http://katiemooreteam.com/blog/categoryname_downtown-wilmington/sort_entrydatetime-desc/ For the past year, Sandy Thorpe and Andy Hewitt have watched their vision for the Soda Pop District progress from their offices on Princess Street.  After ushering in the successful start to Hi-Wire Brewing and Cugino Forno, more is in the works with Raleigh-based Bowstring Pizza and Brewyard renovating the space next door. The partners are also unveiling Bottle Works this week in the former Coca-Cola bottling facility at 921 Princess St. With tenants like Beach & Barn and Craftspace taking up large sections, and businesses like the local Pomona Shrub Company in some of the new retail spots, they're 70% occupied.Next, there's the possibility of a grocery store, a sandwich shop, maybe a speakeasy bar -- and a restaurant space they say would anchor the development.“Have you ever been to Leon’s in Charleston?,” Thorpe asked. “Put it on your list.” The relaxed restaurant that serves oysters, Southern-style seafood and fried chicken in a former South Carolina body shop is exactly the kind of eatery they'd like to see here.“This is my favorite space here,” Thorpe said. It dates to the 1920s, has lots of natural, indirect light, and some cool features -- like pipes that used to help fill soda bottles.They’ve been talking to possible restaurant partners but haven't found the right fit.“Initially, we did not foresee much retail/respace,” Hewitt said. "But there’s been a demand for it."“So, we’ve been adaptive,” Thorpe said.It was always a big project and will be bigger. They eventually want to add a patio and build a new building behind Bowstring. (Although the business is focuses on pizza in Raleigh, the Wilmington space will serve burgers and comfort food, and drinks from what they say will be the area's biggest bar.)More buildings, and plans for multi-family housing, are in the works, too, they said.Allison Ballard is the food and dining reporter at the StarNews. You can reach her at aballard@gannett.com. http://katiemooreteam.com/blog/3968/with-renovation-food-and-retail-scene-in-wilmington’s-soda-pop-district-takes-shape/ Wed, 30 Nov 2022 01:04:36 -0500 By Lauren SchusterPublished: Nov. 30, 2022 at 10:05 AM EST|WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) - Thursday, Dec. 1 marks the first day that you can ice skate at Live Oak Bank Pavilion in the heart of downtown Wilmington. This will be the first year that the City of Wilmington will have an outdoor ice rink.The rink will be located on the stage.Many may wonder how ice skating is possible in area known for warmer temperatures, and synthetic ice is the answer. Although the ice is fake, it is still capable of being skated on. A solid polymer material is used, designed for skating using normal metal-bladed ice skates. The rinks are constructed by interlocking panels to form a large skating area.The ice rink will be open from Dec. 1-9 and will cost $5 per person, which includes ice skate rentals. Pre-registration is required. You can purchase tickets on the city website or by calling (910) 341-7855. Each 1-hour block includes 45 minutes for skating and 15 minutes for signing waivers and putting on skates.On Saturday, Dec. 3, there will be a winter event held at the pavilion. Everyone is welcome and can enjoy activities such as listening to the Cape Fear Chorale from 5:45 p.m. to 6 p.m., free Santa visits from 6:05 p.m. to 7 p.m. and watching Dr. Suess’ The Grinch movie on the outdoor screen from 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.Live Oak Bank Pavilion is located at 10 Cowan Street in Wilmington. http://katiemooreteam.com/blog/3967/an-opportunity-for-outdoor-ice-skating-in-downtown-wilmington/ Wed, 30 Nov 2022 12:59:48 -0500 NEW HANOVER COUNTY — A downtown development project five years in the making raised concerns from the state financing board for its “unique” approach; however, Project Grace as structured will not move forward. The financing agreement between the county and Wilmington developer Zimmer Development Company continued to raise concerns by the Local Government Commission during its Thursday meeting; the LGC was to give final authorization on the financing of Project Grace. It did not pass with support from the nine-member board.Member Vida Harvey made a motion for approval and silence filled the air. “The motion fails for lack of a second,” said State Treasurer Dale Folwell, who chairs the LGC. Essentially, the county’s project was denied on the technicality of never making it to a full vote.The public-private partnership for the redevelopment of a 3-acre, county-owned block downtown was slated for a vote at the request of commissioners. Folwell removed it, along with two other items, from the meeting’s consent agenda — usually voted on as a whole with no discussion — based on input from the board. He said it required further discussion.The LGC had concerns about the financial structure of the lease agreement, the burden on taxpayers and the private portion of the development being negotiated without an upset bid process.Project Grace was the last action item, following a 3.5-hour meeting. Only one person spoke out, Wilmington resident Diana Hill — who has advocated against the project as part of Save Our Main Library.Hill raised her concerns about the demolition of a viable library, the cost to taxpayers and the destruction of historic property. She had 4 minutes to speak, but her time turned closer to 15 minutes.County leadership and staff was in attendance via phone and made a last-ditch effort to present their case.