what will Leland’s proposal mean for future residents?

Finally, it’s time to ask the question: “What ever happened to…”

From disappearing parking spots in downtown Wilmington, to the major capital projects we heard about — and then didn’t — we take a look at what happened.

If you missed any of these stories, you can catch up below, then take a deeper dive with our weekly podcast. You can find all of our “Brews and Bites” stories here.

Developers build now, property owners pay later: Brunswick Forest’s Special Assessment District

50 downtown Wilmington parking spaces lost to Aloft Hotel in city deal

Related Articles