Wilmington officials present draft of “Greater Downtown Plan” after years of community input

Using that input, city officials have drafted the “Greater Downtown Plan,” a long-term proposal focused on issues including housing affordability, green space, mobility, economic growth and historic preservation.

“The plan was designed to focus on what the community wants to see for the future,” said Linda Painter, the city’s planning director.

Painter said the city collected thousands of surveys from residents asking what they valued most about downtown and what changes they wanted to see.

“That asked people what they loved about greater downtown and what needed love,” Painter said.

Many residents raised concerns about the loss of green space and tree canopy as development continues in the area.

Survey responses included comments such as, “Too many apartments without additional green space, resulting in the city losing its culture and history,” and “There are no trees left … they all got cut down.”

Residents also expressed concerns about transportation and accessibility downtown, including parking costs and bicycle infrastructure. Some comments called for “more bike paths downtown,” while others said “the hourly cost of parking is more than the hourly wage for those parking.”

Additional concerns focused on the local economy, historic preservation and affordable housing.

“People are really concerned about the affordability of housing in the greater downtown area, and are looking for ways that we can improve that,” Painter said.

City officials narrowed the feedback into four primary themes: local character, economy and small business, mobility and resiliency.

The draft plan identifies five focus areas across the city where officials hope to address those concerns over the next five to 10 years.

One of those areas includes Greenfield Street and South Fifth Avenue, where some improvements, including a new bike lane, have already been added.

Another focus area is the northern riverfront and the Brooklyn Arts District near the Skyline Center. According to the plan, the area could support taller buildings and additional development opportunities.

“When you come down here you’ll notice that there are a lot of vacant lots that previously had buildings on them or that are used for surface parking,” Painter said. “Just in this area alone we have over 20 acres of vacant land.”

The plan also highlights the Delgado district near Dawson and 16th streets, where officials hope to create more open space, affordable housing on city-owned lots and additional retail space.

In the medical district, the proposal includes potential expansion space for a New Hanover County school campus, as well as a greenway and new park.

The final focus area involves the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge corridor. As redesign plans for the bridge continue, the downtown plan recommends minimizing impacts on historic homes and reducing traffic concerns along South Fifth Avenue during future construction efforts.

Painter said the adoption of the plan would mark the beginning of the implementation process rather than the end.

“It’s been an over two year process for us to get this point of bringing it forward for adoption, but adoption is not the end, adoption is really the beginning for us,” Painter said.

The plan was scheduled to go before the planning commission Wednesday night for a public hearing before moving to city council for further consideration.