New Hanover County provides update on future of Project Grace

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — New Hanover County has provided updates on the status of Project Grace, set to bring a new Public Library and Cape Fear Museum to downtown Wilmington.

The project was put on hold in September after the Local Government Commission failed to approve the financing for the new facility. Without this approval, Zimmer Development determined they could no longer move forward as the county’s private development partner for the block.

There will be a budget amendment on November 14th to acquire the design plans for the library and museum building and a resolution that outlines the county’s intentions for the existing Cape Fear Museum building.

In the coming months, the county will continue to work on this project, but does not expect for construction to begin right away on the new facility, according to a press release. This is primarily due to inflation, increased interest rates, and construction costs in today’s market, given the timing delays for the project and now that the county will need to finance the project on its own.

The county says they hope to move forward with the project some time in 2023.