2025 Residential Real Estate WilmingtonBiz Magazine
Wilmin G ton B iz
MAGAZINE
FINDING A PLACE TO CALL HOME
BIG projects on the horizon
MCKAY SIEGEL SHARES UPDATES ON PLANS FOR WATERWAY, ONE OF SEVERAL LARGER COMMUNITIES UNDERWAY IN THE AREA
Located in the beautiful, wooded city of Leland, NC, our 55 and older apartment community features 1- and 2-bedroom floor plans with upscale amenities so you can live the lifestyle you love.
Chef-Inspired Kitchens
Granite Countertops
In-unit Washer and Dryer
Oversized Closets
Private Balconies
Salt Water Resort-Style Pool
Manicured Courtyards
24 Hour Fitness Club
Yard Games/Activity Lawn
Creative Arts Center
Concierge Service
Pickle Ball Court
Dog Park & Pet Spa
Theatre Room
Community Garden
BACK IN MY DAY:
HOUSING FOR $425
THIS IS ONE WAY YOU KNOW YOU’RE GETTING OLDER: YOU START TELLING PEOPLE HOW THINGS USED TO BE.
When I attended the University of South Carolina, I lived in an 18-story apartment building called the Cornell Arms in downtown Columbia. My rent was around $500 a month, including utilities (except cable), for a two-bedroom apartment on the 16th floor.
My friends in newer apartments were paying more, but the Cornell Arms was built in 1949. Despite its age and lack of frills, it was in a prime location for walking to class, right across the street from the Horseshoe, a U-shaped grassy area surrounded by buildings from the school’s original campus, some of them dating back to the 1800s.
When I moved to Wilmington in 1998, I rented a 500-square-foot apartment on Randall Parkway for $425 a month (without utilities). I later moved to a two-bedroom, townhome-type apartment in the same complex that was only $100 more. But I remember still struggling to afford extras after my rent was paid, stuff like cable and going out to eat.
Rents at the Cornell Arms range from $875 to $1,365 now, according to the property’s website, with power, water, sewer and high-speed internet included. To me, it sounds like it’s still a very affordable option for USC students.
Making comparisons doesn’t really help people now as they search for affordable housing options, but it can provide perspective, like I hope my article, “The Housing Quest” on page 20 does. I interviewed the renters in the article in the living room of my house in midtown Wilmington, a small place built in the 1950s. In the same neighborhood, about a mile away, people have built two new homes not far from each other that are about three times the size
of most of the houses surrounding them. I can see that happening more often in Wilmington, especially in desirable locations – people buying older, dated homes for the lot. That’s because there aren’t many other places to build in the city limits. But outside the city limits, developers have plans for thousands of homes to meet the enormous demand now and in the future. It can be hard to imagine the impact of that many houses, but they won’t be here all at once. (Read more about these plans in “Lots of Home Work” on page 36).
There are a lot of pieces to the housing puzzle. Area resident Roger Gins (profiled on page 26) advocates for accessory dwelling units (ADUs), a different type of housing that can be more affordable than other, more traditional kinds.
The experts say it’s going to take a mix of ideas, from ADUs to more single-family homes, to meet a housing demand that isn’t going anywhere, like prices over the past 30 years, but up.
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DAVID DIVINE, SIOR SENIOR DIRECTOR
SANDY THORPE MANAGING DIRECTOR
WILMINGTON TEAM
DARIA
AMATO
DARIA AMATO is a native New Yorker and School of Visual Arts graduate. Throughout her 30 years of experience, she has photographed a range of editorial, advertising, company branding and corporate clients in addition to music, fashion, portraiture, weddings and still life. Amato photographed members of Save Sledge Forest for a story about green space ( PAGE 30 ) and homeowner Jenny DePuy on home costs ( PAGE 20 ).
EMMA DILL
EMMA DILL , a Wisconsin native, graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2019 with a journalism degree. In 2020, she moved to North Carolina for a job at the Wilmington StarNews. She covered local government and development issues for the daily newspaper until joining the staff of the Greater Wilmington Business Journal. Dill wrote about balancing development needs and green spaces on PAGE 30.
BETH A. KLAHRE
BETH A. KLAHRE retired from a major Pennsylvania chocolate manufacturer. Now relocated to Southport, she spends her time writing and has been published locally and nationally. She is learning to play the harp, loves walking the beach with her dog, and serves on the board of directors of Friends of the Library Southport & Oak Island. She talked with Roger Gins, founder of the Backyard Housing Group and ADU proponent ( PAGE 26 ).
MALCOLM LITTLE
MALCOLM LITTLE is a portrait, editorial and brand photographer based in Wilmington. Originally from New Jersey, he began his creative journey as a professional dancer and choreographer before picking up a camera in 2021. He photographed McKay Siegel, of East West Partners, for the cover of the residential real estate section. malcolmlittlephotography.com and @_malcolmlittle on Instagram
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B iz B I tes
HIDDEN GEM
Christian Cardamone had a good feeling about the property at 3605 Caswell St. in Wilmington.
“I was driving around one day, looking for opportunities. There was a sign in the bushes that had blown over and was covered up,” said Cardamone, a real estate broker and owner of Aloha Wilmington Development & Construction.
He negotiated for six months to buy the property, where he built three luxury townhouses.
Well-known local architect Rob Romero designed them, and Bauen Group built the 1,800-square-foot dwellings. “I had seen them (townhomes) be successful downtown, and so I felt something like that would be a great alternative for folks,” Cardamone said.
His bet paid off. Cardamone sold the townhouses to an investor in December for nearly $2 million.
SOUND OFF | BEHIND THE NUMBERS | THE DIGEST | C-SUITE CONVO
photo c/o ALOHA WILMINGTON DEVELOPMENT & CONSTRUCTION
SOUND OFF
A VALUES and TAX RATES BALANCING PROPERTY
Editor’s note: New Hanover County commissioners are scheduled to hold budget work sessions in March and April, with budget recommendations coming out in May. A public hearing on the budget and the commissioners’ vote on it are slated for June. For more info, go to nhcgov.com/282/Budget.
T THE END OF FEBRUARY, MOST PROPERTY OWNERS IN NEW HANOVER COUNTY RECEIVED NOTICES THAT THE TAX VALUE OF THEIR REAL PROPERTY HAD SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED.
Some residential and commercial properties will double or even triple in value. Counties across North Carolina are required to perform these property revaluations at least every eight years. New Hanover County chooses to do so every four years in an effort to minimize “sticker shock.” Sometimes, however, the invisible hand of the market has different plans.
Here’s the simple reality: If the current property tax rate (45 cents per $100 valuation) remains unchanged, these upward swings in property valuations would result in a huge tax bill increase for you and gobs more revenue for the government – perhaps $150 million or more.
It is said that higher costs of doing the government’s business
DANE
SCALISE
(mostly due to inflation since 2021) mean that the county government needs more revenue to function as usual. There is some truth to that, but do you know who needs your money even more? You.
Budgets should serve first and foremost the taxpayer. Taxes should be levied sparingly and spent judiciously.
