Wilmington City Council approves bond resolution for Solomon Towers, reviews nonprofit funding requests

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — Wilmington City Council unanimously approved a resolution Tuesday allowing the Wilmington Housing Authority to issue up to $20 million in bonds to help finance improvements at Solomon Towers, one of the city’s oldest public housing communities.

The resolution is intended to make financing more accessible for renovations at the 11-story apartment building, located at the corner of Front and Castle Streets. Built in 1972, Solomon Towers provides approximately 150 affordable housing units for low-income families and individuals.

The bond authorization allows the Housing Authority to move forward with financing for needed upgrades to the property.

Later in the meeting, City Manager Becky Hawke presented the council with a follow-up discussion on two funding requests from local nonprofit organizations that were deferred during the city’s budget process.

The Community Justice Center and the Film Partnership of North Carolina each requested $100,000 from the city. Both organizations have already received funding from New Hanover County.

Hawke outlined several options for the council to consider, including providing funding through grant programs or using contingency funds.

Susi Hamilton, executive director of the Film Partnership of North Carolina, highlighted the organization’s workforce development efforts and its impact on the local film industry.

“And so in our five-year history, we’ve created over 450 jobs statewide. Two hundred and thirty-nine of them have been in New Hanover County alone,” Hamilton said. “So we’re looking at 64% of our total placement for interns and experienced crew members to train them. Sixty-four percent of that is coming into Wilmington.”

Council did not vote on either funding request during Tuesday’s meeting.

The city’s fiscal year 2026-27 budget currently includes $135,000 for economic development initiatives and $100,000 in contingency funds that could potentially be used for future allocations.