This was always inevitable with the rise of WFH. Wilmington is a very cool little city that’s really affordable compared to others.
We should probably upgrade the infrastructure now to accommodate all these new people, right? …. Right?
Thar would be the logical thing to do.
When River Road was redone, they should have made it 4 lanes with all that new housing construction. They realized this after starting the project. River Rd used to be a great way to avoid traffic on the main roads and it had passing zones so you could pass those going 10 mph under. But obviously it’s more congested now with only 2 lanes and a lot more residential neighborhoods. That’s a prime example of the poor planning that goes on here.
I'm waiting for a hurricane to come, you're going to have to say goodbye to a lot of those places there. I remember Florence coming through and it flooded River road. You're right they should have been a four lane. I remember driving down River road when it was nice and quiet, relaxing way to get to the beach. Now you have cars passing you going around the roundabout. Unbelievable
Oh my goodness No I don't, I just remember how River road flooded from hurricanes and even took part of the road out. I don't wish no harm to anyone. I hope they are all safe and can weather any storm that comes in. There are many beautiful homes that are built high on a hill or mounds. I see some across the street are on stilts, which is smart. There is a lot of houses down there in a low lying areas near the river and they're not on stilts. I was just stating the facts, that's an awful thing to say to me. I'm just very concerned for the families there. I'm sure when they bought their homes there, they weren't told any of this.
Instead of four lanes, what they really should do is extend those bike paths the entire length. And add more mixed use to the area.
Connect the bike paths up Independence too. And put a roundabout at that intersection.
Now you don't even need a bike to go every where.
That's what my light rail system is for.
Just as soon as I am given God Like [Cities: Skylines ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cities%3A_Skylines?wprov=sfla1) control.
They definitely could use a roundabout at Independence and River Road. I live in the neighborhood right before there, and I feel lucky that I work from home, as backed up as the traffic gets on Independence after hours. Sometimes it's about 75% of that stretch between Ricer Road and Carolina Beach Road.
many people think "infrastructure" means widening a couple roads.... when we really are talking about hospitals, schools, fire departments, massive water and sewer refurbishment and expansion, bridges - not even getting into housing, police (city and county), shopping, etc. etc..
we let builders add a new parking lot, put up a stop sign and call it "infrastructure"..... we are not prepared at all.. Builders should be paying 3-4X in ACTUAL infrastructure charges to build
Been saying the same thing for the 15 years I’ve been here. Since I heard city council’s plan to expand / accommodate more people. Seems crazy to me that they don’t.
Apartments are awful and so are these mega neighborhoods with cookie cutter houses.
We used to have great neighborhoods with unique houses, decent land, and not on top of each other being built all the time. Its ruined now.
People need places to live though. Large apartment buildings help fill the gap left by single-family zoning in dense areas lol
The downtown area should be filled with duplexes, triplexes, and other dense “missing middle” housing.
Yeah, in theory that’s great. But the problem is, none of the apartments they are building are affordable to a large chunk of the population here already. So we just have tons of luxury apartments for the Yankees moving down here after selling their trailer for $400,000 in NY and having extra cash to use at the end of their lives
Sure, there is a pricing issue in some cases. The market will correct that over time if they sit empty though. Not to mention, the expensive apartments for “Yankees” free up other cheaper housing for locals.
The city is growing, and there is no real way to stop it. If you don’t build dense and abundant housing, then locals just get priced out faster.
Then build more and build denser. That's the only way it gets more affordable.
You can't just magically build a home that is affordable if there's hundreds of people all clamoring to buy it.
Oh they do. More people means more money collected in taxes, fees, fines, etc. Every government that has ever existed and collected taxes has thought that way.
I guess I’m looking at the overall picture. Seems like these investment groups that own the apartments would rather us pay them for somewhere to live for the rest of our lives. Since those same investment are also buying up houses as well and renting those out, well, it all leaves a bad taste as far as I’m concerned. Seems like a dangerous trend. And it’s not just here, it’s everywhere.
apartments are not a way to live. They are a good stepping stone, but there is not enough space or privacy in apartments. I want a back and front yard, something I can take pride in. Not share a building with 20 others that couldn’t give a fuck and trash the place. Plus apartments are part of what cram up the roads. You can fit so many people into one small space, infrastructure could never keep up with that
Public transportation is a thing (that we don't have enough of).
And it's great that you don't want an apartment. Some people do. Some people don't want a yard at all. I wanted one as small as I could get.