The growing concerns of the public over these increased property valuations demand a response from those of us making these decisions. Inspired by the input I have received through conversations with New Hanover County citizens, here are the priorities I will be pursuing during our county’s upcoming budget cycle:
1. MASSIVELY LOWER THE TAX RATE. My position is straightforward: If property values are going way up, then the tax rate should go way down. It is good that our homes are worth more, but that is no excuse for the government to pick your pocket. We must lower the property tax rate in a meaningful way to minimize the impact that these increases will have on your tax bill.
2. CUT WASTEFUL SPENDING. We have too much money going to the wrong things. In an annual budget of over half a billion dollars, there is plenty of room for
optimization. As always, my focus is and remains on exclusively funding core services.
• Cut the DEI Department. I strongly believe in fairness and equality for all citizens, but I do not believe that the DEI department is the proper mechanism for achieving that critical goal. I will continue to advocate for this change as long as DEI initiatives put our county at risk of legal liability and losing federal and state funding.
• Cut Government Operational Expenses. Our county government can and should be leaner. We need to take a renewed look at all county departments, particularly those that are administrative in nature, to determine where we are top-heavy and/or inefficient. I would gladly welcome the opportunity to hire an experienced third party to perform an audit of county functions and operations.
• Cut Noncounty Agency Funding. We have many fantastic local nonprofits and other private organizations, but there is an inherent issue when the government picks and chooses which of these nongovernment entities will receive taxpayer dollars and, by extension, which will not. I believe that the (New Hanover Community) Endowment created from the sale of the hospital is a more appropriate source for this funding. Furthermore, if we return more money to our citizens, they can choose to be more charitable individually or through their businesses.
3. INCREASE FUNDING FOR
CORE SERVICES. Your tax dollars should be spent only on the most worthwhile, critical government services.
• Increase Funding for Students and Teachers. Last year, despite numerous budgetary challenges, the county budget provided the largest amount of money it ever has for our school system. This year, I want to do even more, including more pay for teachers and more funding for Cape Fear Community College.
• Increase Funding for Veteran Services. Federal and state services often shortchange our veterans. The least we can do at the county level is ensure that the 15,000 veterans living in New Hanover County receive the best customer service we can offer.
• Increase Funding for Law Enforcement and First Responders. There should never be any doubt that those on the front lines of public safety have the resources they need to keep us safe.
• Increase Funding for Senior Resources. Those on fixed incomes are especially vulnerable to tax hikes. We can’t leave them behind.
• Increase Funding for Sustainability Measures. Now –right now – is the time to invest in thoughtful planning for our future. That means more investing in greenspace and adaptive reuse. Current and future generations need us to be very thoughtful and deliberate about how we approach this important issue.
These priorities will be my guide during this budget cycle as we negotiate and decide on a tax rate that will meet the County’s true revenue needs, accounting for inflation. While I am only one of five county commissioners, I will never stop using my voice – and vote – to advocate for what I believe is in the best interest of those I represent.
Attorney and insurance broker Dane Scalise is a member of the New Hanover County Board of Commissioners.
CROWD SOURCING
WHAT PARTS OF WILMINGTON OR THE WILMINGTON AREA THAT ARE CURRENTLY ALL FOREST DO YOU WISH COULD BE PRESERVED FOR THE FORESEEABLE FUTURE?
“ALL OF THEM !!” – LAURA JEAN
“DIDN’T THINK THERE were any left! Please keep all that’s left! Please!” - JUDY STEWART
“SLEDGE FOREST , Castle Hayne” – DAWN WAGNER
“ALL OF THEM !! Enough with the buildings. There’s plenty of empty places. Look at the Kmart building…” – BEE HARRISON
“DOESN'T MATTER what we think or say ” – KELLI WOODALL
“TOO LATE for that” – MICHELE WUENSCH
“EVERY TREE in this county” – LINDA KAY HUGHES
X (FORMERLY KNOWN AS TWITTER) POLL: @WILMINGTONBIZ
HOW WOULD YOU RATE THIS YEAR'S TAX REVALUATION OF YOUR NEW HANOVER COUNTY HOME OR OTHER PROPERTY?
“BEING ABLE TO OWN OUR OWN PLACE, not having to pay rent, ultimately by the end of the year not having anything left on the mortgage, that frees up that money to then go right back into the mission, so that really is the ultimate goal.” - ANDY JONES, CEO OF THE WILMINGTON AREA REBUILDING MINISTRY (WARM), ON THE LOCAL NONPROFIT’S NEW OFFICES AND WAREHOUSE IN KINGS GRANT SIGN UP FOR DAILY NEWS UPDATES AND SUBSCRIBE
BEHIND THE NUMBERS
56 MILLION $
EXPANSION PROJECT AT N.C. AQUARIUM AT FORT FISHER
ENDOWMENT GRANT BUOYS
AQUARIUM’S EXPANSION PLAN
BY CECE NUNN
THE N.C. AQUARIUM AT FORT FISHER IS
A “critical step” closer to funding a more than $56 million expansion project.
The New Hanover Community Endowment in March announced a $7.5 million grant to the N.C. Aquarium Society that will support the Fort Fisher project to upgrade, improve and refresh the popular attraction.
As of 2023, the aquarium’s conceptual expansion plans, which had accumulated about $50 million in state support, were set to include a new 350,000-gallon tank (about 115,000 gallons bigger than the existing one), a 4,000-square-foot rooftop deck and new educational facilities to accommodate more school children. In a Greater Wilmington Business Journal article at the time, aquarium officials said the project also included sand tiger sharks in the new tank roaming a reproduced shipwreck habitat.
The latest specific details of the project are expected to be unveiled this summer, according to an endowment news release.
“The $7.5 million grant, to be distributed over the next three years, represents a critical step in securing both public and private funding to make the expansion a reality,” the news release stated.
Endowment President and CEO Dan Winslow said the grant is “a good example of the endowment’s preference for late-stage funding of major capital projects, when we know the project will actually be built. This grant will also demonstrate how the endowment’s investments can be magnified by participation of other funders.”
The funding announced “will play a pivotal role in enhancing the aquarium’s educational programs, introducing new opportunities for visitors, and supporting the first major renovation of the aquarium in more than two decades,” the release stated.
The Fort Fisher aquarium sees at least 500,000 guests each year, including more than 5,000 K-12 students from New Hanover County schools, according to the release.
“Thousands of New Hanover County students each year,” said Joanna Zazzali, director of the N.C. Aquarium at Fort Fisher, “will benefit from expanded indoor and outdoor educational opportunities that create a deeper connection to our aquatic environments and foster greater scientific understanding,”
CLOSED HOMES NEW LISTINGS
773
COUNTY
757 1,434 SOLD FOR SALE
FEBRUARY 2024 1,288
FEBRUARY 2025
$172K IN GRANTS DISTRIBUTED TO 31RECIPIENTS
+ 3.7% UNCW BLUE ECONOMY INDEX
MONTHLY INDEX CHANGE (FEBRUARY) + 0.4% MSCI ALL WORLD INDEX - 0.7% S&P 500
ARTS COUNCIL’S RECENT GRANTS FOR NONPROFIT ARTS ORGANIZATIONS AS THE NEW HANOVER COMMUNITY ENDOWMENT’S FIRST SUB-GRANTING PARTNER INDUSTRY JOBS
Sources: Cape Fear Realtors, Arts Council of Wilmington & New Hanover County, Blue Economy Index, NC Tech
DIGEST
A ROUNDUP OF RECENT RESIDENTIAL REAL ESTATE NEWS
REAL ESTATE INVESTORS DRIVE FUNDS TO CASTLE HAYNE PROJECT
The real estate firm that bought a build-for-rent (BFR) community in Castle Hayne in 2024 deemed the purchase a success.
