Wilmington Water Tours at odds with its homeowners association in a move that could see the business close
WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — A downtown Wilmington business is at odds with its homeowners association and could potentially have to shut down its business.
Wilmington Water Tours has been a part of the local community for 15 years now, cruising guests along the Cape Fear River. But according to co-owner Doug Springer, one day things hit a snag.
“Unfortunately, a large yacht came in and docked next to us down the river a little bit and blocked the view of one of the HOA board members.”
Springer claims over the past two years, an HOA board member has spent more than $50,000 in HOA funds to get an injunction, which would result in the business moving and possibly closing down. Something that Springer says is just not right.
“Even the technicality that they’re using, they’re trying to enforce like federal legislation and interpret it when it’s really not theirs to interpret. They’ve rewritten the rules and regulations of the home owners association 10 years after we were here. They’re saying were an unauthorized business, so they’re also trying to play zoning as well.”
According to local resident Stephanie Rathbun, its something she doesn’t want to see go.
“The Wilmington Water Tour has been a part of Wilmington for several years, it’s something that I do every time I have company in town. It’s something that we’ve all grown to love, it’d be terrible to see them have to leave.”
With a court order pending to remove vessels from the docks, an appeal was filed. It will be heard at the New Hanover County Courthouse July 3rd in Superior Court.
WWAY reached out to the management company of the HOA, Priestly Management Company for comment. They said they would reach out to the board members for comment, but would likely not hear back until sometime Tuesday. We will update this article when further information is made available.