“Vote up, we’ll move on with Zimmer; vote down, we’ll move on with somebody else,” commission chair Julia Olson-Boseman said confidently. “We, as the commission, want to be able to move forward with this project.”Olson-Boseman and county manager Chris Coudriet rebutted Hill’s opposition.“As the chair said, the commission believes in this enough and understands the value proposition, it wants to own the final plans to proceed with redevelopment of this lot,” Coudriet said.Before a motion was made, Folwell warned his fellow board members he would not support the project.“I will be voting against it, but I promised the chairwoman I’d put it on the agenda,” he said, followed by a message to county officials: “I am sure we will continue to be in dialogue.”The county entered a deal with Zimmer in 2021, following a two-year process seeking requests for qualifications, reviewing any submissions and ultimately asking for proposals from interested firms. Since then, it’s been a tumultuous journey with three MOU versions, community support and opposition and questions about the financial undertaking.The framework was laid that Zimmer — the only one to submit a proposal in response to the county’s RFP — would manage construction of a new building combining the county’s library and Cape Fear Museum, purchase a 1.2-acre parcel of the block at fair market value and invest $30 million.The complexity of the memorandum of understanding between New Hanover and Zimmer, as well as the financing agreement crafted, has caused Folwell and the LGC to question the projects’ validity and necessity over the last few months.The biggest head-scratcher, according to Folwell, was the 8% profit margin Zimmer would be receiving over a 20-year lease with the county versus the county’s ability to borrow money at 3.25%. Additionally, county representatives explained the overall goal was to have control over what was built in the private development, adding to the community’s benefit and increasing the county’s tax base.“[Without it] we cannot guarantee a community investment within 36 months; that there will be a residential component, let alone set aside 5% workforce housing,” Coudriet said. “We cannot guarantee a hotel generating room occupancy tax to the benefit of the City of WIlmington. We can’t guarantee any investment.”Folwell also said the MOU’s provision allowing the county to purchase Zimmer’s plans for $2.5 million should the LGC not approve the financing was “handcuffing” the state government entity. In a letter sent last week, he asked the county to amend the MOU to reflect the LGC’s connection to that condition, which the county agreed to.The treasurer also asked the county to consider an upset bid process for the private development side of the project, citing the property as valuable enough to get more than it’s worth over a private negotiation.The county disagreed and stood by its negotiation plans with Zimmer.“I’ve been continually concerned about a county as prosperous as New Hanover that the transactions seemed to be so complicated and all my efforts along the line have been increasing transparency and increasing governance on the deal,” Folwell said.As the county stated during the meeting and has said in the past, it will continue to pursue a new library and museum facility; it will just have to pivot in its approach.After the meeting, the county sent a press release noting it will purchase the full design and construction documents from Zimmer for the library and museum facility for $2.5 million. “Then the county will assess next steps, including the cost of issuing debt to build the facility and the timeframe for when to proceed,” the release said. “As additional information is known, the community will continue to be kept informed.”ByAmy PassarettiSeptember 22, 2022 Port City Daily http://katiemooreteam.com/blog/3940/project-grace-rejected:-county-to-regroup-on-library-museum-redevelopment-plans-following-lack-of-lgc-support/ Fri, 23 Sep 2022 08:45:15 -0500  Last month, local government entities revisited alternative funding options for the replacement of the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge — a contentious topic that walks the fine line between necessity and unfavorable financing options. It remains a high priority for officials.The Wilmington Urban Area Metropolitan Planning Organization passed a resolution at its February board meeting to ask the North Carolina Department of Transportation to explore all options, including tolls and previous proposals, for replacing the 50-year-old structure. The board also discussed Wednesday its legislative agenda, moving the replacement of the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge to its highest unfunded priority.“It goes to the top, stars, highlighted, neon signs going toward it,” WMPO board member and New Hanover County vice chair Deb Hays said at the meeting.She jokingly added, in reference to NCDOT division 3 engineer Chad Kimes, local state representative: “Can we have it tattooed on Chad’s forehead?” Kimes provided an update to the board and said a committee — NCDOT staff from the division and in Raleigh, as well a WMPO executive director Mike Kozlosky — was formed almost immediately after the resolution passed last month to begin exploring possibilities.