Commissioners take first step toward buying part of Echo Farms

NEW HANOVER COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — Five clay tennis courts and a swimming pool at Echo Farms in Wilmington could soon be government-owned. County Commission took the first step toward making it happen Monday morning.

The Echo Farms Golf Course is no more, but New Hanover County and the city of Wilmington are working to preserve open space at the neighborhood along Carolina Beach Road.

“It’s not the best case scenario. It just was not an affordable option to purchase and run it as a golf course, but it’s a compromise and it’s a good compromise because it allows for us to have smart growth,” said Woody White, the New Hanover County Commission’s chairman.

New Hanover County Commissioners authorized County staff to begin negotiations to buy 18 acres.

The County wants to partner with the city of Wilmington to share costs.

“The citizens in Wilmington and New Hanover aren’t gonna pay one penny more than what it’s worth, but they’re gonna get a lot of real value out of it,” said White.

That parcel includes five clay tennis courts and a swimming pool. Right now, there are no clay courts open to the public in Wilmington.

Echo Farms’ tennis director, Rod Badash, says making those courts available to all would be huge for the future of the sport in the Port City.

“Many of the other cities in North Carolina that have clay court opportunities that are public. Wilmington does not and I think that would be an excellent opportunity for the tennis community,” said Badash.

Matrix Development Group, the developer of Echo Farms, closed the golf course in October. They plan to develop the course and build new homes and condos.