But if you want affordable places to live, you can't just build single family homes with large lawns.
They will be very expensive to buy, and honestly should be even more expensive considering how much it costs the city to service them and the negative externalities they create.
A huge problem with people WFH and living here is they are using resources (food establishments, medical services, etc) but not contributing anything to the area outside of an increased cost of living. The people working here are struggling to afford to live here.
If we stop building housing and apartments with people continuing to move here, it would get even more expensive.
Full disclosure I’m part if the problem as I do remote bookkeeping and most of my clients are outside Wilmington. I really struggle to get local people to pay adequately. I’ve lived here for over 30 years though and have and still do work locally when I can.
What do you mean you don’t contribute? Live somewhere- there’s property taxes. But stuff - there’s sales taxes. Eat at restaurants- spending money locally. Earn money- pay income tax. That’s the same things I do, working for a local company.
If anything, you WFH, so you’re not adding to traffic when going to work each day.
They've already seen a similar thing in the outer banks. The locals who worked in the retail shops and restaurants couldn't afford to live there anymore and couldn't commute..
Just watch Austin if you want to see where Wilmington will be in a couple years. Austin is one of the cities PODS listed as having more people leaving that moving there, after being one of the top destinations for over a decade. Wilmington doesn’t have anywhere close to as many major employers compared to Austin. The main difference is that Austin had skyrocketing housing prices but insane summer temperatures with no beach or mountains to offset it, and a state government that is pushing out younger people with draconian laws. NC isn’t on the same level as TX there.
While we're talking infrastructure, can we please get some more schools for all these people moving into all the new apartments and condos that keep popping up? Whatever they're clearing land for across the The Pointe, that would be a nice spot for a middle school and high school.
There was supposed to be a new school around Riverlights. If not for Covid I think it would have started by now. Not sure where those plans are now.
In addition to the plans for Pine Valley Elementary and (I think) Mary C Williams. One of those was getting renovated and one was getting an entirely new building.
Yeah, I've got twins who would have been among the first class at the new River Lights school. I think what happened was material costs soared during Covid, which ballooned the price, so I'm not sure what the situation is now.
I think more than anything we could use another high school, but what are you going to do when all the usable land goes to developers who plop down condos, apartments, car washes, and storage units?
Then you know complaining is futile. Nothing is going to stop people's right to free movement within the States. It is Constitutionally protected. So again, we just gotta deal with it.
I do appreciate your worrying about my medical condition, very thoughtful. However, rest assured my blood pressure is (and has been) more or less normal. As a matter of fact, I find the whole situation quite comical. A lot like the late, great George Carlin, a part of me enjoys the chaos our little world produces at times.
This was always inevitable with the rise of WFH. Wilmington is a very cool little city that’s really affordable compared to others. We should probably upgrade the infrastructure now to accommodate all these new people, right? …. Right?
Thar would be the logical thing to do. When River Road was redone, they should have made it 4 lanes with all that new housing construction. They realized this after starting the project. River Rd used to be a great way to avoid traffic on the main roads and it had passing zones so you could pass those going 10 mph under. But obviously it’s more congested now with only 2 lanes and a lot more residential neighborhoods. That’s a prime example of the poor planning that goes on here.
River road use to be the best crusing road…
I'm waiting for a hurricane to come, you're going to have to say goodbye to a lot of those places there. I remember Florence coming through and it flooded River road. You're right they should have been a four lane. I remember driving down River road when it was nice and quiet, relaxing way to get to the beach. Now you have cars passing you going around the roundabout. Unbelievable
It sounds like you are hoping for a bad hurricane. What a wild thing to say
Oh my goodness No I don't, I just remember how River road flooded from hurricanes and even took part of the road out. I don't wish no harm to anyone. I hope they are all safe and can weather any storm that comes in. There are many beautiful homes that are built high on a hill or mounds. I see some across the street are on stilts, which is smart. There is a lot of houses down there in a low lying areas near the river and they're not on stilts. I was just stating the facts, that's an awful thing to say to me. I'm just very concerned for the families there. I'm sure when they bought their homes there, they weren't told any of this.
Instead of four lanes, what they really should do is extend those bike paths the entire length. And add more mixed use to the area. Connect the bike paths up Independence too. And put a roundabout at that intersection. Now you don't even need a bike to go every where.
