Downtown skyline center could soon house Sen. Ted Budd’s local office
WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — The Wilmington City Council is meeting tonight to discuss a potential lease agreement that will allow U.S. Sen. Ted Budd to open a constituent services office in the Skyline Center downtown.
If approved during the council’s July 21 meeting, this would authorize the city manager to execute a lease for 1,249 square feet of office space on the fourth floor of the Skyline Center. The office will serve as a local constituent services location for residents seeking assistance from the senator’s office.
According to city documents, officials say leasing the space to a government entity will generate revenue for the city while providing a convenient location for area residents to access federal constituent services.
The lease has an initial term of 30 months.
Under the agreement, the city will provide a tenant improvement allowance of $48,418.15 to help cover renovations needed to prepare the office for the senator’s staff. The annual rent is expected to total approximately $97,704.89, which includes repayment of city-funded improvements made to accommodate the office’s operational needs.
Over the course of the lease, the city expects to recover approximately $123,380.23 for those improvements through the rental payments.
The agreement also includes a $4,846.03 brokerage commission payable to Cape Fear Commercial, LLC. The commission represents 4% of the aggregate base rent under the lease, excluding the amortized cost of the tenant improvements.
City officials said revenue generated from the lease would help support Skyline Center operations and future capital needs.
The Skyline Center, located in downtown Wilmington, houses a mix of government offices and commercial tenants. The addition of Sen. Budd’s constituent services office would provide southeastern North Carolina residents with another location to seek assistance with federal agencies, veterans’ benefits, passports, Social Security, immigration matters and other services typically offered through congressional offices.
