A rezoning approved by the Wilmington City Council on Tuesday will allow plans for 30 townhomes to move forward on two parcels of land along North Kerr Avenue.
In 2022, Wilmington leaders approved a rezoning for a 15-unit townhome project at 206 N. Kerr Ave. Following that initial rezoning, the owner of an adjacent lot at 204 N. Kerr Ave. decided to join in on the project – a move that allowed the development to double in size but also meant another rezoning would be needed.
The Wilmington City Council unanimously granted that zoning change Tuesday, rezoning the entire three-acre site to a medium-density mixed residential conditional district. Part of the site was previously zoned for office and institutional development.
Plans for the project include 30 attached townhome units that will be split into four clusters on the property. Each proposed townhome will have three bedrooms and an attached two-car garage.
The proposal also includes a stormwater pond and two access driveways – one directly onto North Kerr Avenue and another onto Birchwood Drive, said Cindee Wolf with Design Solutions. Wolf has represented the project throughout the rezoning process, including during the 2022 rezoning.
“After that approval, the two owners decided to get together and decided to join efforts and expand the residential community that they had proposed,” she said.
The 1.4-acre lot at 204 N. Kerr Ave. is owned by Longs Rental Investments LLC, according to property records. The limited liability company purchased the land in July 2023 for $575,000. Property records show SMSP Development LLC purchased the adjacent 1.6-acre parcel in May 2022.
City staff recommended approval of the rezoning request, concluding the proposal fits with goals outlined in the city’s Comprehensive Plan by transitioning between low-density residential neighborhoods and more intensive commercial development and creating more housing supply through infill development.
“The plan promotes quality design and site planning so that development infill and redevelopment is implemented with minimal adverse impacts on the character of the existing built environment,” Associate Planner Miranda Frantz told members of the city council on Tuesday.
Jonathan Washburn, who owns land nearby, told the city council that he “wholeheartedly” supports the project and is excited about the development it could bring to the intersection of Birchwood Drive and Kerr Avenue.
“It has so far been a little bit of a zombie zone and it’s because the development in there hasn’t started yet,” Washburn said Tuesday. “But this is, I hope, gonna start it.”
