Inside Cape Fear Community Colleges newest downtown Wilmington building

RENDERING PHOTO: Cape Fear Community College

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — Cape Fear Community College is expanding its nursing program. Starting next year, students will have a new building for taking classes in downtown Wilmington.

“We’re really targeting December of 2023 for the completion of the first phase. While that’s happening, we’ll be working on designing the second phase,” said Jim Morton, President of CFCC.

The newest building is at 319 North 3rd Street, which is the old Bank of America building. It will house additional lecture halls, a hospital simulation lab, teaching suites and nursing labs.

With shortage and staffing issues in the health care field, Jim Morton saw it as a big need.

“It’s huge. We started making steps in order to expand our nursing program with an accelerator program and adding additional students. But, we quickly realized that facility capacity is a major issue”

Although the expansion is good for the university; the acquisition of the building has not been met without some controversy. The building was purchased by New Hanover County for CFCC leaving some questioning the funding used to make the purchase.

“First it’s the need, and again I mentioned that’s why community college exists and there is a desperate need. As far as the value, we could not build this building for the value that it was purchased for. We’re fortunate that the New Hanover County Commissioners see that vision and see that growth and the need,” Morton said.

Morton says he hopes to move into phase two of the repurposing of the building in fall of 2025, hoping to be able to fully use the building not long after that.