Residents in the Historic District will be impacted by decisions that will be made by the City, County and State in the coming weeks, months and years that will affect the quality of life downtown. These issues are monitored closely by ROW and are explained below.
I. Short Term Rentals in Wilmington are houses or condos tht are rented for short periods of time, often a couple of days or a weekend. These rentals are often marketed and booked through Internet websites such as VRBO or AirBnB. Two types of Short Term Rentals have been defined by the City:
- Whole House STRs are rented without the owner on the premises.
- Home Stays are rented rooms in homes where the owner is on the premises.
The conflict over STRs centers on whether Whole House Short Term Rentals should be allowed in Residential Districts. Currently, Wilmington's Zoning Code does not permit any businesses to operate in neighborhoods zoned single family residential. The City estimates that approximately 540 STRs (both Whole House and Home Stays) are operating within Wilmington. Investors who own Whole House STRs in residential neighborhoods want the code to be changed to allow their businesses in Residential Districts.
ROW favors Home Stays in Residential Districts and all types of STRs in the Central Business District which is zoned commercial.
ROW opposes Whole House STRs in residential neighborhoods. For more details about STRs in Wilmington, click the Read More button below.
The City Council met with the the City Planning Staff in an STR work session on March 16 to draft measures regarding the regulation of STRs to be voted on at a later date by City Council.
If you want to voice your concerns about protecting the Residential Districts, email the City Council at: Council@wilmington.gov
II. The Grace Street Project concerns the development of the downtown block containing the public library. New Hanover County owns the block and the County Commissioners are considering proposals for a public-private redevelopment of the block that includes the library, the recently-built Story Book Park, a parking garage, the Register of Deeds building and an empty parcel of land bordering Grace Street. Moving the Cape Fear Museum is included as a possibility. Two public hearings revealed a strong opposition to the re-development, which could include adding new apartments, condos and a hotel. The County Commissioners will vote on the proposals in the summer of 2018.
III. The Cape Fear Crossing Project concerns a new bridge to be built between Brunswick and New Hanover Counties. Twelve proposal were initially introduced, but the two routes that would impact the Downtown Historic District have been eliminated. ROW favors the southernmost routes that would not impact the Historic District. The final decision rests with the State Transportation Department, and public hearings will be held before the proposed 2019 decision and proposed 2020 building date.
IV. Many of Wilmington's historic brick streets have been covered with asphalt or are in disrepair. The City reviewed the brick street policy, held pubic meetings, and determined steps to be taken to improve the existing streets. The City Council has allocated funds for "Brick Street Rehabilitation" in the 2017-18 Budget Capital Improvement Program. We hope to see improvements in the coming year.
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