Capital Square, a company that sponsors tax-advantaged real estate investments and develops and manages multifamily communities, announced in March that its offering, CS1031 Sidbury Station BFR Housing DST, has been fully subscribed.
According to a Capital Square news release, the Regulation D private placement, comprising the 113-home Seaboard at Sidbury Station at 6105 Dichondra Road in Castle Hayne, raised nearly $23 million in equity from investors.
A 1031 DST (Delaware Statutory Trust) is a co-ownership system with the 1031 tax code advantage. It allows investors to defer capital gains on property sales and benefit from their new investment gains without being responsible for managing
the properties, according to 1031 investment platforms.
“Sidbury Station is another successful DST/Section 1031 offering of a BFR community in the Sunbelt,” said Louis Rogers, founder and co-CEO of Capital Square, in the release. “Capital Square invests in housing because housing is a necessity that has proven to be resilient over time. The BFR strategy is another arrow in our quiver, along with newly constructed Class A apartments, older Class B apartments with value-add from renovations and age-restricted manufactured housing communities in Florida.”
Construction of Seaboard at Sidbury Station, which Capital Square bought in a nearly $40 million transaction, was completed in 2023. Developed by D.R. Horton, the community has a mix of three-, fourand five-bedroom detached singlefamily homes, averaging 1,829 square feet.
CENTER POINT APARTMENTS TAKING SHAPE
The developers of Center Point, a more than $250 million mixeduse project off Military Cutoff and Eastwood roads near the Mayfaire area, announced in February that construction has started on the development’s apartment community. When completed, The Sterling will house 265 luxury apartments, including studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom units. According to the release, The Sterling is expected to open in August 2026, with pre-leasing beginning in May 2026. The apartments are a joint venture between Charleston-based The Beach Company, Wilmington-based Swain & Associates and St. Louis-based Larson Capital Management.
8,500
PARTICIPANTS DURING BROOKLYN ARTS DISTRICT’S SOCIAL DISTRICT SIP-AND-STROLL PILOT WEEKENDS IN FEBRUARY. ORGANIZERS HOPE TO MAKE THE DISTRICT PERMANENT.
GE Aerospace recently announced an investment in its Wilmington facility, which makes rotating parts for the company's new GE9X engine.
BC - SUITE CONVO THROTTLING UP
BY VICKY JANOWSKI
OLSTERED BY A MULTIMILLION DOLLAR INVESTMENT, GENERAL ELECTRIC AEROSPACE’S WILMINGTON FACILITY WILL SEE AN EXPANSION IN ITS CAPACITY.
Heading up the upgrade is its new site leader, Mark Moon.
“I’ve been with the company in a variety of roles, including leading other sites for the business,” he said.
GE Aerospace officials in March announced plans to invest $101 million in its North Carolina facilities this year.
That amount is part of the nearly $1 billion the company said it would invest in its plants and supply chain throughout the country – double the amount from the year before. As part of that announcement, GE Aerospace said it plans to hire about 5,000 workers this year in manufacturing and engineering positions.
MARK MOON
GE AEROSPACE WILMINGTON SITE LEADER
The company’s local site on Castle Hayne Road is slated to receive $52 million.
“The site produces components for engines used in narrowbody and widebody aircraft, along with military fighter jets and ships,” a news release stated.
GE Aerospace facilities in other parts of the state also are slated to
receive additional funding. Those are, according to company officials:
• “$20 million in Asheville for additional equipment to produce ceramic matrix composite engine parts, new inspection equipment and advanced machines that can shape metal parts to precise specifications;
• $16 million in Durham for additional equipment to support the assembly of commercial engines, including CFM International’s LEAP, the engine of choice to power the Airbus A320neo, the Boeing 737 MAX and the COMAC C919, delivering a 15% improvement in fuel efficiency, along with significant reductions in noise and emissions signatures;
• and $13 million in West Jefferson to expand the building to increase production of key engine parts.”
“GE and GE Aerospace are strong corporate partners in North Carolina, and we welcome this major expansion of their business,” N.C. Commerce Secretary Lee Lilley said. “North Carolina is a leader in advanced
PHOTO C/O GE AEROSPACE
C - SUITE CONVO
manufacturing, and these GE and GE Aerospace investments are a vote of confidence in our ability to make the finest products for the most dynamic companies in the world.”
Locally, the GE Aerospace Foundation last fall donated $100,000 to Cape Fear Community College for 10 scholarships to the school’s computer-integrated machining associates’ program and to help a 40-hour machining bootcamp for local high school students.
Moon shared more details in a recent WilmingtonBiz Magazine interview about the funding announcement and his new role.
WHEN DID YOU BEGIN AS SITE LEADER FOR GE AEROSPACE WILMINGTON?
“I began leading the GE Aerospace site in Wilmington starting in January 2025.
The site performs machining operations to produce technically challenging parts in key sections of jet engines used in commercial and military aircraft.
It has an excellent safety record and a strong record of high-quality work.”
AS PART OF THE RECENT INVESTMENT ANNOUNCEMENT, WHAT ARE SOME AREAS THAT THE $52 MILLION FOR THE WILMINGTON SITE WILL BE PUT TOWARD?
“The nearly $52 million investment will go toward multiple machines used to shape metal parts to precise specifications as part of a larger equipment refresh to ensure quality and reduce cycle times, crane systems to increase capacity and additional tooling.
Some upgrades to the building are planned too.
This type of investment ensures that Wilmington, the state of North Carolina and the United States will continue to compete and win in aerospace manufacturing, create jobs and positively impact the economy. …
This type of investment ensures that Wilmington, the state of North Carolina, and the United States will continue to compete and win in aerospace manufacturing, create jobs and positively impact the economy.”
WHAT ARE YOUR GOALS FOR YOUR ROLE HERE IN WILMINGTON?
“In addition to the capital investments and continuing to hire, our goal is to use GE Aerospace’s proprietary operating model, FLIGHT DECK, to continue improving performance.
That includes ensuring safety and quality as the site improves delivery to customers during significant growth.”
BY CECE NUNN | PHOTOS BY DARIA AMATO & TERAH HOOBLER
For renters and buyers, finding an affordable home takes determination & luck
OPHIA NICHOLSON MOSTLY KNEW WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN IT CAME TO APARTMENT HUNTING.
S HOUSING QUEST THE
“I had taken a financial class, so I had a pretty well-rounded idea of what bills would look like, what rent would look like,” said the 19-year-old, who moved to Wilmington from Utah to live with her girlfriend, Deetra Speck.
Nicholson and Speck wanted to find a one-bedroom apartment in downtown Wilmington that allowed dogs and cost under $1,500 a month.
But after months of searching:
“Nothing,” Speck said.