“We have done a lot in the last few weeks to be honest,” Kimes said. “This is rapid- movement research we’re doing here, but we’re trying to uncover every limb we can.”The Cape Fear Memorial Bridge provides a key link between Brunswick and New Hanover counties and more than 62,000 vehicles cross it daily. According to NCDOT, the bridge is nearing the end of its usable lifespan. Also, the annual maintenance costs continue to rise, and replacement parts are becoming difficult to obtain.Kimes told the WMPO board NCDOT is taking a three-pronged approach to the bridge replacement: traditional delivery, conventional toll delivery and alternative delivery.Traditional deliveryA traditional design-bid-build project would require the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge to score high on the next round of NCDOT’s State Transportation Improvement Program. The bridge did not score high enough on the last prioritization round, which frustrated local leadership.The STIP is a multi-year capital plan for scheduling and funding state projects based on a scoring matrix. Federal and state money from various sources is allocated for projects.While the STIP is a 10-year plan, NCDOT updates it every two years to ensure it accurately matches the department’s financial situation and statewide needs. NCDOT will update a feasibility study for the bridge, including cost estimates, to indicate where the project might fall on the next round of STIP prioritization.As of now, no funding is available for future projects since NCDOT is over budgeted by about $12 billion; however, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill, signed into law in November, should infuse additional money to the state.A major source of STIP funding is the state’s gas tax. Concerns arose from WMPO board member and New Hanover commissioner Jonathan Barfield about how the state’s clean energy plan and the increased presence of electric vehicles will impact the gas tax.“As we see more hybrid and electric vehicles on the road, it’s definitely going to offset money coming in from the gas tax for the state,” he said at the meeting. “We need to be having this conversation at a local level and recognize the dollars are dwindling.”Kimes told board members to analyze traditional funding options, its newly formed committee will research grant programs offered by U.S. Department of Transportation, as well as dig into the provisions outlined in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill.Conventional toll deliveryInitial discussions around the idea of a toll bridge sprung up last summer when an unsolicited bid from a private investor was presented to WMPO by NCDOT. The company intended to bankroll the construction of a new bridge by instituting tolls for at least 50 years. The proposal was sent in late 2020 by a team of construction and engineering firms, supported by anonymous financial backers, who would assume the risk involved with design, construction and maintenance of the project for a time. NCDOT would retain its ownership and oversight for regular inspections. After much debate and a nearly split stance, WMPO voted against it 7-5 in July 2021. At last month’s meeting, officials revisited the discussion after the Wilmington Chamber of Commerce and Brunswick County passed resolutions expressing their support of alternative options for the bridge replacement. The Town of Leland also passed a resolution asking for the bridge to be included in the STIP.The WMPO board passed a similar resolution, 9-3 requesting all options be explored.To pursue the feasibility of this route, NCDOT will look to its Toll Project Development Policy. The guidelines were implemented in 2018 to “improve the department’s ability to manage a reliable transportation network, address congestion, leverage limited financial resources, and provide more user choice,” according to NCDOT’s website.Per the toll policy, the evaluation of a toll option is calculated with a financial feasibility tool, which considers general project information, traffic, toll pricing and project costs. Ultimately, the results show whether a toll would generate enough revenue to cover its own costs of operation, as well as a portion of the capital costs.Alternative DeliverySimilar to the unsolicited bid NCDOT received in 2020, alternative options are also in the mix for consideration.“We would send out a request for information to see if there’s any innovative solutions for another approach,” Kimes told the WMPO board.According to NCDOT’s phased-in strategy, innovative solutions could include “buildability concepts and financial alternatives.”As was mentioned at last month’s WMPO meeting, the original proposal is “not the only game in town.” Bids could come from a variety of sources around the nation.NCDOT said proposals will be screened for viability, including technical, environmental, engineering and legal, as well as financial. All screening analysis will be presented to the WMPO board for consideration prior to further pursuit.Kimes also said, still, there are some things NCDOT will not consider for funding a replacement bridge. It’s not within its authority to request special assistance or appropriations from the N.C. General Assembly. NCDOT also said local funds will not be included in any analysis unless specifically requested by WMPO.