Planning commission backs code change to allow semi-permanent structures in downtown Wilmington

The City of Wilmington Planning Commission voted unanimously to recommend a land development code amendment that would allow one semi-permanent accessory structure per lot in the Central Business District (CBD), with conditions limiting use, size, and placement.

Planner Grace Lame told the commission the proposal responds to gaps in the CBD design standards that treat small accessory structures the same as primary buildings, creating practical barriers for adaptive reuse of older, nonconforming properties. "Staff recommends approval," Lame said, explaining the amendment would permit semi-permanent structures only as accessory uses to existing restaurants and nightclubs, would prohibit them as primary structures, and would require standards for quantity, dimensions, appearance and…