In 2026, economic development trends impacting the Wilmington region encompass a range of sectors and areas of growth potential, from a roadmap for investment at the Port of Wilmington to new industrial spaces, competing healthcare systems and the extension of water and sewer pipelines.
 

1 - Film at Risk?

When state legislators approved a $34 billion budget this summer, it included updated incentives for Wilmington’s film industry, which has lagged in recent years.

Local legislators touted the updated incentives to keep film crews in North Carolina and Wilmington amid competition from other states. But officials with the N.C. Department of Commerce, which administers the film grant program, have said all the state’s film grant funds are committed through 2029. Commerce officials have said the funding structure likely means the state will not be able to award any significant film grants to new productions until then.

The new state budget increased the maximum state grant for a feature film from $7 million to $20 million, and the maximum state grant for a TV series or scripted streaming service series rose from $15 million to $25 million per season.

It also included a new micro-budget production grant fund of about $1.2 million annually for North Carolina-based productions with budgets between $50,000 and $1.5 million, along with a new 5% bonus for production companies investing $80 million or more across multiple productions within 24 months.
 

2 - Port Planning

The N.C. State Ports Authority released a new strategic plan this year to guide the organization over the next five years. Amid recent impacts from global shipping and trade shifts, port officials say the plan offers a roadmap for growth.

The plan identifies four focus areas. For the port’s container segment, that includes becoming a preferred port by North Carolina businesses and the cold gateway of the Mid-Atlantic. On the general cargo side, the plan includes increasing bulk cement, fertilizer and forest product volumes and seizing breakbulk opportunities, such as growing paper, project cargo, lumber and steel.
N.C. Ports is targeting average annual container growth of 12%, resulting in about 337,000 TEUs in 2031, and 54,000 refrigerated TEUs annually. The organization is also targeting a year-over-year increase in general cargo volumes of 7%. Port officials say the plan would position N.C. Ports to generate $19 billion in annual economic output by 2031.

A proposal to deepen Wilmington’s harbor from 42 feet to 47 feet is also moving ahead. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers issued a final report this year on the $1.35 billion proposed project, moving it up the federal approval ladder.
 

3 - Building Space

Industrial buildings continue to rise across the Cape Fear region, catering to businesses large and small.

Small-bay or flex space is planned or under development on several sites. In Leland Innovation Park, the first of three small-bay buildings being developed by Canvasback Capital is nearing completion. Trey Echols, a partner with Canvasback Capital, said the project meets the needs of Brunswick County’s business and population growth. The roughly 5,000-square-foot individual flex spaces could house a mix of users, Echols added, ranging from small businesses  to indoor sports users.

In northern New Hanover County, flex spaces are rising as construction moves forward on a handful of new business parks. That includes Wrightsboro Business Park, which includes 17 buildings with 5,100 square feet each, and Wilmington Industrial Park, with 250,000 square feet across nine buildings.

Spaces geared toward larger users are also in the works. Earlier this year, Samet Corp. broke ground on a 160,000-square-foot industrial building in Navassa – the company’s second large-scale building on the site. Work also continues on Wilmington Trade Center, a 13-building master-planned industrial park.
 

4 - Healthcare Potential

Plans for a local medical school and new proposals from competing healthcare systems could bring new investment and jobs.

In May, the UNC System Board of Governors authorized the University of North Carolina Wilmington to begin formal planning for a medical school with a four-year medical degree program and an accelerated three-year track.

UNCW Chancellor Aswani Volety has said the school will help meet a physician shortage. As of press time, UNCW was looking for a founding dean and preparing for the accreditation process.

Meanwhile, three healthcare systems are competing for the 225 acute care beds identified as needed in New Hanover County. Proposals from UNC Health, Atrium and Novant could bring millions in investment and create healthcare jobs in the area.

UNC Health is proposing a 150-bed hospital, with a cost of more than $850 million, while Atrium Health is proposing a 42-bed, $395 million hospital.

Novant Health is proposing an addition of 225 beds to Novant Health New Hanover Regional Medical Center as part of the hospital’s proposed $236 million, seven-story heart and vascular tower.
 

5 - Pipeline Support

New Hanover County officials recently marked the completion of a project that extended water and sewer lines into the county’s last frontier – areas in the northern part of the county that remained unserved by public water and sewer.

The years-long effort, completed in partnership with Cape Fear Public Utility Authority (CFPUA) with state funding, aimed to support the county’s long-term needs. That included creating opportunities for economic development. The project, for example, provided service to the county’s I-40 Coastal Commerce Park and, according to county officials, could help accommodate future residential development in the area with reduced infrastructure costs.

CFPUA is also embarking on a $400 million replacement of Wilmington’s Southside Wastewater Treatment Plant. Currently, the Southside Plant is rated to treat up to 12 million gallons per day (MGD) of wastewater. The replacement will expand Southside’s capacity to 16 MGD. It will also include upgraded filtration technology and wastewater treatment methods.

In Brunswick County, expansion and upgrades are set to be completed this year at the Northwest Water Treatment Plant.