“We hope to have all this wrapped up by late summer to give you our findings,” Kimes said.ByAmy PassarettiMarch 31, 2022Port City Daily http://katiemooreteam.com/blog/3851/ncdot-reveals-3-pronged-approach-to-cape-fear-memorial-bridge-replacement/ Thu, 31 Mar 2022 03:10:43 -0500 WILMINGTON — The developers behind the revitalization of the Soda Pop District and anchoring Coca-Cola building are kicking off reconstruction soon.Dubbed “The Bottle Works Building” project, hammers will start hitting at the corner of Princess and 10th streets this March. The reconstruction is being split into two phases, with the first focused on the upfit of the former Coca-Cola Bottling Plant’s warehouse and retail portion and its entry on Princess Street. The second step will touch the cornering Bottling Works building, currently hidden by metal blockades.The first phase is anticipated to finish by summer. Once open, the Coca-Cola building will act as a flex space for makers. It spans approximately 74,000 square feet and will be sublet with 400- to 12,000-square-foot spaces.One of the announced renters, Craftspace, plans to operate its upcycled, shipping-container manufacturing business out of 5,000 square feet, with potential for future expansion. The company turns crates into pool cabanas, home gyms, studies, offices, and homes. Capitalizing on the growing trend, it reported in October a 40% increase in business over the past year.The Coca-Cola building makes up over 1.5 of 7 acres Parastream Development acquired in October for $8 million as part of a joint venture. At the time, partner Andy Hewitt explained his team was interested in investing in the area for years and was always drawn back to its potential, with its proximity to downtown, schools, neighborhoods and the hospital.In all, the land purchase spans more than three city blocks, with empty parcels and buildings throughout the 900 block of downtown Princess Street. One other building is undergoing construction, in addition to this Coca-Cola project and the work in the front of Hi-Wire.Bowman Murray Hemingway Architects and Monteith Construction Co. are collaborating to transform the building. Hewitt and Sandy Thorpe, partners of Parastream Development, are spearheading it.“The Bottle Works Building is a unique product coming to Wilmington offering well-designed urban flex space for makers who need a central presence downtown and could get lost in an industrial park setting,” Thorpe said in a release. “BMH and Monteith have helped develop a design to activate the building and make it interactive for its tenants and consumers.”The same real estate team transformed a nearby 1950s car dealership into what is today Hi-Wire Brewing. Its now been open for a little over a year. Construction work on an adjoining, front building should be complete by this April or May. According to permits, Cugino Forno Pizzeria is going into that space.The Soda Pop District is also home to Folk’s Café and Jengo’s Playhouse, the base of Wilmington’s independent Cucalorus Film Festival. As part of its redevelopment, the side of the Coca-Cola building facing the western Cucalorus complex will be repainted with film-inspired graphics. In fact, two film productions are utilizing the site in the short term and will remain there throughout construction.A news release from Wilmington Downtown, Inc. indicated there would be more announcements in retail and hospitality tenants coming to the neighborhood, as well as a new mercantile storefront at Princess and 10th streets. Architect Bruce Bowman described the project as “reactivating the neighboring streetscapes.”“Factory and storage tenants will be able to have storefront presence to provide an innovation incubator which will be at the center,” Bowman added.The team is advertising the multi-tenant warehouse as accommodating to light manufacturing, assembly, warehouse, and distribution. Tenants will share amenities like communal loading docks and drive-in bays.The second phase of construction will cover 13,000 square feet of ground as part of the corner building, currently hidden behind panels on the corner of Princess and 10th streets. This part is known as the Bottling Works, a historic building from the 1920s.According to the news release, phase two “maintains the building’s primary storage uses, but subdivides spaces, adds support spaces, and will accommodate new uses, including factory, mercantile, and limited assembly uses with future phases possibly accommodating a co-working office and shared studio environment.”Pegg, Will Daube and Cody Cress with The CRESS Group at Coldwell Banker Commercial Sun Coast Partners are overseeing the leasing.“The adaptive reuse and investment by Parastream in this historic property within the Soda Pop District will create new opportunities for manufacturing jobs – especially those in the sustainability sector like Craftspace – and is a welcome addition to our downtown,” Holly Childs, WDI’s president and CEO, stated in the release. “This entire district will benefit from today’s investment in The Bottle Works Building as a catalyst for future development of neighborhood retail, restaurants, hospitality and housing.”This article was updated to include new information from Parastream.By  Port City Daily staffMarch 1, 2022 http://katiemooreteam.com/blog/3834/coca-cola-building-slated-to-undergo-renovations-this-month/ Thu, 03 Mar 2022 03:47:39 -0500