“Absolutely nothing,” Nicholson said. “Everything was over $1,800.”
Jenny DePuy was on a different housing search, but she too, was coming up with nothing suitable in her quest for a house to fix up and live in with more space than the one she’d had in Tampa, Florida.
“For a while, I wanted to be under $300,000, and then I quickly realized that that wasn’t going to be the house that I wanted,” DePuy said.
Ten years ago, DePuy might have had more luck; the median price of a house in the Wilmington area in 2015 was $210,000. The same goes for Nicholson and Speck – if they’d been adults in 2014 looking for a one-bedroom apartment, they could have found one that cost under $1,000 per month.
A lack of affordable housing options isn’t unique to Wilmington, and the area is far from the worst example in the U.S. But as affordable housing advocates in the area can explain, ignoring the problem could eventually make the Cape Fear region one of those worst-case scenarios.
Local governments and nonprofit organizations in the Wilmington area have been working to chip away at the problem, including efforts that have helped produce hundreds of units and directed millions of dollars to new developments and programs to help with residents with their housing
For a while, I wanted to be under $300,000, and then I quickly realized that that wasn’t going to be the house that I wanted.
JENNY DEPUY recent Wilmington homebuyer
HOUSING PRICE LEAP
costs.
In the meantime, people continue to move here, even if they have to pay more than 30% (the affordability threshold) for their housing costs.
Nicholson, who works at a Wilmington hotel, and Speck, a barista, combed through various options in their search for an affordable rental.
“We both had like seven apps downloaded, and we both were just looking through them every single day,” Speck said.
Sometimes, the price advertised wasn’t real.
“I would apply, and then they would send me more information, and then they would be like, ‘Mmm, actually, it’s $3,000 a month,’” Nicholson said.
Other times, Nicholson had no luck getting responses back from her apartment queries.
“They would post several apartments online and have like, 20 openings, and then never answer,” she said.
DePuy looked online, too, as she searched for a house in the Port City to buy and renovate.
“I would also come stay here for chunks of time. I had a Realtor the whole time, so I would see houses when I was here,” she said.
She was determined to find something because after years of coming to see friends in Wilmington, she was hooked.
“I just really love the area. I love that, you know, there’s a cute downtown. I love good food and drink. I love that the coast is right there. So, I feel like Wilmington has got the best of all worlds,” she said.
DePuy wasn’t a first-time homebuyer. She owned a house in Tampa. On top of that, she wasn’t new to the real estate industry, which is why she was looking for something she could improve.
“When I was growing up, my parents would buy really run-down houses and fix them up and then rent them out … I would do a lot of that stuff with them, like ripping up
carpets and painting. … We didn’t have a lot of money, so we would do as much as possible of that ourselves,” DePuy said.
But in her search for a house in Wilmington that met her criteria, her previous $300,000 price point wasn’t cutting it.
“What I was having trouble finding was something that would be – all in, house cost and project cost –close to that $300,000 mark,” DePuy said.
She was also finding homes that were not the size she preferred.
“My house in Tampa is 950 square feet, so I decided I wanted a little more room. A lot of the houses I was finding were a smaller footprint than I liked,” DePuy said.
Other homes had too many problems for DePuy, such as a lot of structural issues, or didn’t have the big yard she was looking for.
Finally, she said, she got a break when a friend of hers who “cruises open houses on the weekends” found something that could check off all the boxes DePuy had set for her new home.
She bought a 1,200-square-foot house in Wilmington’s Princess Place neighborhood.
DePuy’s efforts were boosted through her use of a renovation loan, which can be a complicated process to go through, she said, but it can be rewarding. A renovation loan is a type of financing that can help cover the cost of a home’s renovations based on the future value that house is expected to have. DePuy said she believes she will end up with a house that’s worth more than she paid for it.
Median home prices in the Wilmington area have increased more than 85% over the past seven years, according to data from the Federal Housing Finance Agency, while mortgage rates have also jumped.
“A $200,000 home in 2018 would have had a mortgage payment of just over $1,000 per month,” said Tom Gale, a Realtor and chair of the New Hanover County/City of Wilmington Workforce
I WOULD APPLY, AND THEN THEY WOULD SEND ME MORE INFORMATION AND BE LIKE, 'MMM, ACTUALLY, IT'S $3,000 A MONTH.'
“ “
SOPHIA NICHOLSON
Deetra Speck (left), Sophia Nicholson and their dog, Leyla, at their River City Studio Homes.
Starway Village, a 278-unit workforce housing project off Carolina Beach Road, is an example of one of the ways developers and local officials have worked together to put affordable units on the ground.
Advisory Committee, as he gave a presentation to the New Hanover County Board of Commissioners in February.
“That same home today would be priced at $370,000 and have a mortgage payment of over $2,400 per month – a 140% monthly increase.”
Meanwhile, rental rates are also climbing, Gale said.
“Unfortunately, construction of new units coming online in the next few years is expected to slow significantly, which will tighten supply and increase rents substantially again,” he told the commissioners.
In their search, Speck and Nicholson had to give up on finding anything downtown that fit their budget and needs.
But they did eventually come across River City Studio Homes
at 5040 Market St., which costs them about $1,200 a month, including utilities. The complex used to be a Days Inn before damage from Hurricane Florence in 2018 caused mold to spread throughout the hotel’s 120 rooms. A Louisiana-based real estate investment firm bought the property and renovated it to turn it into an apartment complex.
Although they don’t always feel safe in that part of town, it’s close to some stores, including the Target off Market Street, which Nicholson and Speck find convenient.
They’d like to buy a home and land one day, but for now, the former hotel room turned studio apartment will have to do.
“The only downfall is not having an oven,” Nicholson said. “But that’s okay.”
A $200,000 HOME IN 2018 WOULD HAVE HAD A MORTGAGE PAYMENT OF JUST OVER $1,000 PER MONTH . THAT SAME HOME TODAY WOULD BE PRICED AT $370,000 AND HAVE A MORTGAGE PAYMENT OF OVER $2,400 PER MONTH – A 140% MONTHLY
INCREASE .
TOM GALE
Realtor and chair of the New Hanover County/City of Wilmington Workforce Housing Advisory Committee
photo by Cece Nunn
SPACE SECONDARY
ROGER GINS SPREADS THE WORD ON ACCESSORY DWELLING UNITS H
BY BETH A. KLAHRE
BY ARIS HARDING
ousing professionals have coined the phrase “accessory dwelling unit” to describe the trend where homeowners add a secondary detached dwelling or an attached apartment in a basement, attic or above a garage to their existing property. ADUs accommodate family members, children returning home needing affordable housing, older adults who want to age in place or an in-home caregiver.
For the homeowner, ADUs can generate additional needed income, multi-generational flexibility and potential for live/work spaces. For the community, ADUs can leverage private sector resources to develop additional affordable housing with no land costs, saving cities the expense of new infrastructure.
Proponents say that ADUs are distributed, rather than concentrated, development projects that minimize environmental and social impacts and create welcoming, diversified neighborhoods.
Wilmington resident Roger Gins is one of those proponents for the nontraditional housing type.
Gins is founder of Backyard Housing Group, a nonprofit he started in 2020, that advocates for ADUs.
