Wilmington City Council approves first reading of apartment complex rezoning, Thalian Hall repairs

WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) - The first reading for rezoning for a 248-unit apartment complex and repairs for Thalian Hall were approved at the Wilmington City Council meeting on Tuesday, October 4. You can find the full agenda here.

Rezoning for the Proximity at Watermark

The first reading for rezoning for a 248-unit apartment complex on 40.45 acres at 4126 River Road, located right next to the Cape Fear River and at the end of Independence Boulevard, was approved 6-1 by the city council.

Last month, the planning commission recommended conditional approval for The Proximity at Watermark with a 6-0 vote. Cape Fear Development Partners applied for the conditional district rezoning on behalf of the owner, SCS Ventures.

Approval, however, comes with some caveats. The traffic impact analysis for the site concluded that a roundabout is needed for the intersection of Independence Blvd and River Road. The commission removed the requirement for the developers to implement the traffic analysis requirements before a certificate of occupancy is granted. Until that certificate is granted, nobody can legally move into a property.

City council added that requirement back in to the ordinance, though this is made more complicated due to a previous agreement with Newland Development for Riverlights, which would require them to pay for improvements to that intersection in 2031. The planning commission proposed that SCS Ventures and Newland Development work together to discuss some way to share the cost.

ARPA funding for Thalian Hall roof repairs

The city unanimously approved a $313,240 contract with Monteith Construction Corp of Wilmington for repairs to the interior of Thalian Hall. Per the ordinance, 12 skylight roof panels were already set to be replaced, but staff determined that the other 36 panels needed to be replaced to make sure water doesn’t leak in. Costs will be covered via American Rescue Plan funding.

Lowering speed limit for Riverlights roads

One ordinance was unanimously approved regarding a speed limit of 25 mph on several roads as part of the Riverlights master planned development. Specifically, this includes Floating Bridge Trial, Deveraux Drive, Folsom Avenue, Broomsedge Terrace and Wilderness Road.

Copyright 2022 WECT. All rights reserved.