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Resident urges Whiteville to buy downtown flood-prone parcel for stormwater retention
Summary
A Whiteville resident urged the council to acquire a 1.38-acre parcel adjacent to downtown (referred to as 154 College/Coward Street) that she says already functions as a stormwater pond, and offered potential grant sources and technical rationale for purchase and conversion to a retention area.
A resident urged the Whiteville City Council to consider acquiring a 1.38-acre parcel just downtown — variously identified in testimony as 154 (Coward/College) Street — and convert it for stormwater retention to protect nearby businesses and infrastructure.
"So this land at 150 Palmer Street already acts like a natural stormwater pond, and that's why this is so crucial," the resident said, noting U.S. Department of Agriculture soil classifications and frequent standing water on the site. She described the parcel as adjacent to a city-owned lot (160) and argued that acquisition would be strategic for flood control and resilience rather than development.
The speaker listed several potential funding sources for a buyout or stormwater project, including state and federal programs and local resilience grants, and urged the council to direct staff to meet with her family to discuss options. Council members cautioned that such projects are typically government-funded, noted recent changes in FEMA programs, and said an engineered project and grant-ready proposal would be required before major funding could be pursued.
The chair said the council would take the idea under advisement and instructed the resident to meet with the city manager to outline what the family would seek for the property. Council members warned that engineering, permitting and grant cycles could stretch implementation over several years and that the city would need to evaluate engineering costs and whether the small parcel would be cost-effective relative to expected benefits.
