Growing Pains in Wilmington’s Cargo District: Locals Call for More Parking and Pedestrian Safety

"Even on our busiest days, we still couldn't have enough parking."

NEW HANOVER COUNTY (WWAY) –The Cargo District of Wilmington began in 2017, and its popularity has grown tremendously. While this incubation space is good for small business owners, many say parking and walking can be challenging for their patrons.

One person in particular is Ruby Lord – a shift lead at Cargocade, an adult arcade and bar in Wilmington’s bustling Cargo District.

“Even on our busiest days, we still couldn’t have enough parking,” Lord said.

As she was cleaning her bar, she said she has a front-row seat to the neighborhood’s growth—and its growing pains, pedestrian safety, and a lack of parking.

“Sometimes, I’ll bike to and from work. Castle Street is a little wider. They have a lot of space for parking on the street for cars. When there are not a lot of people on the streets, there’s more space for bikes and cars,” Lord shared.

The cargo district, stretching from 17th to 15th Street, and from Castle to Wooster Streets, has seen significant growth, with more shops, restaurants, and businesses. However, the area lacks key safety features like crosswalks and traffic lights. According to a Wilmington Police Department spokesman, from January 2023 to date, there were four reported incidents involving pedestrians or cyclists in the cargo district.

Hopefully, those numbers may go down in the future, thanks to a project from the North Carolina Department of Transportation.

“They can use more lighting on the street. Use more light and cut more crosswalks from those new bars everyone likes to go to,” said patrons Max Brown and Malcolm Blane.

The two say see the risks firsthand.

“At night time you may not see like six girls running across the street on you- they have dark clothing – you can’t see them. They will walk slowly and don’t care. Or, one might take off, and like five others are like ‘Oh yeah!'”

An interactive map on the NCDOT’s website shows the district will soon get new crosswalks, pedestrian signals, and other improvements. In some areas, traffic signals, curb bump-outs, and pedestrian signs are also on the way.

This work is scheduled to start this year. But, it’s unclear what the project’s timeline will look like. We reached out to the NCDOT for comment but have not heard back.