Wilmington City Council to consider rezoning land for Ogden shopping center

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — Tonight Wilmington City Council will discuss whether to rezone almost 13 acres of land for a shopping center in Ogden.

Development on the land has been held up, but a decision tonight can move it forward again.

Back in June the land that developers want to construct the Ogden Market Place was voluntarily annexed into Wilmington. That came after the developer withdrew a rezoning request with New Hanover County.

The Ogden Market Place is near the intersection of Market Street and Middle Sound Loop Road. Developers have said a Publix grocery store is planned for the shopping center among other retail spaces.

Some neighbors have voiced concerns about the influx of people in the area and the traffic, others who live in the area say they welcome the new developments even if that means more congestion.

“I am for it, you know, development in the area,” Bill Harris, who lives nearby. “It increases property values in the area, but I think the only drawback I see could be increased traffic and the speeding on the roads in this neighborhood, which is already pretty bad.”

Harris says if the project goes forward he hopes the city will consider putting in speed bumps on the streets running through his neighborhood, to help slow drivers down.

City spokeswoman Malissa Talbert says if the council moves forward with rezoning the land, the next step is the developers will have to lay out a plan the council agrees with. She says there’s no telling how long that process might take.

The meeting begins at 6:30 p.m..