It’s been 13 years since a Wilmington-area company last received an economic development payout from the Job Development Investment Grant (JDIG) or the One North Carolina Fund, according to N.C. Department of Commerce records.   Since then, nine companies with plans to invest or create jobs in New Hanover, Bru ...

The city is looking for firms to lead a master planning effort for land on the northern end of downtown Wilmington. City officials issued three requests for qualifications related to the master planning on Monday. According to the requests, the city is looking for a team of consultants to provide urban design, market feasibility and economic analysis, and placemaking an ...

Local governments in the area have passed their budgets for the next fiscal year, with all holding property tax rates steady except for the city of Wilmington. The budgets take effect July 1. On Tuesday night, the Wilmington City Council voted 4-3, with councilmembers Salette Andrews, Chakema Clinton-Quintana and Kevin Spears dissenting, to adopt a nearly $ ...

City officials plan to submit an application in the coming weeks for a $14 million federal grant to replace an aging bulkhead in downtown Wilmington. In 2023, the city purchased a 1.6-acre site at 201 N. Water St. from the U.S. Coast Guard for $1.2 million. The site, which includes the 500-foot segment of bulkhead slated for replacement, served for more than two decades ...

A developer’s challenge to the denial of two special-use permits by New Hanover County officials is scheduled to go before a judge on Nov. 9. In October 2025, The Carroll Companies, a Greensboro-based firm, filed a writ of certiorari in New Hanover County Superior Court, seeking to overturn the New Hanover County Board of Commissioners' denial of two special u ...

With the potential expansion of the convention center and the redevelopment of several city-owned parcels, the northern end of downtown Wilmington is primed for future growth, according to city officials. Elected leaders from the city and New Hanover County highlighted their priorities for downtown on Wednesday during Wilmington Downtown Inc.’s Economic Developmen ...

The city of Wilmington is evaluating the future of land near Skyline Center to accommodate potential improvements at Live Oak Bank Pavilion and Riverfront Park. Last summer, the city solicited bids for the 3.26-acre property at 1001 and 1021 N. Front St., before pausing the process to evaluate the city’s potential needs for the site. Now, planning for the site&rsq ...

I recently read a former colleague’s op-ed on Wilmington’s current budget discussions, and I’ll admit I was surprised less by the position taken and more by the level of generalization and the absence of key context. Ironically, I had shared not long ago that I missed aspects of his approach to leadership. This, however, is not one of them. This budget ...

Not long ago, I wrote about green space and the fleeting opportunity to preserve land for future generations before it's gone forever. That piece was about vision and collaboration, about what a community can build together when leaders are willing to think boldly and act with urgency. This piece is about what happens when they don't. The city of Wilmington i ...

As Wilmington and the surrounding areas continue to grow in popularity, so does the demand for improvements to the area’s infrastructure.   While construction on projects like the Greenville Loop Trail, Greenville Loop Park and Wrightsville Beach Bridge Replacement causes short-term disruption, city leaders have said the end result will be well worth the tempo ...