“I have worn many hats,” said Gins, who has been involved in redevelopment projects for the past 35 years.
After graduating from architecture school, Gins was a development project manager in Myrtle Beach. He earned an MBA and then became a construction lender for one of the largest banks in New York City, now part of JPMorgan Chase.
Gins served as the CEO for development projects across three
states for the owner of 2,000 residential units and 1.2 million square feet of commercial space. As a real estate adviser, Gins specialized in project and feasibility planning, redevelopment studies and transaction management.
His most visible project was as the chief operating officer for the 42nd Street Development Project that redeveloped Times Square in New York City. It was a 13-acre, $3 billion project.
“It was awesome. We saved nine historical theaters,” Gins recalled. “I was participating in this project in its most active days. It was a true pleasure, and I am grateful for the opportunity.”
Gins was interviewing for a job in economic development in Raleigh when his sister suggested he come to Wilmington instead.
“The scale of Wilmington is such that I can make a difference, apply my expertise and get involved. That’s a great trait of Wilmington,” he said. “I asked what could be the easiest thing to make a difference here and found that it was helping with the affordable housing crisis.”
Gins consulted several affordable housing nonprofits and said he found the ADU alternative to be the most practical and efficient way to add affordable housing quickly.
As the head of Backyard Housing Group, Gins’ initial effort was advocating for change in regulations to allow ADUs as well as educate the community.
The topic of ADUs is seeing a resurgence in the Port City and beyond, partly because of more relaxed zoning regulations and ordinances. ADUs, which must have a full kitchen and bathroom, can take many forms, from backyard cottages and carriage houses to above-garage apartments and tiny houses.
In Wilmington, for example, ADUs are now allowed on nonconforming lots, or lots that do not meet the minimum area and/or width requirements under their zoning classification. ADUs also can now be up to 1,200 square feet, whereas before, the limit was 900 square feet.
PHOTO
With United Way as a sponsor, Gins has secured funds from the New Hanover Community Endowment, hiring resources to scale the organization and continue outreach. Last year, with the help of One Christian Network of Wilmington, Gins educated over 130 event attendees, many of whom also attended a workshop afterward to learn how to get involved. This year, Backyard Housing Group has done over 25 feasibility inspections of backyards for homeowners.
Financing has been Gins’ biggest barrier to building affordable ADUs.
“Most ADUs are built using a patchwork of cash, home equity and loans from family and friends,” he said.
Gins has recently identified a source of funding to create a pilot financing program. This program is intended to offer low-rate mortgages with underwriting that includes the value of the completed ADU in the loan and projected rent as income. In exchange, the homeowner agrees to rent the unit at an affordable rate.
Gins is searching for a local bank or credit union to outsource the loan application process and service the loans. He is finding that banks are challenged by his requests for services rather than funds, passing requests among departments like lending, community development, mortgages and venture funds.
Gins recently worked on a project with a local empty nester to renovate a room over a garage into a rental unit.
“The cost of this project was onethird of the cost of building a detached building. And that makes it more affordable on all levels,” he said.
While the ADU continuum runs from a detached two-bedroom guest cottage to renting a single room, the factor that usually drives the choice is privacy rather than cost.
“I believe in helping people improve their lives through what I know,” Gins said. “My goal is to scale from an advocacy role to a one-stop resource to put all the pieces together for the homeowner – one person, one family at a time.”
PUSHING FOR preservation
LOCALS AND OFFICIALS WORK TO PRESERVE
GREEN SPACES AND TREES AMID ONGOING GROWTH
BY EMMA DILL
PHOTO BY DARIA AMATO
ILLUSTRATION BY MARK WEBER
As cars zoom past on Independence Boulevard, Roger Shew peers into the forest before him and explains his vision for the site – one of few undeveloped tracts in the growing residential corridor.
Shew, a University of North Carolina Wilmington lecturer in geology and environmental science as well as a conservation advocate, would like to see the 60-acre property preserved as green space with gardens and other natural areas to teach students about agriculture and forestry.
Nearby residents concerned about overdevelopment and, later, members of the Wilmington City Council asked Shew to create a presentation for them about conservation on the property. In mid-March, council members approved a resolution supporting the property’s preservation as a public park.
Last fall, a developer proposed 580 apartments, townhomes and single-family homes on the site, which has sat vacant since the early 2000s. Plans for the project were later withdrawn, but it sparked a broader conversation about the future of forests and green space in the rapidly growing area.
“I think development, workforce housing and all that is really, really important, and we certainly need to do that,” Shew said. “But I think equally important is to provide, in this very densely populated area, space that people can actually enjoy.”
Shew isn’t the only one pushing for forest and green space preservation in the Cape Fear region. It’s something local officials say has increasingly become a priority. Meanwhile, other development efforts on forested properties have faced pushback from neighbors.
Residents, local officials and developers face a constant balancing act as the area’s population continues to climb. While the region’s popularity has created increasing demand for housing and new development, some existing residents see the new construction as a threat to the forests and natural areas that remain and as added stress to roadways and other
important infrastructure.
Kayne Darrell remembers when she learned about plans for the Hilton Bluffs subdivision in early October. The project, which proposes just over 4,000 homes on a forested site in Castle Hayne, is by right, meaning it doesn’t require rezoning or a community meeting.
“I sat down and looked at that application, and was very alarmed by what I saw,” said Darrell, a longtime Castle Hayne resident. “Several issues, lots and lots of questions, and my first thought was, this is
information that my community would want to know about, and I’m in a position to help educate and raise awareness.”
Darrell became a leader of Save Sledge Forest, a group raising concerns about Hilton Bluffs and pushing to preserve the forested property it’s planned on.
Group members have spoken out at local meetings, knocked on doors in Castle Hayne and circulated a petition that, as of March 17, had just over 8,900 signatures. Darrell said she and other Castle Hayne residents see
the project as crossing a line.
“Anybody that has any kind of pulse on the mood of this community knows that we are frustrated and angry and concerned about over-development without the infrastructure in place,” she said.
The project is currently under review by New Hanover County’s Technical Review Committee, which includes representatives from various county departments and other agencies.
The review process helps ensure projects meet the county’s
development regulations, including tree retention standards, open space requirements and conservation resource standards, according to a county spokesperson.
Darrell said Save Sledge Forest would continue to raise concerns about the project’s density and potential impacts on local roads, schools and other infrastructure. Also frustrating the group members, is the way the project was submitted, Darrell said.
Developer Copper Builders LLC submitted the project as a by-right
development, with plans to use the site’s existing rural agricultural zoning. Approximately three-quarters of the site, or 3,000 acres, are made up of wetlands that plans show won’t be built upon.
Copper Builders is using New Hanover County’s performance development guidelines to cluster the number of homes it could have built on the entire tract – one home per acre or 4,000 homes on the 4,000-acre site – on the 1,000 acres of uplands without building on the rest.
Copper Builders voluntarily held
a community meeting in February to discuss the project. In response to a Greater Wilmington Business Journal inquiry, the company’s founder and CEO Wade Miller, said he identified the site for potential development and went under contract in 2023.
The company was drawn to the area because of what Miller saw as a “significant housing shortage combined with continued population growth” and the proximity of developable land to the site’s natural resources.
