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Wilmington Council OKs repair extensions for two unsafe houses, grants garden-club funds and approves traffic and street items
Summary
Council granted 365‑day repair extensions for two unsafe houses (401 North Carr and 1308 S. 7th), approved a $500,300 Cape Fear Garden Club grant for a raised community garden, reduced neighborhood speed limits, accepted several public streets and authorized transportation project appropriations and a Duke Energy utility relocation agreement.
The Wilmington City Council approved a series of ordinances and resolutions across housing, parks, transportation and neighborhood safety at its March 2 meeting.
Housing code enforcement — Two public hearings considered properties found unfit for human habitation. For 401 North Carr Avenue, Chief Code Officer Brian Renner presented interior rodent- and water-damage evidence and recommended a repair-only ordinance; the owner, Cynthia Mitchell, described health and mobility challenges and difficulty securing contractors. Councilmember Kevin Spears moved to extend the repair period to 365 days to give the owner time to qualify for assistance and complete repairs; the motion carried unanimously and council waived second reading.
For 1308 South 7th Street, staff reported that estimated repair costs exceeded 50% of building value, triggering the dilapidation standard in the city code. Eric Johnson, speaking for family owners, said he has invested personal funds and estimated it would take about a year to finish repairs if done out of pocket. Council again approved a 365-day repair period and waived second reading.
Parks and recreation — Council accepted a $500,300 grant from the Cape Fear Garden Club to build a raised vegetable garden at Maids Park to be planted and maintained by staff and Davis Community Center program participants; the item passed on first reading and second reading was waived.
Traffic and streets — The council approved a petition-driven speed reduction (35 to 25 mph) on White Oak Drive and Birch Court in the Oak Forest neighborhood and accepted 1.26 miles of public streets and associated 25 mph limits in Pacific Place and Woodlands Grove. Council also approved an ordinance appropriating funds for the Pine Grove Drive/Greenville Loop Road roundabout project and authorized the city manager to sign a utility-relocation agreement with Duke Energy (agreement amount discussed in the meeting at roughly $1.5 million). Council voted to authorize condemnation actions related to the Pine Grove project after staff read an amended list of settlement amounts.
All listed items were approved by voice vote unless otherwise noted in the record.
