As an increase in residential construction changes the shape of Wilmington’s midtown, business owners around Shipyard and Independence boulevards anticipate an expanding customer base in the near future.

“It will be wonderful to be within walking distance of so many homes,” said Robin Fisher Cox, owner of Verzaal’s Florist & Gifts, a Wilmington business that was established in 1931 and is currently located at 2516 Independence Blvd. in Barclay Commons.

After working there as an employee for a number of years, Cox bought Verzaal’s in May, not long before construction began on one of the new residential developments springing up in midtown. Called One Midtown Apartments, the development off Independence and Shipyard boulevards in Tiburon Parc will ultimately consist of 223 apartments, with the first expected to be ready for renters to move into by November.

In earlier stages of development are The Forks at Gallery Park, where 52 townhomes will go up followed by 72 single-family homes behind Barclay Commons off Independence Boulevard and S. 17th Street, and Gallery Park Apartments at George Anderson Drive and S. 17th Street, where 258 apartments could be ready by late spring or early summer 2015.
“I think it’s going to be a real boost for Barclay Commons,” Cox said of the additional residents.

Situated across the parking lot from Perry’s Emporium and next door to The Wedding Dress Shoppe, a store created by Perry’s, Cox’s location is already well-suited to serve the needs of couples planning weddings, she said. Cox said some of the store’s future plans will fit well with the expected increase in consumers, many of whom will live so close to the center that they can bike or walk there.

At Barclay Commons these days, the mix of businesses, including a Port City Java and Henry’s Restaurant, produces an inviting atmosphere, she said.

“They have music out there in the evenings,” she said of Henry’s Restaurant, just across a small roundabout from Verzaal’s. “When the weather’s nice, we prop the doors open and people mingle around and window shop.”

Cathy Schnell, an employee at Cardinal Lanes Shipyard, said her reaction to the expectation of additional Shipyard residents is “the more people, the better,” when it comes to the impact of the developments on the bowling alley.

Schnell said she believes Wilmington residents already tend to prefer to frequent businesses closer to their homes as the city continues to grow.

“If you live out in Ogden, you’re not going to drive this way if you don’t have to because the traffic’s gotten so bad,” said Schnell, sister of Cardinal Lanes Shipyard owner Ron Schnell.

Some say it’s better if you don’t have to drive at all. In recent years, researchers have studied the effects of a community’s walkability, defined simply as the measure of how pedestrian friendly an area is, on property values. At the moment, Wilmington’s midtown gets a walkability score of 26 out of 100 through an app called Walk Score, which calculates the number based on addresses, walking routes, neighborhood amenities and a proprietary algorithm. The 28412 score translates to an area where most errands require a car.

“Being able to walk out your door and be at your destination – whether that be your job, school, park, grocery store or restaurant – is great for your wallet, health and quality of life,” said Josh Herst, CEO of Walk Score, in an announcement about the company’s 2014 list of most walkable cities and neighborhoods.

As construction continues on apartments and townhomes, additional residential projects are in the pipeline on the Carolina Beach Road side of Independence Boulevard.

Symphony Properties of Cary plans to build 256 apartments in a four-building complex called Independence West, on about 15 acres in the 3800 and 3900 blocks of Independence Boulevard near Echo Farms.

Meanwhile, Gallery Park, a mixed-use project that will include Gallery Park Apartments and is under development by Cameron Management, will eventually add new businesses to the area. But first thing’s first.

“The residential has to be there to support the retail,” said Hill Rogers, broker in charge for
Cameron Management.

Construction under way in recent weeks has included the extension of sewer lines into the site, one of the many steps toward the project’s commercial development. And although negotiations are ongoing, it’s too early to name the businesses that might come there, Rogers said.

Parking will be a challenge, he said, because the developer wants to avoid creating the kind of surface spaces that leads to a sea of asphalt.

“From a big-picture perspective, to make it dense, you need to have parking decks,” Rogers said of Gallery Park commercial development. “Parking decks cost a lot of money ... without a subsidy or without some kind of public-private partnership, they won’t happen.”  

For Gallery Park to be completed the way the company envisions it, such decisions are not expected to be made any time soon, he said.

In the near future, Rogers said he expects tenants of Gallery Park Apartments could include a variety of people, from young professionals such as those who will be employed at Live Oak Bank’s headquarters in Tiburon Parc or in medical careers to retirees who want to rent before they buy in the area.

In the big picture plan, Rogers said, those residents will not only be able to walk to Cameron Art Museum, Halyburton Park, the Cross City Trail and new businesses, but also to the already established providers of shopping, food and entertainment nearby.
 
 
ONE MIDTOWN APARTMENTS
WHAT: 223 apartments
WHERE: Independence and Shipyard Boulevards in Tiburon Parc
WHEN: First buildings could be ready for tenants in November
 
THE FORKS AT GALLERY PARK
WHAT: 52 townhomes first, with 72 single-family homes to be built after that
WHERE: Independence Boulevard and S. 17th Street
WHEN: Construction could start in November
 
GALLERY PARK APARTMENTS
WHAT: 258 to 275 apartments in the first phase, more than 400 total
WHERE: George Anderson Drive and S. 17th Street
WHEN: First buildings could be ready by late spring, early summer 2015
 
INDEPENDENCE WEST
WHAT: 256 apartments
WHERE: 3800 and 3900 blocks of Independence Boulevard near Echo Farms
WHEN: Site plans had been submitted to the city and were under review as of press time