A new park planned on more than 6 acres in downtown Wilmington will be the subject of a presentation tonight to city officials.

In November 2013, the city bought 6.63 acres along the Cape Fear River for more than $4 million, with the goal of creating North Waterfront Park. The next step will be to develop a master plan, which will be done by the city through a cross-departmental project team and based on the goals of the park, public input, adopted plans and best practices and designs from other urban parks, said Amy Beatty, the city’s superintendent of recreation and downtown services.

Beatty will present a park update Tuesday evening at the Wilmington City Council meeting, which starts at 6:30 in the council’s chambers at City Hall, 102 N. Third St.

“The master plan will include the history of the site, environmental context/existing conditions, the context of the surrounding development, appropriate activities, management strategy and will outline opportunities for sponsorships,” Beatty said in an email Monday.

The master plan will be used to find funding for the park, which could come from a variety of places, she said. “Some of the potential funding sources are state and federal grants, grants from the private sector, private donations and sponsorships,” Beatty wrote.  

Outside of finding funds, the park’s next steps also include continuing outreach, according to the city’s website.

Last year, the city’s efforts to gather public opinion about what users want to see at the park included 18 presentations, stakeholder meetings, community events and exhibits. The city also received 1,400 responses to a survey regarding the park that was posted on its website.

“It’s garnered quite a lot of public interest and we’re glad for that,” city spokeswoman Malissa Talbert said.

Most of the survey respondents, a little more than 800, were Wilmington residents, with the next highest number coming from people who work downtown, according to the city’s website. Broken down by ages, most of the respondents fell in the 30 to 39 group, followed by the 40 to 49 category.
 

North Waterfront Park survey - Top 10 elements respondents want

1. Greenspace (lawn)	75%
2. Shade	70%
3. Performance space	62%
4. Gardens	59%
5. Festival space	49%
6. Natural habitat area	47%
7. Public art/sculpture	46%
8. Splash area	45%
9. Kids' play area	44%
10. Boater access	30%