Amid organized opposition from neighbors, a proposal to build more than 145 new apartments and townhomes on the site of a Market Street hotel hit a major roadblock last week.
More than 60 people young and old packed into a Wilmington Planning Commission meeting on Sept. 7 wearing shades of green to signal their opposition to the rezoning. Many donned neon shirts with the black-lettered message “Don’t be so dense, zoning should make sense.”
The high attendance is indicative of the often inevitable tension between those living in residential areas and the developers who propose new — often denser — projects nearby.
In this case, residents of several neighborhoods along one of Wilmington’s busiest thoroughfares formed a united front to pushback against a rezoning they viewed as much too dense for the area.
“We’re not opposed to development or putting in housing,” said Polly Tait, a resident along Wayne Drive, “but it’s just that (the developer) wants that highest level of density and (the site is) surrounded by single-family homes.”
In recent years, hotels along Market Street, including some once deemed “nuisance properties” by District Attorney Ben David, have become highly coveted by developers who are looking to redevelop what some have come to see as under-utilized space.
The space is a two-mile stretch where, according to police data, half a decade ago, more than 60% of Wilmington’s illegal activity occurred in a handful of hotels. So bad were the repeated reports of drugs, prostitution and gun violence that Wilmington authorities took legal action against six hotels.
While the area remains dense with strip malls and fast food outlets, the stretch has become a focus of new building and redevelopment, according to those in local real estate.
Nearby residents have become increasingly engaged in recent months. Since receiving notice of the rezoning in late May, Tait has spent the summer helping to advocate for resident concerns. She’s part of a committee made up of residents from the Beaumont, Forest Hills, Brookwood, Octavia and Mercer communities that’s been meeting weekly since they learned of the rezoning proposal.
The proposed project from South Carolina-based development firm Orange Capital Advisors would bring 112 apartments to the site of the Carolinian Inn at 2916 Market Street and 36 townhomes to a wooded portion of the property that abuts a residential neighborhood. The land is currently split-zoned with office and institutional development allowed along Market Street and residential building allowed on the wooded part of the lot.
Gary Shipman, an attorney hired by the neighborhood committee, raised questions about whether the development fit into the city’s land development code, which went into effect at the end of last year. He also raised concerns about how the project would affect existing stormwater and flooding issues in the area.
The committee had enlisted an independent engineering firm to review traffic and stormwater plans for the project, Tait said. All of the costs have been paid for through neighborhood fundraising. One community fundraising party in late August, for example, raised around $5,000 for the effort, according to Tait.
Several longtime residents spoke out against the project during the public hearing on Sept. 7. They said the proposal doesn’t fit the character of the residential neighborhood and will exacerbate traffic and flooding issues.
Allison Engebretson of Paramounte Engineering and Amy Schaefer, an attorney representing the developer, told the commission that developing the property would create more housing, add stormwater infrastructure and interconnectivity in the area along with addressing ongoing crime at the Carolinian Inn.
The city of Wilmington filed legal action against the Carolinian Inn in 2017 based on a history of drug use on the site.
Several Market Street hotels once deemed “nuisance properties” have seen upfits and ownership changes in recent years. Work at two other hotels just over a mile from the Carolinian Inn promises to bring efficiency apartments and new Hilton-brand hotels.
The plans would have preserved the property’s trees fronting onto Market Street and two historic buildings on the site and provided roadway connections to Market Street, 29th Street and Wayne Drive.
Jeff Walton, a planner with the city of Wilmington, said city planners recommended the rezoning because it would redevelop an “under-utlized” commercial property and provide more density in an area that’s within walking distance to restaurants and stores.
But members of the planning commission questioned how the proposed rezoning would fit into the residential area and how it would impact Market Street’s already congested traffic, among other concerns.
The planning commission voted against rezoning the Carolinian Inn in a 4-2 vote. The rezoning will next go before the Wilmington City Council for consideration if the developer submits an appeal within 10 days of the planning commission’s decision.
Reporter Emma Dill can be reached at 910-343-2096 or edill@gannett.com.
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