At Monday’s meeting, Commissioners voted unanimously to approve the purchase of two properties located along the Western Bank of the Cape Fear River, across from downtown Wilmington. It’s a purchase totaling $2.24 million for the county.
Sitting north of Battleship North Carolina, along U.S. Highway 421, the two properties include 11.42 acres of land located at 1450 Point Harbor Road, and 17.13 acres located at 1209 N. U.S. 421.
The latter property will provide a safety buffer to the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office shooting range nearby, and provide a river access point for their marine unit.
Urban Smart Growth, the development company that the county is purchasing the land from, at one point planned to build condos, restaurants, and a hotel along the western bank.
Though both tracts of land are currently zoned for heavy industrial use, the county is purchasing the properties to ensure that parts of the western bank are protected from intense development.
The decision comes after years of residents and local organizations speaking out against overdeveloping parts of the western bank, which are prone to flooding.
The $2.24 million will come from the county’s Revenue Stabilization Fund, which came from the sale of New Hanover Regional Medical Center - a decision that could only be reached with the approval of four out of the five commissioners.
The county plans to reimburse this purchase by paying over $266,000 back into its general fund each year for the next 10 years.
Newly elected board chair LeAnn Pierce admitted this was a matter they had to pivot on.
“We have heard the community over and over again tell us that they want preservation, and particularly in that area, and we are committed to doing that," she said.
The county can take up control of land on or before December 31.
