Update 12/10/18 – In a reversal of its earlier stance, the New Hanover County Board of Commissioners has approved CRDP’s zoning request. The move back to a conditional B-2 district paves the way for the developer to build a self-storage facility instead of its originally planned apartment complex.

Though the zoning application listed 10 potential uses for the site, CRDP has been clear about its intent to build self-storage. An April 2017 decision denied a rezoning request to allow a storage facility, as commissioners, including new chair Jonathan Barfield, argued self-storage is inconsistent with the purpose and intent of community mixed-use areas outlined in the county’s 2016 Comprehensive Plan, according to the source.

In a 3-2 vote to approve the rezoning, Barfield’s change of heart made the difference. “The last time we heard this I was in opposition to it, and my big concern was the aesthetic appeal,” he said during the meeting. “And coming back with a modification, making this look like a retail establishment vs. your traditional storage units, has given me a different take on this.”

9/12/18 – Real estate developer College Road Development Partners (CRDP) intends to build a self-storage facility on an 8-acre lot in Wilmington, N.C. The company originally planned to develop an 88-unit apartment complex in the 2600 block of N. College Road but asked to revoke its previous rezoning request, citing the rising cost of building materials and expected changes in the local flood zone, according to the source.

The New Hanover County, N.C., Board of Commissioners was expected to begin discussing the change during scheduled meetings last week. The developer owns the property, which is near Laney High School. A market study identified self-storage as a potential alternative use. “The market study indicated that a quality temperature-controlled self-storage [facility] would be well-suited for the property,” the company wrote in its change request.

The county granted a special-use permit and the rezoning for the apartments two years ago. The revocation would revert the zoning back to a B-2 and R-15 conditional-zoning district, on which self-storage could be developed, the source reported.

CRDP originally pitched a mixed-use building with residential and commercial space in 2012 but changed those plans to just the apartment complex in 2016. The company tried to rezone the site to a B-2 conditional-zoning district last year. Though the request was recommended for approval by the planning board, commissioners rejected the proposal.

In its latest request, the company indicated the apartment project wasn’t economically feasible.

Source:
Port City Daily, County Commissioners Approve Mini-Storage Warehouse on North College, After Voting Against It in the Past
WilmingtonBiz, Self-Storage Facility Planned Instead of Apartments on North College Road