With plans multiplying and earth turning throughout the Cape Fear region, the area is on the precipice of a new wave of development that could determine how the community grows for decades to come. Developers are working on major commercial projects that could have the same impact as Mayfaire, the ground-breaking mixed-use development created in Wilmington more than 14 ...

Chris Cosgrove first went to Bald Head Island in the 1970s when he was 8 years old. One of five boys, Cosgrove remembers taking a small boat from Southport to the Bald Head dock. Everything the family needed had to come over in the boat because there was little on the island except an old lighthouse and wild pigs. The Cosgrove family trips to the island started when ...

Putting on my play clothes after school to go work on my “fort” in the woods behind our house was the best part of my childhood. I’ve always wanted to build things – I would ask for nails for my birthday, preferably 16-penny. Fast-forward to college, and it was fascinating. But I couldn’t wait to graduate and get to work – taking extr ...

In a way, Steve Anderson’s path to becoming a developer of multi-million-dollar office spaces started with a tip about some alligator shirts. Today, he’s known for leading the creation of six office buildings at Mayfaire in Wilmington, among other projects throughout the city. But his entrepreneurial journey began about 40 years ago. In the late 1970s, An ...

Toronya Ezell came to AMEZ Housing Community Development Corp. through her work in the banking and mortgage industry and through Price Cathedral A.M.E. Zion Church in downtown Wilmington. Although she’s from Alabama, she moved to her mother’s hometown when her grandfather was ill and needed some extra care. When he was feeling better, she stayed here, looked ...

Real estate broker and developer Terry Espy moved to the Wilmington area full time in 2007 to work on a development project called The View. The plan was to develop an up-to-11-story, mixed-use project downtown that included retail, about 70 condos, rooftop green spaces and a pool on the ninth floor. She and her partners invested about $6.5 million in the property, she ...

If the latest population growth predictions come true, the number of area residents will continue to grow at a fast pace for the next two decades at least. More residents mean more housing and more attention for the residential real estate market. The following are trends that will have an impact in the Wilmington area during 2018 and beyond: 1. Supply Keeps Shrinking ...

Hearthstone in Leland is an example of a neighborhood that has risen from the ashes of the Great Recession. “We brought it back from the dead,” said Shawn Horton, owner of Trusst Builder Group. “Twelve homes were built by a different builder before it was foreclosed on. We bought the property, cleaned it up and brought it back. We’ve sold over 10 ...

The economy’s strength in recent years has awakened sites with pent-up commercial real estate potential throughout the Wilmington area. Here are 10 trends punctuating the Cape Fear region’s commercial market:   1. The Growth of Mixed-use  The term “mixed-use” has become a familiar phrase in Wilmington conversations as an ideal dev ...

Spence Broadhurst’s re-emergence in Wilmington rekindles memories of a bright day in our region’s history – one now yielding significant returns. On that day in 2004, Broadhurst was Wilmington’s relatively new mayor and had a meeting at the home of PPD founder Fred Eshelman. The idea on the table – PPD consolidating its offices in a siza ...