Miller said a master plan for the
From left: Save Sledge Forest members Don Adkins, Connie Adkins, Philip Bauer, Claudia Campese, Kayne Darrell and Fred Puck
“
I THINK DEVELOPMENT , WORKFORCE HOUSING AND ALL THAT IS REALLY, REALLY IMPORTANT, AND WE CERTAINLY NEED TO DO THAT. BUT I THINK EQUALLY IMPORTANT IS TO PROVIDE, IN THIS VERY DENSELY POPULATED AREA, SPACE THAT PEOPLE CAN ACTUALLY ENJOY . ROGER SHEW conservation advocate and UNCW lecturer in geology and environmental science “
community has continued to evolve, with plans to start construction on the project in 2026, delivering the first homes in 2027.
In response to criticism from Save Sledge Forest, Miller wrote that, “At times it has been difficult to discern the real issues amidst the hostility and negativity communicated by those opposed absolutely to the development of this property. The overarching objective of that opposition appears to be advocacy for a complete taking of the property for the public benefit, which is not realistic or reasonable.
“Once one gets beyond that position, it is clear that many of the objectives stated by the Save Sledge Forest group and ours are aligned,” he added. “We want to preserve the natural beauty of the old forest and swamp areas of this property.”
The company remains “openminded and interested in a partnership to expressly conserve a portion of the land,” Miller wrote.
In March, Miller announced in a community letter his company had entered into an agreement with Unique Places to Save to sell and conserve approximately 1,160 acres on the north side of the Sledge Forest property through a funding application to the N.C. Land and Water Fund.
Unique Places to Save submitted a $10.2 million request to fund the acquisition of part of Sledge Forest, according to a list of 2025 N.C. Land and Water Fund grant applications. The conservation project’s total cost is listed as $15.2 million.
New Hanover County Commissioner Dane Scalise said he’s received around 200 letters from constituents about the Hilton Bluffs project. The stack of letters serves as a “constant reminder” of “how important this issue is to the community,” he said.
Scalise said he wants to make preservation a priority for the county by calling out specific properties that he sees as prime
green spaces for the community.
“The preservation of green space will not happen by accident,” he said. “It is going to require people like me saying, ‘We’re going to make this happen and figuring out how to make the logistics of making it happen a reality.’”
Scalise and other county officials have identified the western bank of the Cape Fear River in downtown Wilmington and the midtown tract off Independence Boulevard, which Scalise refers to as Airlie 2.0, as potential public green spaces.
Due to a legal dispute, the county is a trustee for the midtown site, owning a two-thirds stake in the property while the previous owner’s heirs own the other third. Because of the county’s existing ownership, Zapple sees the property as “lowhanging fruit” for preservation.
The western bank has, for years, been the topic of preservation discussions since plans for a hotel and spa and a mixed-use skyscraper were submitted to New Hanover County in 2021.
County officials directed staff last fall to look into conserving the land. Planning staff are talking to community partners, conservation organizations and state entities to determine possible next steps for conservation, including grant research, according to county spokesperson Alex Riley.
Shew, who also was heavily involved in efforts to advocate for preservation on the western bank, said that the board of commissioners’ vote to explore conservation in the area, marked a real “sea change” for him and gives him hope for future preservation efforts.
“I’ve been heartened by their comments to me,” he said. “It’s not a done deal that any of these things are going to happen, but from five to seven years ago to what we are now, at least in recognizing the value of these natural areas, I think it’s been a real change.”
BUILDING A MORE RESILIENT CITY
With Flood Control for the Future
Clear Run Branch is the largest stormwater management project in Wilmington’s history
The $16 Million project uses natural stream restoration methods to reduce flooding and improve water quality
Since the inception of the City of Wilmington’s stormwater utility in 1998, nearly $88 million has been invested to improve the city’s stormwater management infrastructure. These investments play a vital role in reducing flooding and making the city more resilient. The largest stormwater improvement project in city history is now underway at Clear Run Branch near College Acres. Once complete, the project will alleviate chronic flooding along New Centre Drive during major storms and use native plants and stream restoration to improve the quality of water runoff entering Bradley Creek.
To learn more, visit: wilmingtonnc.gov/stormwaterprojects
HOME LOTS OF WORK
Plans for giant communities take strides in the area, aiming to meet demand for years to come
BY CECE NUNN | PHOTO BY MALCOLM LITTLE
McKay Siegel,
Mc Kay Siegel predicts that by late summer, work will start on an immense Brunswick County development, with its first phase of homes rising out of the ground in 2026.
The company Siegel is a partner in, East West Partners, is working with Bald Head Island Limited to create Waterway (formerly Project Indigo) on 400 acres in and adjacent to the city of Southport. The community could hold more than 1,100 homes when it’s done.
Waterway is just one example of the potentially massive neighborhoods, some in planning and design phases while others are even further along, that have made
headlines in recent years, many in Brunswick County.
Several gained attention and traction in 2024 and 2025.
In the Wilmington area and across the U.S., communities are coping with a sizable housing shortage. And the experts who explain this over and over don’t mean the country’s affordable housing crisis. (Read more about the region’s housing cost challenges on p. 20). They’re talking about housing in general, but the overall shortage has contributed to strains on affordable housing as well.
But the proposals gaining the most attention in the Wilmington area these days are the major developments with the potential for thousands of homes.
This push makes sense to Siegel, especially in an area where everyone knows growth isn’t likely to slow down.
partner with East West Partners, is working with Bald Head Island Limited to start on the Waterway neighborhood near Southport.
BRINGING HOME THE HOUSING:
A SELECTION OF SOME OF THE MEGA-HOUSING PROJECTS PROPOSED IN RECENT YEARS IN BRUNSWICK COUNTY
MIDWAY LANDING
LOCATION: Southport-Supply Road, Midway Road SE and Clemmons Road SE
SIZE: 1,500 acres
PROPOSED NUMBER OF HOUSING UNITS: 3,600
ASHTON FARMS
LOCATION: Ash
SIZE: 1,256.5 acres
PROPOSED NUMBER OF HOUSING UNITS: Nearly 3,000
TIMBER FARMS
LOCATION: Longwood, off U.S. 17 and Longwood Road NW SIZE: 849 acres
PROPOSED NUMBER OF HOUSING UNITS: 2,500
WATERWAY
(PREVIOUSLY PROJECT INDIGO)
LOCATION: In and just outside of Southport
SIZE: 400 acres
PROPOSED NUMBER OF HOUSING UNITS: 1,100+
KING TRACT
LOCATION: Ash
SIZE: 642 acres
PROPOSED NUMBER OF HOUSING UNITS: 1,800
“We need new housing at a time when high-density commercial, multifamily stuff is kind of difficult to start,” Siegel said, referring to financing challenges other real estate sectors have been feeling acutely.
In addition to market conditions, Waterway is a good fit for East West and BHI Ltd., Siegel said, because the heads of those companies, Roger Perry and Chad Paul, respectively, “have a long history of building great for-sale communities and mixed-use and new urban communities” with success.
And they aren’t really in competition with the other communities coming out of the ground or on the way to Brunswick County, he said.
“We all sort of have a niche,” Siegel said.
