Residents in the Historic District will be impacted by decisions made by the City, County and State in the coming weeks, months and years that affect the quality of life downtown. These issues are monitored closely by ROW as explained below.
I. In November, the City Council voted to extend parking restrictions in the residential streets nearest the Central Business District and to fund a study of parking patterns in the affected area. New parking restrictions to close the gap between 5:30 pm and 3:00 am were approved and restrictions were extended to include Sunday. The five blocks affected are: 200 block of Orange Street, 100 and 200 blocks of Ann Street and 200 and 300 blocks of Second Street.
II. The City Council has approved the following regulations for both Home Stay and Whole House Short Term rentals in residential areas of Historic Districts that became effective March 1, 2019:
- Owners must register each year and provide proof of property ownership. ($200 for Home Stays; $300 for Whole House)
- The owner must buy $500,000 of commercial liability insurance.
- The owner must keep records of all rentals and pay the Occupancy Tax.
- Information about the property and the police non-emergency phone number must be posted in the house.
- Whole House STRs must be 400 feet from another Whole House STR or a B&B. After the first year, a lottery will be used to determine which STRs will remain where conflicts exist.
- A designated phone number will be distributed to report complaints to the code authorities and complaints will be recorded.
If you wish to report an STR that is not abiding by these regulations, call 910-254-0900 and leave a message that includes the address of the STR.
III. The Grace Street Project, involving the block that includes the library, has been postponed. New Hanover County owns the block and County Commissioners are reviewing proposals for a public-private redevelopment of the block that could affect the current library and possibly move the Cape Fear Museum to the site. A survey of ROW members in March found overwhelming support for keeping Story Park and against building 125 Apartments. The results were nearly even for keeping the current library/building a new one and moving the museum downtown. On April 1, the County Commissioners postponed a final decision on the project.
IV. NCDOT has hired a consulting firm to study the possibility of adding additional lanes to the existing Cape Fear Bridge. Only the study has been funded. A plan to build a new bridge between Brunswick and New Hanover Counties is not currently being pursued.
V. The City has reviewed its brick street policy and repairs and restoration have been made on S. 4th Street between Market and Dock Streets; on Queen Street between S. 2nd and S. 7th Streets; and on S. 7th Street between Queen and Mears.
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