Changes are in store this year for a heavily traveled corridor that links drivers to New Hanover County’s beach towns.
Real estate industry professionals and local officials expect those changes to come in the form of additional development, and improvements to the landscape along portions of Carolina Beach Road within the Wilmington’s city limits.
A 2004 city corridor plan for the parts of Carolina Beach Road within those limits, from South Third Street to around St. Andrews Drive, described the looks of the road as they stood at that time: “Most of Carolina Beach Road is generally unattractive due to the lack of landscaping, poor screening of outdoor storage of heavy equipment, numerous large pole signs and generic architecture including metal buildings.”
As planners gathered residents’ opinions in 2004 to come up with the corridor plan, “There was consensus from community input that people wanted greater quality development even if costs were eventually passed on to them,” the plan says.
Fast-forward a little more than 10 years after city officials adopted the corridor document, and some of the plan’s predictions seem to be coming true.
Property owners will pay an additional 2 cents per $100 valuation to fund transportation improvements that include work on Carolina Beach Road’s northern streetscape after voters agreed to a bond referendum in November.
The city’s upcoming plans for the corridor, according to transportation bond information on the city’s website, involve streetscape changes between Burnett and Shipyard boulevards.
“This project will improve the quality of life by adding visual and safety improvements to Carolina Beach Road” through the addition of “landscaping and turn lanes at various locations,” the transportation bond plans say.
“The planned enhancements are going to be a huge improvement for Carolina Beach Road,” said Christine Hughes, senior planner for the City of Wilmington.
Hughes said the 2004 corridor plan for the road is still in use as a guiding document, and she expects that some of the strategies and ideas introduced in the corridor plan will be incorporated into a comprehensive plan that city officials are currently developing.
Commercial broker Terry Quinn of Intracoastal Realty said he believes an increase in activity in the corridor that took place in 2014 will likely continue this year and beyond, pointing to new apartments on the way.
“Places are beginning to pop up along there,” said Quinn, listing agent for about 10.9 acres on Carolina Beach Road near Echo Farms that is zoned to allow multi-family development.
Apartment development in the corridor includes Meridian at Fairfield Park, a 241-unit project near Codington Elementary School.
“Construction has started, and we anticipate delivering units in early 2016,” said Mark Barker, CEO and principal of NorthView Partners, the developers of Meridian at Fairfield Park.