He said the companies have no intention of completely clear-cutting the project site for Waterway, but the first work they’ll do will involve some clearing for roads. Waterway is expected to hold 400 singlefamily lots, 200 cottages/duplexes/ townhomes, 500 multifamily units and 100,000 square feet of commercial space. Siegel envisions a potential range of townhomes from the midto high-$300,000s up to $2 million homes on large lots.
FOLLOWING THE MOVING VANS
In January, a development company’s officials announced in a news release that the firm bought 1,500 acres in Brunswick County.
Contender Development Inc., one of the largest land developers in the southeastern U.S., is permitted to build about 3,600 homes in what will be a master-planned community off Southport-Supply Road, Midway Road SE and Clemmons Road SE on property near the Brunswick County beach town of Oak Island.
The community, called Midway Landing, will be made up of singlefamily homes.
“It’s a great place to be. … It’s really as simple as following
the U-Hauls,” said Paul Luck, division president for Contender Development.
Luck referred to the studies U-Haul publishes each year about where their customers are moving. For 2024, the Wilmington Metropolitan Statistical Area again earned a spot in the top 25 metro areas for people using U-Haul equipment for one-way transactions.
Plus, Luck said, Wilmington is a coastal area that’s still available.
“Naturally, people want to be on the coast. And if you look up and down the Eastern Seaboard, and you look at coastal communities, there’s not that many that are really available, that are affordable,” he said.
Take Charleston, South Carolina, for example.
“There are no real large land parcels to develop,” Luck said. “If you’re going to be on the coast in the Carolinas, you’re really relegated to the Wilmington area or down along the Grand Strand (in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina).”
He added, “From my observation, Wilmington has that feel of Charleston, but it’s not Charleston – it doesn’t have that price tag that comes along with Charleston, but you still have this beautiful coastline. You still have the Intracoastal Waterway; you still have the marshes. … And so, it’s just very attractive, and it makes for a really good housing ecosystem.”
Luck said Midway Landing will have the touches people moving to the coast, including the wave of retirees that keep finding Brunswick County, want.
“We’re going to have clubhouses and amenity packages and pocket parks,” he said. “And the active adult component is going to have a big, grand clubhouse with fitness and all of the activities that active adults want or expect.”
The first phase of Midway Landing is expected to hold 550 residential lots.
“We’re hoping to have lots on the ground by late 2026 or early 2027,” said Luck, whose company has
partnered with homebuilder Ryan Homes on the project.
TAKING THEIR TIME
Some large developments that hit the local headlines receive pushback from nearby residents, who often balk at the size and number of housing units planned and the increase in traffic that would come with an influx of thousands of new residents.
One of the most vocal groups of residents is raising concerns about Hilton Bluffs, an enormous proposal in New Hanover County’s Castle Hayne community that could hold 4,000 homes. (Read more about Hilton Bluffs on page 30.)
But for any development plan, the homes don’t all come out of the ground at once, and in other cases, the plans are scrapped altogether.
Many of the developments large and small currently taking noticeable steps forward began their journeys through local planning paths long before this year.
“It takes anywhere from two to three years from the time a planning board approves a plan – whether it be multifamily, residential or commercial but particularly residential – before you ever see any lots come to fruition on the ground,” said Cameron Moore, executive officer of the WilmingtonCape Fear Home Builders Association. From the time of approval, he said, “whether it be one lot or 1,800 lots, it’s not going to be there tomorrow.”
For the larger projects, the developer has to work though market conditions, Moore said. “It could be a 10-, 15-, 20-year project.”
Siegel said a project the size of Waterway will have at least three, maybe four phases “depending on how it goes. And the different components will start at different times.”
Even with overwhelming demand, the buyers have to be there, have to be able to stomach higher interest rates, for example.
Siegel said, “ You go just as fast as the market will allow you to on these things.”
TRENDS TO WATCH
While interest rates and rising prices are major topics of conversation in the residential real estate community these days, other trends are emerging, some of them familiar and some of them new. Examples include an increase in townhome development, emerging markets for higher-dollar luxury real estate, tax values going up in New Hanover County and more homes for sale.
BY CECE NUNN
TOWNHOMES TURN UP 1
Area planning departments continue to see townhome proposals, and it’s part of a nationwide trend.
According to the National Association of Home Builders, townhouse construction expanded 10% in 2024.
In a recent local example, a Charlotte-based real estate firm wants to develop 72 new townhomes at The Pointe at Barclay in midtown Wilmington.
Collett Capital LLC submitted plans for The Pointe Townhomes to the city of Wilmington earlier this year. The project site is about 5.5 acres at 1001 Gallery Park Blvd., a vacant tract bordered by Independence and Gallery Park boulevards.
Plans show 72 townhome units, which would be 2,400 square feet each.
Another Wilmington example: Raleigh-based development firm TBM Partners submitted plans to the city for 60 townhomes on a roughly 10-acre site at 120 Switchyard Road.
A different developer had proposed apartments on the site. Joe Cebina, managing director of TBM Partners, said the new plans reflect a market shift, following increased demand for townhomes.
OUTLYING LUXURY 2
In May last year, the $4.5 million sale of 230 N. Anderson Blvd. in Topsail Beach set a record for the highest-priced sale of a single-family home the Pender County island has seen, according to Realtors involved in the transaction.
The nearly 5,200-square-foot custom home has four bedrooms and seven bathrooms. The seller’s agent, Michael Nelson of Landmark Sotheby’s International Realty, said the property consists of multiple adjoining lots that total a little over an acre on a high bluff overlooking Banks Channel Sound.
To some, the sale showed the appetite of luxury buyers willing to pay more for a home on the coast extending beyond New Hanover County’s beaches and Bald Head Island.
Danny Malechuk, CEO of Landmark Sotheby’s, said in a Greater Wilmington Business Journal announcing the record sale, “As low inventory and high demand for property in New Hanover County continue to escalate, many buyers are discovering the advantages of beach towns and properties along the Intracoastal in Pender County.”
REVALUATION REVEALED
This year, property owners in New Hanover County began receiving their revaluations.
Every four years, the county conducts “a comprehensive revaluation of all real property to ensure equitable taxation. This revaluation, mandated by North Carolina law, assesses the tax value of residential and commercial properties, including homes, office buildings, stores and farms,” according to the county’s website.
The county’s tax administrator told media outlets
County tax administrator Allison Snell said in a Port City Daily story that residential and commercial values increased by about 67%.
Residents experiencing sticker shock from this year’s revaluations can appeal until May 22. The process involves providing evidence, such as recent sales of comparable properties or details about a property that might affect its value.
According to the county, “The appeal process is designed to be accessible to all property owners, and you can represent yourself by providing relevant evidence to support your case.”
MORE TO BROWSE 4
The area’s inventory of homes for sale has steadily increased since May 2023, according to local Realtors.
In a news release about the local housing market in February, Cape Fear Realtors reported a nearly 18% increase in active listings compared to the previous year.
New listings jumped 24%, the report stated.
CFR President Brittany Allen stated in the report. “As the market increases in inventory, we will shift into a more neutral market.”
The Wilmington inventory situation mirrors a national trend.
