WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) – As New Hanover County prepares to amend its comprehensive plan to provide new guidelines for potential developments on the western bank of the Cape Fear River, several local organizations have joined together to call for that land to be protected.

The coalition includes the Alliance for Cape Fear Trees, Bellamy Mansion Museum, Cape Fear Audubon, Cape Fear River Watch, Cape Fear Sierra Club, Eagles Island Central Park Task Force, Historic Wilmington Foundation, League of Women Voters of the Lower Cape Fear, North Carolina Coastal Federation, NC Gullah Geechee Greenway Blueway Heritage Trail, and NC NAACP.

New Hanover County staff have recommended creating a downtown riverfront designation, or place type, for the western bank. That could make way for future development.

A public comment period is underway until Noon on Friday, June 28.

Planning and Land Use Director Rebekah Roth says the comments received will help to solidify a recommendation for the county’s planning board to review on July 11.

“The work we’ve done over the past couple of years has really brought to light a lot of the environmental constraints, a lot of the concerns of the community,” said Roth. “And so, there is a desire to change that place type to something that might be more appropriate to this very unique part of the county.”

The coalition, however, is calling for the land to be designated as a conservation place type. Isabelle Shepherd with the Historic Wilmington Foundation says preserving the western bank’s history and resources is the best use for the area.

“We do believe that those undeveloped parcels of land are best to use to educate our public about our historic resources, our environmental resources and everything that makes the West Bank of the Cape Fear so special and unique,” said Shepherd.

The western bank is also prone to compound flooding, according to UNCW Geology Professor Roger Shew.

“As I’ve measured it since December 1 of last year to June 1 of this year, there were 77 times when water was on the road here at the battleship,” said Shew.

According to the geologist, this means any further development on the western bank could be dangerous.

“Once the water is on the road, everything around that area has flooded already because the roads are slightly higher than the surrounding areas,” Shew said. “So, there is no way to really develop a resiliency component to combat that much of frequent flooding.”

Of the nearly 600 emails Roth says the county has received regarding feedback about the comprehensive plan update, many of them have come from the coalition calling for the conservation designation.

“There are a variety of positions, a lot of them are calling for that conservation place type instead of what staff has proposed,” said Roth. “But we do have emails from other folks with different perspectives as well that are being considered.”

Shew says at the end of the day, there is only one choice to make.

“Not that we can’t, you know, design something, but should you design something? And in the case of compound flooding, like this area, it is obviously a nonstarter if you look at the science that tells you you should not be developing in this very risky condition,” Shew said.

The planning board will discuss the recommended updates to the county’s comprehensive plan next month, and commissioners will discuss the issue in August.

You can click here to learn more about the western bank comprehensive plan updates.

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