Save Midtown Neighborhoods

Overview - We are neighbors united in favor of responsible development.  We are adamantly opposed to the irresponsible rezoning and development being proposed for the vacant property of approximately 20 acres situated as a necessary buffer between Independence Boulevard and the single-family homes and neighborhoods in the South Oleander area including Hawthorne Road, Mayfair Drive, Churchill Drive, Canterbury Road, South Live Oak Parkway, and other surrounding areas.  The developer is proposing to rezone this property from R-15 (single family homes, like everything that exists around it immediately to the west, south, and most of the north) to R-5 (high-density, multi-family, three-story townhomes at the maximum height allowed of 35’ feet).  We oppose the developer’s request for the following reasons:

Traffic Impact and Safety - Rezoning this property to tremendously increase density will create substantially more congestion on our streets and pose a significant threat to the health and safety of our children and neighbors when biking, walking, jogging, driving and the like. The developer proposes to route all traffic from the proposed development only through our adjacent residential streets.  Our neighborhood’s streets and intersections are not designed to safely handle and manage such a dramatic increase in traffic. Limiting access to any new development solely from Independence Boulevard would obviously reduce or eliminate the negative impacts of the development’s high-density traffic to our neighborhood’s existing streets and intersections, but we have been informed by the developer that he refuses to consider this option.  In our opinion, this reflects a desire to maximize buildable area and related profit at the direct expense of our neighborhoods, which border these 20 acres.  

Neighborhood Integrity - The proposed rezoning does not comply with the Create Wilmington Comprehensive Plan’s growth strategies for this area.  Both the density and design of the proposed development are not in harmony with the adjacent and long-established residential neighborhoods.  While Wilmington may be growing in population, any proposed development should still be thoughtful, deliberate, and in harmony with the surrounding areas, the zoning of adjacent property, and Wilmington’s strategic plans.  This proposed rezoning meets none of those criteria.  

Infrastructure - Improvements to our infrastructure including streets, sidewalks, storm water management and public school capacity are not in place and do not exist at any sufficient levels to keep up with the pace of high-density rezoning and development for this particular tract.   That is why these 20 acres are zoned R-15 (single family homes, like everything around them). Our neighborhood streets are already in disrepair, too narrow in many places, and in many cases, do not have sidewalks to accommodate pedestrians and cyclists .  Adding more people and traffic to these 20 acres than they are zoned to accommodate will overwhelm our existing infrastructure.

Environment - The increased density and accompanying increased noise, light pollution, and unsafe increased volume of traffic from this proposed development would all detrimentally impact our air and water quality and use and enjoyment of our properties.  Furthermore, the reduction in existing vegetation, cutting down of mature trees, and destruction of green space needed to accommodate larger, high-density developments and their accompanying infrastructure – such as parking lots, dumpsters, etc.  – will be significantly greater than if the property were developed into single-family homes under the existing zoning.

These are some primary areas of our group’s opposition but do not necessarily include all of our objections.

Please help support our efforts to Save Midtown and other neighborhoods by signing this petition to be presented to the City Council and Planning Commission.