As of January (the latest national numbers available as of press time), the nation’s total housing inventory was up 16.8% from the previous year, according to the National Association of Realtors.
“More housing supply allows strongly qualified buyers to enter the market,” said Lawrence Yun, NAR’s chief economist, in a news release. “But for many consumers, both increased inventory and lower mortgage rates are necessary for them to purchase a different home or become first-time homeowners.”
5
AFFORDABLE GAINS
The New Hanover Community Endowment announced in September that it plans to invest more than $14 million across 15 grants to support existing and future housing programs.
The endowment had faced criticism from nonprofit leaders and the public for not funding affordable housing in its $53 million disbursement in December 2023.
The largest grant went to Cape Fear Habitat for Humanity, funding new home construction and infrastructure in Haven Place, a Habitat for Humanity development in Castle Hayne. The endowment’s funding also supported the infrastructure for Legacy Landing Phase II, a 14-unit townhome development.
Other local organizations, including New H.O.P.E. CDC, the Salvation Army, Cape Fear Collective and the Good Shepherd Center, received top grant awards.
“We’re excited to make these first investments to address affordable housing,” said Bill Cameron, former chairman of the NHCE board, in a news release. “This strategy is a collaboration between the Endowment and our housing partners. Our goal is to find lasting, transformational solutions.”
(Read more about the cost of housing in the area on page 20)
MEMBERS OF THE CURRENT WILMINGTONBIZ 100 SHARE SOME OF THEIR CONNECTIONS. THIS YEAR’S GROUP WILL BE ANNOUNCED IN SEPTEMBER
TO SEE THE FULL GROUP, VISIT WILMINGTONBIZ100.COM.
LANDON ZIMMER
MANAGING PARTNER, ZIMMER DEVELOPMENT COMPANY Who is someone else in the area people should know about and why?
“ GIORGIOS BAKATSIAS (FOUNDER AND OWNER OF GIORGIOS HOSPITALITY GROUP THAT LOCALLY OWNS KIPOS HELLENIC CUISINE AND G PRIME STEAK & CELLAR) HAS HELPED TO FURTHER ENRICH WILMINGTON’S VIBRANT RESTAURANT SCENE WITH HIS DELICIOUS FOOD. IN THE WAKE OF COVID, HAVING PLACES WHERE PEOPLE CAN GATHER AND RECONNECT WITH FRIENDS HAS NEVER BEEN MORE IMPORTANT, AND HIS CONTRIBUTIONS HELP FOSTER THAT SENSE OF COMMUNITY.”
JIM MORTON
PRESIDENT, CAPE FEAR COMMUNITY COLLEGE
“ ERIN EASTON SERVES AS CFCC’S DIRECTOR OF WORKFORCE TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT. ERIN HAS BUILT OUTSTANDING RELATIONSHIPS WITH LOCAL INDUSTRY AND MANUFACTURING PARTNERS, INCLUDING THE CAPE FEAR MANUFACTURING PARTNERSHIP. HER PASSION AND DEEP UNDERSTANDING OF WORKFORCE TRAINING HAVE BEEN KEY DRIVERS IN THE GROWTH OF THESE PROGRAMS. THANKS TO HER EFFORTS, CFCC IS BECOMING A TOP DESTINATION FOR INDIVIDUALS SEEKING QUALITY TRAINING AND ENTRY INTO THE WORKFORCE. HER WORK TRULY STANDS OUT AND DESERVES RECOGNITION.”
LYNDA STANLEY
PRESIDENT AND CEO, DOSHER MEMORIAL HOSPITAL
" DR. LEIGH LANE , THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE BRUNSWICK WELLNESS COALITION, HAS HELPED MOVE THE HEALTH NEEDLE EXPONENTIALLY IN OUR REGION. AS THE HEAD OF BWC, LEIGH HAS BROUGHT LOCAL HEALTH AND WELLNESS LEADERS AND STAKEHOLDERS TO THE SAME TABLE TO WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH EACH OTHER TO PROVIDE COMMUNITY OUTREACH, EDUCATION AND SUPPORT TO DIVERSE SEGMENTS OF OUR COMMUNITIES. BY FACILITATING THE SHARING RESOURCES, BRUNSWICK COUNTY HAS MOVED FROM THE 45THHEALTHIEST COUNTY IN NORTH CAROLINA TO THE 25TH SINCE BWC’S INCEPTION IN 2016.”
LYDIA THOMAS
PROGRAM MANAGER, UNCW CIE
“AS CLIMATE CHANGE CONTINUES TO WORSEN AND THE OCEAN ECONOMY GROWS AT 2X GLOBAL GDP, MORE STAKEHOLDERS ARE NEEDED TO MITIGATE AND SOLVE PROBLEMS. ENTER ENTREPRENEURS THAT CAN CREATE OCEAN-FOCUSED COMPANIES WITH SCALABLE IMPACT. THE WILMINGTON REGION HAS A MULTITUDE OF ENTREPRENEURS FOCUSED ON BLUETECH SUCH AS LANDON HILL , FOUNDER OF LOCAL CATCH. LOCAL CATCH CREATED AN APP FOCUSED ON THE CONNECTIVITY AND COMMUNICATION BETWEEN THE SEAFOOD INDUSTRY AND ITS CUSTOMERS. OR TAKE TROY ALPHIN , PH.D., A UNCW SENIOR RESEARCH ASSOCIATE, FOCUSING PART OF HIS KNOWLEDGE AND RESEARCH ON CREATING A NEW, ECO-FRIENDLY CRAB BAIT.”
MORRIS NGUYEN
FOUNDER AND CEO, PREDICATE
“WILMINGTON IS HOME TO SEVERAL INNOVATIVE COMPANIES USING AI TO IMPROVE HEALTH CARE. TWO NOTABLE LEADERS ARE ROB COOLEY JR. , OF NUREAM, WHO IS REVOLUTIONIZING SLEEP HYGIENE THROUGH SENSORS AS A TEXTILE AND AI, AND DAVID REESER , OF OPIAID, WHOSE COMPANY FOCUSES ON USING AI TO COMBAT THE OPIOID EPIDEMIC. BOTH OF THESE COMPANIES, LIKE PREDICATE, ARE MAKING SIGNIFICANT STRIDES IN APPLYING AI FOR THE BETTERMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH. ADDITIONALLY, THERE ARE OTHER HUMANITARIAN ORGANIZATIONS IN WILMINGTON FOCUSED ON DRIVING SOCIAL IMPACT THROUGH TECHNOLOGY.”
MARY ELLEN ROGERS DOESN’T UNDERSTAND WHY ANYONE WOULD ABUSE A PELICAN.
“Pelicans are not like hawks,” said Rogers, founder of Sea Biscuit Wildlife Shelter in Oak Island. “They’re just big goofy birds.”
But someone has maimed and killed brown pelicans over the years, to the point where Sea Biscuit Wildlife Shelter offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to an arrest. The offer expired March 1, and the shelter hasn’t had any injured pelicans this winter. Rogers said the culprits might have stayed away because of the cold weather.
The shelter took care of more than 1,100 birds last year, and 90 of them were pelicans.
“I’m really, really glad,” Rogers said, “we didn’t get any banged-up birds this year.”
