Greater Wilmington Business Journal - Oct. 16 Issue

Page 8

Page 8

October 16 - November 5, 2020

wilmingtonbiz.com

Greater Wilmington Business Journal

| HOSPITALITY |

Wilmington Rail Trail stays on track BY LAURA MOORE he Wilmington Rail Trail is one step closer to becoming a reality and beginning a chain reaction of projects that could change the landscape for pedestrians, bicyclists and outdoor enthusiasts in the downtown Wilmington area. “We’re in the home stretch,” Rhonda Bellamy, executive director of The Arts Council of Wilmington & New Hanover County, said. With the Wilmington Rail Trail Public Survey that closed Oct. 9, the exhaustive process of preparing to develop a master plan for the trail in partnership with community leaders, city and county officials, business and organization representatives, neighborhood residents and other stakeholders is complete. “The survey results and research done on the sites will inform the master plan, which will allow the consulting firm that we are working with out of Raleigh to draft the plan and provide a 30-day comment period for public feedback, which will enable us to have a complete master

T

PHOTO C/O WILMINGTON RAIL TRAIL

On a journey: The Wilmington Rail Trail would give pedestrians access to a trail via rail beds in the city.

plan by the end of the year,” Bellamy explained. The overall plan is to transform the old Atlantic Coast Line rail bed that runs through the Northside community of downtown Wilmington between Campbell and Bruns-

wick streets from McRae Street down to Third Street near Cape Fear Community College’s Wilson Center into a public corridor for foot and bicycle traffic. “Few cities have available land in the middle of the city that’s been

unutilized, and this pedestrian rail bed runs right through the center of a community and will serve these residents,” Bellamy said. “This pedestrian plaza will allow access through several points along the trail with cultural and recreational amenities.”


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