Hospitality

| HOSPITALITY | Wilmington Rail Trail stays on track

BY LAURA MOORE

The 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

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.”

The partnership alliance that has worked to make the Rail Trail a reality looked at similar projects such as the New York City’s High Line and the Swamp Rabbit Trail in Greenville, South Carolina, for inspiration.

According to the Wilmington Rail Trail website, the goals of the trail include creating a “unique space for art, exercise, and community engagement…foster economic development…(and) honor and celebrate the local history and culture.”

In addition to being a walking and biking path, it will be a place to view public art exhibits, including sculptures and murals. What exactly fits into the space and where it is placed will be determined after consulting all stakeholders.

“We always wanted this to be a community effort, and longtime residents of the Northside neighborhood are very excited. They know the value of a park in that area,” Bellamy said.

The project represents the marriage of planning and public input, say officials who have been collaborating on it.

“We are working with the Rail Trail to maintain current existing right of ways and what appropriate cross sections are to be in line with what citizens of Wilmington and the northside neighborhood want to see in that area,” said Abby Lorenzo, project manager with the Wilmington Urban Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (WMPO). “With the feedback from the survey, we can wrap everything up and get a unified vision of what it will look like.”

Based on a progress report provided from the survey, a safe area for walking and biking recreation was listed as a perceived benefit to the trail, in addition to opportunities for health and wellness and an increased quality of life.

Aubrey Parsley, a member of the steering committee for the WMPO and the city’s director of Wilmington Rail Realignment, calls it “a fantastic project with a ton of potential.”

“The master plan will firm up the vision of what the trail could be and how the community could use it,” Parsley said. “The trail is multi-modal with key coordination for connecting parts of downtown with the Northside neighborhood. The connectivity is exciting, especially when you add in the potential for a passenger light rail. A lot of pieces [will] come together with this project.”

The long-term strategy is to bring

passenger rail service to Wilmington, and the Rail Trail preserves the access for the potential of light rail service to be built while maintaining a safe corridor for pedestrian traffic.

The completion of the master plan allows the community to see what that potential is and how the Rail Trail will serve them; it also provides the opportunity to seek out funding for the project, officials said.

“The first step was to develop a master plan, and the next phase is to identify funding to fund improvements,” Mike Kozlosky, executive director of the WMPO, said.

While the WMPO will make some money available for the project, in addition to potential funds from the N.C. Department of Transportation, and the city’s Capital Improvement Plan, grants will be sought to fill any gaps needed.

The Rail Trail is only a section of a much larger plan created in 2013 with the Wilmington/New Hanover County Comprehensive Greenway Plan.

“This is only the beginning phase of the overall downtown Greenway Plan that will link downtown with Forest Hills, then eventually connect to the Cross City Trail,” Kozlosky, explained. “This sets the stage for use of the corridor for multi-modal transportation and passenger rail at some point.”

The utilization of this trail is made possible through a lease with the Department of Transportation, which is interested in maintaining future rail service, according to Kozlosky.

In the meantime, the Rail Trail hopes to serve the community and visitors alike.

“It’ll be a showpiece, not just for the Northside neighborhood, but for visitors. I really see visitors utilizing this trail,” Lorenzo said. “One Hill Tree [TV show shot in Wilmington] fans can use it to see the famous [Sixth Street] bridge, and I think it will really attract people and they will utilize it.”

Whether using it for recreation or for transportation, it aims to serve both roles in a safe and enjoyable fashion.

“Ultimately, the Rail Trail will have a positive impact on the city of Wilmington and our transportation network,” Kozlosky added.

To learn more about the Wilmington Rail Trail, visit wilmingtonrailtrail.com or find on Facebook at Facebook.com/wilmingtonrailtrail.

Voters can pick three of the six New Hanover County commissioner candidates. Early voting runs through Oct. 31, and Election Day is Nov. 3. For more info, go to the county’s Board of Elections website at elections.nhcgov.com.

For more elections coverage and info on candidates, visit WilmingtonBiz.com. CANDIDATE QUESTIONS 1. What would you do in office to promote economic development?

2. If elected, would you vote to change the contract to sell NHRMC to Novant Health that was recently approved? Editor’s note: The current board of commissioners approved the final agreement on Oct. 5, and the deal is expected to close sometime in the first half of 2021. There is a $25 million fee if either side breaks the deal before then. 3. Name three specific goals you would have while in office.

