With the potential expansion of the convention center and the redevelopment of several city-owned parcels, the northern end of downtown Wilmington is primed for future growth, according to city officials.

Elected leaders from the city and New Hanover County highlighted their priorities for downtown on Wednesday during Wilmington Downtown Inc.’s Economic Development Luncheon and Leadership Forum held at the Wilmington Convention Center.

Christina Haley, WDI’s president and CEO, announced ahead of the panel discussion that the downtown area had achieved a tax base valuation of $1.18 billion, as of the 2025 tax year.

“A tax base of $1.18 billion is not just a number; it is a representation of decades of public and private investment, thoughtful planning and believing in this community's future,” Haley said Wednesday. “That is why I'm so confident in downtown Wilmington. That is why I'm excited about our future.”

City council member David Joyner said he views the expansion of the convention center as a priority for downtown's future growth. The city embarked on a feasibility and needs study last fall to look at market demand and a financial analysis of the facility, and local tourism officials have said they’d like to see the convention center’s footprint grow.

Joyner said Wednesday that an expansion would bring more people into downtown and generate higher room occupancy taxes. The big question facing the city is how to expand, he said.

“One of the options is going to be to tear down the parking deck that most of us are parked in today and expand there,” Joyner said. “The other is to talk about a little bit of a different footprint throughout the northern end of downtown.”

Wilmington Mayor Bill Saffo said the convention center’s expansion is among his goals for the downtown area, too. He also wants to focus on the redevelopment of several city-owned tracts on the northern end of downtown. That includes land adjacent to Skyline Center and property previously slated to be part of the city’s Gateway Project.

Last year, the city received nine bids from development firms for properties at 1001 and 1021 N. Front St., before pausing the process to evaluate the city’s potential needs for the site. 

“I think the council has the opportunity to evaluate what other cities and what other communities have done around the country in respect to revitalizing this part of downtown,” Saffo said Wednesday.

Council member Cassidy Santaguida said while it’s important to get the city-owned parcels back on the tax rolls, it’s equally important to be intentional about planning how they’re used in the future.

The city’s Greater Downtown Plan is set to come before the council for adoption in the coming weeks, Joyner said. After that, city leaders plan to issue requests for qualifications or RFQs to begin master planning for the future of the city-owned parcels.

New Hanover County officials touted investments in Project Grace and the preservation of open space through a land purchase on the western bank of the Cape Fear River. Dane Scalise, vice chair of the New Hanover County Board of Commissioners, said he’s focused on securing more state and federal grants to acquire additional green space on the western bank.

County officials also said that supporting law enforcement and safety measures downtown, along with investing in transportation, remain priorities. Commissioner Stephanie Walker said she wants to see downtown continue to develop as a transportation hub.

New Hanover County Commissioner Rob Zapple said he’d like to see Project Grace and the surrounding properties develop as a downtown destination. The main branch of the New Hanover County Public Library opened in the building at the intersection of North Third and Grace streets last fall, while the Cape Fear Museum is expected to open later this summer, with a ribbon-cutting scheduled for Aug. 17, Haley said.

Officials from both the city and the county voiced support on Wednesday for a grocery store in downtown Wilmington. A grocery store was slated for a city-owned tract at 305, 315 and 319 Chestnut St. until Cape Fear Commercial, the firm leading the project, walked away from the plans in December.

“Cities are not in the grocery store business … but we can set the stage from a zoning perspective to make that a reality,” Saffo said. “Ultimately, I do feel that a grocery store will come back downtown.”

LeAnn Pierce, chair of the New Hanover County Board of Commissioners, said she’d like to see a privately-operated grocery store downtown.

Council member JC Lyle said the creation of housing remains a priority for downtown. Saffo said he’d like to see more density, with developers taking advantage of the vertical allowances on downtown’s northern end. For Santaguida, affordability is a focus.

“I want to see workforce housing downtown. I want to see housing downtown be affordable,” she said, “so that the people who work downtown can afford to live downtown.”