New Hanover County leaders unanimously adopted a new comprehensive plan on Monday.

The 2026 New Hanover County Comprehensive Plan will serve as a roadmap for future growth and investment countywide, Rebekah Roth, New Hanover County’s planning and land use director, said. It replaces the last comprehensive plan, which was adopted in 2016.

“The county’s comprehensive plan is the broadest land-use policy document for the unincorporated parts of New Hanover County,” Roth told commissioners on Monday. 

“This plan does establish the long-range framework for how the county plans for growth, conservation, infrastructure and community needs within its planning jurisdiction,” she added, “and it guides future land use decisions, development standards, investments and planning initiatives.”

The New Hanover County Board of Commissioners first held a public hearing on the plan in February. Since then, the county has received public comment on the plan, and commissioners have worked with staff to refine and update parts of the document.

For example, the plan’s name has changed from its former title, New Hanover County Destination 2050. The update aims to indicate that the plan is a living document subject to change and evolve, Roth said.

The new plan renames the infill residential place type as neighborhood residential to better reflect a focus on development that’s compatible with the character and scale of surrounding neighborhoods. 

Officials also adjusted language around the corridor commercial place type to include the option for residential development as part of mixed-use projects. The place type, which aims to provide accessible, well-designed shopping and service destinations along major roadways, would apply to parts of Market Street, Carolina Beach Road, Castle Hayne Road and North College Road.

The plan revisions also introduce the potential of establishing a countywide minimum housing code and a division responsible for code enforcement. 

On Monday, Commissioner Rob Zapple made a case for strengthening the plan’s language.

“Words like ‘consider’ or ‘explore’ to me are not anywhere as clear as ‘establish’ or ‘implement,’” Zapple said. “I’m just trying to make sure we have really clear direction.” 

County Manager Chris Coudriet said he sees the comprehensive plan as clear direction for staff to move ahead with actions the board has identified. That includes, among others, creating a minimum housing code, recommending a model for proactive compliance and working with experts to develop specifications for a tree ordinance – initiatives would require further action from the board, Coudriet added. 

“Our opinion is, the things that have been identified by the board and included in this draft are ultimately the instruction to proceed,” he said, “but none of them can proceed as part of this because the details and the content are not there.”

During Monday's public hearing, Isabelle Shepherd, executive director of the Alliance for Cape Fear Trees, thanked commissioners for including the county's tree canopy in the plan, while Roger Shew, a local conservationist and retired UNCW lecturer, said resilience and sustainability should guide future county planning.

Natalie English, president and CEO of the Greater Wilmington Chamber of Commerce, said allowing mixed-use development in the commercial corridor place type and acknowledging the plan as a living document are important changes for the chamber.

“Now, as you move into implementation, we want you to keep the local economy in mind as well,” English said. “We’d like to see the county measure economic conditions alongside environmental (and) housing indicators, including available employment, land, industrial and flex space vacancies, jobs and wages and the commercial and industrial contribution to the tax base.”

Following discussion about potentially postponing a vote on the plan to review wording changes, board Vice Chair Dane Scalise said he wanted to see the plan move forward.

“This has been a long time coming. We’ve worked on this for a couple of years. We held it open for the last six months, gave everybody an opportunity – the public, commissioners – to weigh in,” he said. “There will never be a perfect document. Let’s please not let perfect be the enemy of good.”