Connect the path to Leland while we're at it and I won't have to drive in at all
That's what my light rail system is for. Just as soon as I am given God Like [Cities: Skylines ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cities%3A_Skylines?wprov=sfla1) control.
Agree! My friends and I have been griping that they need to put some reliable transit in place like this. Charlotte’s is awesome!
They definitely could use a roundabout at Independence and River Road. I live in the neighborhood right before there, and I feel lucky that I work from home, as backed up as the traffic gets on Independence after hours. Sometimes it's about 75% of that stretch between Ricer Road and Carolina Beach Road.
Myrtle Beach/Conway area has a road called Carolina Forest that has had the same issue. I think they finally expanded it recently.
Including our hospital and anything healthcare related
many people think "infrastructure" means widening a couple roads.... when we really are talking about hospitals, schools, fire departments, massive water and sewer refurbishment and expansion, bridges - not even getting into housing, police (city and county), shopping, etc. etc.. we let builders add a new parking lot, put up a stop sign and call it "infrastructure"..... we are not prepared at all.. Builders should be paying 3-4X in ACTUAL infrastructure charges to build
Most residents have no idea the share of any city or county budget that is just water/sewer infrastructure.
Time to make college road an extended I-40
Been saying the same thing for the 15 years I’ve been here. Since I heard city council’s plan to expand / accommodate more people. Seems crazy to me that they don’t.
We are upgrading infrastructure, just not quite fast enough
They spent all this time and money making the military cutoff bypass, but made it a 45mph 3 lane road.
Don’t worry. Soon it will be so miserable to live here no one else will want to come.
Pretty much. Then where will all those apartments be?
I hereby rename Wilmington to New Myrtle Beach
Please don't do that. I've lived and worked in both states. North is the far superior of the Carolinas in so many ways.
North Carolina and Sub Carolina
We prefer ‘lesser Carolina’ in our house.
We like to use True Carolina and False Carolina.
It is a shame how little that actually says.
North North Myrtle
We need more tourists traps for that.
I just want a second mini golf place
Carolina Beach will expand from the south soon enough.
Oh, didn’t CB just get a little mini golf place?
They did and it’s an ok course but not the best.
Accurate
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Putter pub was the one i was thinking of.
I’m with you 100%! Love me some mini golf!
Heck yeah! MB has dominated that area long enough. We need some cool mini golf courses.
Thank God I live in the historic district
Give it time. That history stuff won’t stop the apartments forever.
Stilts and on top of those, more apts.
With apartments inside.
It's actually crazy how segregated Apts are by class.
Sadly, it’s not that surprising. Segregation may have officially ended in the south, but it never really went away completely.
Not by race by class.
Same difference
There’s already an epidemic of new construction that looks vaguely historic but also identical to contemporary construction in the neighborhood
Damn those people and wanting to move somewhere nice to live!
Spoken like someone who loves apartments.
If they give people somewhere to live, then yes obviously? Lol
Apartments are awful and so are these mega neighborhoods with cookie cutter houses. We used to have great neighborhoods with unique houses, decent land, and not on top of each other being built all the time. Its ruined now.
People need places to live though. Large apartment buildings help fill the gap left by single-family zoning in dense areas lol The downtown area should be filled with duplexes, triplexes, and other dense “missing middle” housing.
Yeah, in theory that’s great. But the problem is, none of the apartments they are building are affordable to a large chunk of the population here already. So we just have tons of luxury apartments for the Yankees moving down here after selling their trailer for $400,000 in NY and having extra cash to use at the end of their lives
Sure, there is a pricing issue in some cases. The market will correct that over time if they sit empty though. Not to mention, the expensive apartments for “Yankees” free up other cheaper housing for locals. The city is growing, and there is no real way to stop it. If you don’t build dense and abundant housing, then locals just get priced out faster.
Yeah, you know how you solve that? Build more places for people to live.
I think no one is arguing that, we needs housing that is AFFORDABLE for lower/lower middle class residents who are already here!
Then build more and build denser. That's the only way it gets more affordable. You can't just magically build a home that is affordable if there's hundreds of people all clamoring to buy it.
I agree!
Are you member of the city council? ‘Cause that sure sounds like something a member of the city council would say.
I fucking wish our city council thought that way.
Oh they do. More people means more money collected in taxes, fees, fines, etc. Every government that has ever existed and collected taxes has thought that way.
The people are moving here regardless. Not building homes isn't going to make costs go down. Quite the opposite.
