The land owner and a new developer are proceeding with plans for an apartment community in the midtown area of Wilmington, to be built on a portion of the 600-acre master-planned Barclay development.

Site plans for Element Barclay, which will start with the construction of 258 luxury apartments on a site along South 17th Street and George Anderson Boulevard, were submitted to the city of Wilmington this week. The community would eventually include 402 units on about 25 acres at 3400 S. 17th St., according to the plans.

Property owner Cameron Properties Land Company Inc. is working with a new developer, Childress Klein Properties of Charlotte, on the multi-family component of the mixed-use Barclay development, said Hill Rogers, broker in charge of Cameron Management Inc.  

The former developer was Kassinger Development Group of Charleston, South Carolina. Rogers did not disclose the reason for the change.

The Element apartment community will be adjacent to The Pointe at Barclay, the commercial portion of the Barclay project, where a 14-screen Stone Theatres movie theater is under construction and work on restaurant spaces will start soon. 

"There's not a lot of apartments within walking distance to a retail site" in the same area, Rogers said. "The only thing comparable to these right now [city-wide] would be The Reserve at Mayfaire from a location standpoint."

Wilmington's Technical Review Committee is expected to review the apartment site plans at the panel's April 21 meeting, which begins at 8:30 a.m. in the fourth-floor technology conference room at 305 Chestnut St., according to the latest TRC agenda.

Residential growth is continuing in midtown Wilmington and adjacent areas. Other new apartments along South 17th Street are currently under construction as part of Braxton Place, formerly Sea Pines, a community to which Tribute Properties has been adding units and amenities. Building began this month on the Lake House, an amenities building, and Marina Village as part of the 1,400-acre master planned community RiverLights on River Road.

Additional commercial development is also in the works nearby. On Wednesday, the Wilmington Planning Commission recommended approval of a conditional rezoning for a 19,000-square-foot Aldi grocery store at 3701 S. College Road.