Wilmington leaders approved a rezoning Tuesday that allows a condominium and townhome project near the intersection of Oleander Drive and Independence Boulevard to move forward.

The project and its rezoning have received significant pushback from neighbors in recent months and were met with more than two hours of discussion and public input at Tuesday night’s Wilmington City Council meeting.

Initial project plans include 16 three-bedroom townhomes along Independence Boulevard and a mixed-use building with 24 one-bedroom condos and 2,270 square feet of first-floor commercial space. The building is proposed for just under two-and-a-half acres at the northwest corner of Oleander Drive and Independence Boulevard.

The project’s developer, Dave Spetrino, asked city leaders on Tuesday to rezone the site from its current R-15 moderate density, single-dwelling district to an office and institutional zoning that would allow for the proposal.

The project is a scaled-down version of a 170-townhome and apartment development Spetrino proposed last year on the site and another 20-acre strip that runs south along Independence Boulevard. That plan also faced significant pushback from neighbors, and last June, Spetrino decided to move on from it.

The same month, Midtown Development Partners LLC, a limited liability company registered to Spetrino, purchased the tract at 1320 Independence Blvd. – the one currently eyed for development – for $410,000, property records show.

Attorney Sam Franck, who represented Spetrino on Tuesday night, said he believes the new townhome and condo proposal is “in harmony” with surrounding uses, creates much-needed missing middle housing and provides a buffer between high-intensity commercial uses in the area and the lower-intensity residential neighborhoods nearby. Franck also noted that an evaluation from city staff shows the project aligns with many aspects of the city’s Comprehensive Plan.

Many neighbors and other residents turned out on Tuesday to speak out against the proposal.

Attorney Grady Richardson said he represented nine residents on Hawthorne Road whose properties will be closest to the proposed development.

Richardson raised concerns about a lack of buffering between the project and the nearby homes and the increase in density. Richardson told the council he submitted a formal zoning determination letter to the city late last week, contesting the rezoning.

“We’re not opposed to development there,” he said. “Why does it have to be 40 units with no buffer? Why can’t it be patio homes or duplexes?” 

Christine Hughes, an area resident and former member of the city’s planning staff, encouraged the city council to take steps to protect the existing historic neighborhood, asking leaders to push for a lower density along with requiring additional buffers and a building stepback that would place the highest elevations along Independence Boulevard and the lowest elevations nearest the neighborhood.

“This doesn’t have to be a winner-take-all scenario,” she said.

Despite the many neighbors who opposed the project, Liz Carbone, on behalf of the Cape Fear Housing Coalition, voiced support. She said the development would create missing middle housing and offer homes that are walkable to nearby stores and restaurants.

Following public input, several council members said they didn’t believe the proposed commercial space made sense on a site close to Hanover Center and Independence Mall. They instead suggested Spetrino remove the commercial space from his plans and the city rezone the site to MD-17, a high-density, multiple-dwelling residential district.

Because the site’s zoning is conditioned based on the submitted site plans, Franck said the new zoning district wouldn’t impact the proposed development – apart from removing the planned commercial space. 

The Wilmington City Council approved the rezoning to MD-17 in a 5-2 vote, with council members Salette Andrews and David Joyner voting against it. The council also voted unanimously to wave a second reading of the item.