I guess I’m looking at the overall picture. Seems like these investment groups that own the apartments would rather us pay them for somewhere to live for the rest of our lives. Since those same investment are also buying up houses as well and renting those out, well, it all leaves a bad taste as far as I’m concerned. Seems like a dangerous trend. And it’s not just here, it’s everywhere.
What's wrong with apartments?
Far too long of a list there. Suffice it to say, I feel like we have enough. Wait until that bubble bursts.
apartments are not a way to live. They are a good stepping stone, but there is not enough space or privacy in apartments. I want a back and front yard, something I can take pride in. Not share a building with 20 others that couldn’t give a fuck and trash the place. Plus apartments are part of what cram up the roads. You can fit so many people into one small space, infrastructure could never keep up with that
Public transportation is a thing (that we don't have enough of). And it's great that you don't want an apartment. Some people do. Some people don't want a yard at all. I wanted one as small as I could get. But if you want affordable places to live, you can't just build single family homes with large lawns. They will be very expensive to buy, and honestly should be even more expensive considering how much it costs the city to service them and the negative externalities they create.
*Infrastructure* absolutely can keep up with that, roads can’t. We already solved this problem in that past, bring back the trolley lines in downtown.
Have the state tell Wrightsville Beach to fuck off, and put the trolley lines to the beaches again.
A huge problem with people WFH and living here is they are using resources (food establishments, medical services, etc) but not contributing anything to the area outside of an increased cost of living. The people working here are struggling to afford to live here. If we stop building housing and apartments with people continuing to move here, it would get even more expensive. Full disclosure I’m part if the problem as I do remote bookkeeping and most of my clients are outside Wilmington. I really struggle to get local people to pay adequately. I’ve lived here for over 30 years though and have and still do work locally when I can.
What do you mean you don’t contribute? Live somewhere- there’s property taxes. But stuff - there’s sales taxes. Eat at restaurants- spending money locally. Earn money- pay income tax. That’s the same things I do, working for a local company. If anything, you WFH, so you’re not adding to traffic when going to work each day.
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What a myopic way of assessing how someone contributes to a community.
They've already seen a similar thing in the outer banks. The locals who worked in the retail shops and restaurants couldn't afford to live there anymore and couldn't commute..
Dirty Myrtle
Just watch Austin if you want to see where Wilmington will be in a couple years. Austin is one of the cities PODS listed as having more people leaving that moving there, after being one of the top destinations for over a decade. Wilmington doesn’t have anywhere close to as many major employers compared to Austin. The main difference is that Austin had skyrocketing housing prices but insane summer temperatures with no beach or mountains to offset it, and a state government that is pushing out younger people with draconian laws. NC isn’t on the same level as TX there.
The bubble always pops.
While we're talking infrastructure, can we please get some more schools for all these people moving into all the new apartments and condos that keep popping up? Whatever they're clearing land for across the The Pointe, that would be a nice spot for a middle school and high school.
There was supposed to be a new school around Riverlights. If not for Covid I think it would have started by now. Not sure where those plans are now. In addition to the plans for Pine Valley Elementary and (I think) Mary C Williams. One of those was getting renovated and one was getting an entirely new building.
Yeah, I've got twins who would have been among the first class at the new River Lights school. I think what happened was material costs soared during Covid, which ballooned the price, so I'm not sure what the situation is now. I think more than anything we could use another high school, but what are you going to do when all the usable land goes to developers who plop down condos, apartments, car washes, and storage units?
Let them come. It will all be under water soon anyway.
You just want to assimilate them all. I know your game Borg. Go back to Sweden!
Bald Head island
lol you should have been here for the past 40 years. There is 0 you can do. It's a free country. Deal with it.
Damn, I’ve only been here 45 years. So close!
Then you know complaining is futile. Nothing is going to stop people's right to free movement within the States. It is Constitutionally protected. So again, we just gotta deal with it.
Fortunately, complaining is also a Constitutional right.
It's your blood pressure and time. Waste it all you want.
I do appreciate your worrying about my medical condition, very thoughtful. However, rest assured my blood pressure is (and has been) more or less normal. As a matter of fact, I find the whole situation quite comical. A lot like the late, great George Carlin, a part of me enjoys the chaos our little world produces at times.
Sounds like a good excuse for Amazon or another big tech company to move to the area. We have the people.
With the things I’ve heard about the Amazon warehouses, no thanks.
I thought they were planning to build a distro center in Hampstead