JONATHAN BARFIELD JR. DEMOCRAT Occupation: Broker/ owner, Barfield & Associates Realty Experience: Served 12 years on the New Hanover County Board of Commissioners, four times as chair and three times as vice-chair Info: barfieldforcommish.com 1. “The first pillar of economic development is a strong public education system and our community college as many companies when they look to locate in our area are concerned about the quality of education their children will receive. CFCC plays a vital role in helping to create a trained and skilled workforce so that employers can be ready to open their operation day one with the ability to recruit locally. Lastly, continue to partner with our economic development partners WBD, WDI, the Chamber of Commerce – support them in the work that they do in promoting our county, but also put the tools in their hands that they can do just that.” 2. “With the contract that was just passed if it were to be broken by either party that party would have to pay a $25-million breakage fee. I supported the sell based on 12 years of serving as a county commissioner and four years serving on NHRMC’s Board of Trustees, based on information received from the culmination of the PAG meetings and all of the briefings and updates that I received. I would not want to deliver to the citizens of New Hanover County a $25-million-dollar bill to pay because I know want to change the terms of the deal.” 3. (1) “Have an increased focus on housing affordability. As we recruit more companies to our county there must be an affordable housing stock that will serve all salary ranges of their operation, not to mention the many UNCW graduates that would greatly benefit our county by keeping their talents here. (2) Increased funding and focus on mental health and substance use disorders services in our county. (3) Have an update to the Garner Report to see what new opportunities may exist for our region.”

LESLIE COHEN

DEMOCRAT

Occupation: Business owner/artist

Experience: Title IX

Committee of NHC

Schools, 2018 candidate for N.C. House 20 Info: electlesliecohen.com 1. “Companies want to be located in places where it is easy to recruit and retain employees. Making New Hanover County a better place to live and work also makes it a better place to do business. We are facing unprecedented challenges during the global pandemic and the economic fallout that it has wrought. I will work closely with the Chamber of Commerce, local business leaders and small business owners to support businesses as we recover. I will also work with the state legislature to reinstate permanent film incentives and restore more of those good-paying jobs to our county.” 2. “It’s not clear that changing that contract will be possible. I would have liked for different partnership models to be explored before settling on an outright sale. If other options

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are still available, I think they should be weighed before a final decision is made. The hospital is a community asset, and we must protect our local assets for a healthy financial future and to ensure the highest quality healthcare for our region.” 3. “(1) Move the 4 p.m. board meetings to 6 p.m., reinstate and televise board agenda review meetings and make work sessions publicly accessible. (2) To fully fund WAVE Transit and build it into a robust system to serve all our citizens as we grow over the next several decades. (3) To give our public schools the support they need to keep our children, our teachers and support staff, and our families safe and healthy as we recover from the COVID crisis.”

DEB HAYS REPUBLICAN Occupation: Realtor/ Broker Experience: Wilmington Planning Commission chair, the Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee, Wilmington Downtown Inc., chair and commissioner of the Wilmington Housing Authority Info: debhaysfornhc.com

1. “Focused Effort – research, realize and agree on type of companies and jobs we need and want then target our efforts accordingly. We are most competitive with small- to midsized companies that have proven to thrive here, spawning additional startups that provide a continual incubator (ex: Live Oak Bank, CastleBranch, nCino, tekMountain).

Focused Approach – a united marketing and economic development effort creating a comprehensive and common marketing approach for our area. This would deliver a collaborative and consistent theme, showcasing an impactful reoccurring message for all to use whether it be for recruiting companies, jobs, students, etc.” 2. “No … the focus of effort now needs to be on the priorities for use of the proceeds; in particular the community foundation. This unprecedented opportunity has the potential to benefit the citizens of New Hanover County for generations to come … a true game-changer for our community. Care, diligence and attention need to be paid to every formative step throughout the process and on-going. This has an even greater potential than the Duke Endowment. We have a responsibility to our current and future generations to create a foundation of community care that is inclusive of all our citizens.” 3. “(1) Economic & Job Growth – Economic Development with a Focused Effort and Approach! Continue to support and enhance those businesses, small and large, that have made our area home. (2) Education – the core of everything we do! Strong educational foundation and supportive plan must continue to be enhanced to provide the skills necessary for a dynamic workforce. (3) Opportunity Housing and Quality of Life – Live, Work, Play in the same area is opportunity housing. Strong paying jobs provide housing affordability in more ways than any other solution. The work is now to enact for the preservation of the charm of our County while moving forward positively for all citizens.”

KYLE HORTON

DEMOCRAT

Occupation: Internal medicine physician and public policy advocate Experience: 2018 Democratic congressional nominee for North Carolina’s 7th District Info: electkylehorton.com 1. “COVID has made job retention difficult – let alone job creation. While I hope that stimulus funds like the EIDL, PPP, and Golden Leaf loans will increase; I will support small businesses as well as sole proprietorships and minority-owned businesses given worsening disparities. I’ll support tax incentives and credits to create jobs in industries expanding to meet public health needs. Now is a unique opportunity to invest in infrastructure including advancing the Stormwater Utility efforts, building affordable/workforce housing and investing in workforce training for less-skilled workers to get them job-ready for the future.” 2. “It will depend on the Attorney General’s review. The community foundation should be accountable to the taxpayers. This is our hospital, and its proceeds are our money that should be managed in a publicly accountable foundation governed by public meetings law. There are public foundations granted expanded authority for riskier investment strategies garnering higher ROIs. I

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