Emma Dill

An aerial photo shows Victaulic's current facility in Leland Innovation Park. The company has plans to add 230,000 square feet to the existing footprint. (Image courtesy of Victaulic)

The coffee shop chain is eyeing a site at 6400 Carolina Beach Road, close to Ashley High School, for its latest Wilmington-area location, according to plans submitted to New Hanover County. The plans are set to go before the county’s technical review committee next week.

A rendering shows Blue Energy's proposed gas-plus-nuclear power plant planned in Victoria, Texas. (Image courtesy of Blue Energy)

The N.C. Department of Transportation (NCDOT) on Friday announced plans to hold public hearings on the replacement of the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge next month and released an environmental assessment of the project.The Cape Fear Memorial Bridge was originally constructed in 1969 and currently carries over 65,000 vehicles per day between New Hanover and Brunswick counties, exceeding its design capacity. The estimated cost of replacing the bridge is $1.1 billion.According to a news release, NCDOT has identified two replacement alternatives – Alternative A, a bridge with a movable span with a 65-foot to 135-foot vertical clearance over the Cape Fear River, and Alternative B, a fixed span bridge with a 135-foot vertical clearance with “trumpet interchange improvements.”NCDOT, in cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration, has approved an environmental assessment of the bridge replacement. The assessment details the anticipated impacts to natural, human, environmental, physical and biological resources for the two proposed alternatives, according to the release.Making the assessment public kicks off a formal review process, with public hearings that provide members of the public an opportunity to make formal comments that will be included in the project record. According to the release, public comments will be considered in the selection of the project’s preferred alternative.The first public hearing will take place on Monday, Sept. 14, at Cape Fear Community College’s Daniels Hall, 502 N. Front St. in Wilmington. Doors will open at 4:30 p.m. with the formal hearing beginning at 6 p.m.The second hearing will take place on Tuesday, Sept. 15, at the Leland Cultural Arts Center, 1212 Magnolia Village Way in Leland. Doors will open at 4:30 p.m. with the formal hearing beginning at 6 p.m.The public may attend at any time during the public hearing, according to the release, but the presentation will begin promptly at 6 p.m. and will be streamed live. NCDOT representatives will be available to answer questions and receive comments regarding the proposed project. The opportunity to provide verbal comments and/or submit written comments and questions will be provided.Comments can also be submitted by phone, email or at NCDOT’s public input portal until Oct. 15, 2026, according to the release.Copies of the maps showing the detailed study alternatives and the environmental assessment are available for review at the following locations throughout the public comment period:NCDOT – Division 3 Operations, 5501 Barbados Blvd., Castle Hayne Wilmington Urban Area Metropolitan Planning Organization Office, 525 N. Fourth St., WilmingtonCopies of the environmental assessment only are also available for review at the following locations:New Hanover County Public Library – Main Branch. 230 Grace St., Wilmington Brunswick County Library – Leland Branch. 487 Village Road, Leland Leland Town Hall, 102 Town Hall Drive, LelandProject maps and other information can be found on the project website.

A recently released environmental assessment compared the potential impacts of two alternatives for the replacement of the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge. (File photo)

After some negotiation, Wilmington leaders committed $2 million in gap financing on Tuesday to an 86-unit affordable housing project planned along Dawson Street.The project, called the Dawson Lofts II at Jervay, would offer rents ranging from 30% to 80% of the area median income (AMI). It’s being developed by the Wilmington Housing Authority and Blue Ridge Cascade on the site of a portion of Jervay Place that saw significant storm damage during Hurricane Florence.Those 18 storm-damaged units would be taken down and replaced with the proposed 86-unit project, Wilmington Housing Authority CEO Tyrone Garrett told council members on Tuesday night.The project, which has an estimated cost of $28.7 million, would be funded through a mix of 4% Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) and Project-Based Rental Assistance (PBRA) funding, said Rachel Schuler, the city’s director of community building.The developers initially asked the city for $2.5 million in funding, Schuler said. After review from the city’s community building and finance departments, staff recommended approval of $1.5 million in gap financing from the city’s Affordable Housing Fund to be repaid to the city with 1% interest.According to city documents, the repayment would be based on 10% of cash flow starting in 2029 and would balloon at 20 years.Schuler added that city funding won’t be distributed until the project reaches a certain point in development. “All of this is contingent on tax credits and the project moving forward,” she said.The project includes 17 units with rental rates at 30% AMI, 23 units at 50% AMI, 31 units at 60% AMI and 15 units at 80% AMI, according to a presentation from Schuler. Mayor Pro Tem Kevin Spears asked the developers if they could increase the number of units priced at the lower end of AMI range.“For the funding sources that we have in place right now, this is the best percentage that allows us to operate the property or the project itself without running a deficit,” Garrett said.During Tuesday’s meeting, Sam Weldon, a representative of Blue Ridge Cascade, asked the council to consider increasing the gap financing amount to $2 million. Rising interest rates, a drop in tax credit pricing and other ongoing market factors have contributed to higher project costs, he said.In exchange for the additional funds, Spears asked for additional units at a lower AMI or an increased interest rate. Weldon said it would be difficult to adjust the unit makeup since developers have already submitted the project to the North Carolina Housing Finance Agency (NCHFA). Securing a funding commitment from the city is one of the last steps before the agency can review the deal, Weldon added.Spears proposed providing $2 million in gap financing with a 2% interest rate.“I want to help the city,” Spears said. “We’ve got to recoup some of this money we’re spending.”Council member JC Lyle pushed back on the higher proposed interest rate.“We’re desperate for affordable housing, and we have people standing here willing to do it,” she said. “To jack up the interest rate, which is going to impact the rents because that’s just the way the math works, I just don’t think that’s right.”Weldon countered the proposed 2% interest rate, asking for 1.5%, which drew support from some council members.Ultimately, Spears made a motion for $2 million with a 2% interest rate, which narrowly passed in a 4-3 vote. Spears, Mayor Bill Saffo and council members Salette Andrews and Chakema Clinton-Quintana supported the measure, with council members Lyle, David Joyner and Cassidy Santaguida voting against it.Weldon said developers are targeting a closing and construction start for the project in the first quarter of 2027. The project’s development will be followed immediately by the rehabilitation of Jervay Place, he added.

Eleven new tenants recently signed leases at Leland Village, a Publix-anchored shopping center under construction in Leland.The new tenants include Handel’s Ice Cream – a first for the Wilmington area, restaurant chain First Watch, fast-food and takeout chains Domino’s Pizza and Wingstop, along with fast-casual Mexican eatery Qdoba. Other tenants include Chase Bank, pet specialty retailer Hollywood Feed, boutique fitness studio FS8 Pilates and Glo MedSpa, along with national retailer Mattress Firm and men’s hair salon Sport Clips.With the recent leases, the nearly 132,000-square-foot shopping center is now 93% leased, according to a news release from project developer Branch Properties. The Atlanta-based real estate investment and development firm closed on the 25-acre project site at the intersection of U.S. 17 and Kingsbridge Road last spring.Previously announced tenants for Leland Village include junior anchors Marshalls and Ulta Beauty, along with Heartland Dental, EmergeOrtho and a nail salon, according to the release. The center’s Publix Super Market is slated to open in early 2027.Branch Properties partner Brett Horowitz wrote in the release, “This diverse mix of national and regional retail, dining and service concepts will give the growing Leland community a true one-stop shopping destination, and we look forward to Publix opening its doors early next year.”The 3-mile trade area surrounding the shopping center includes over 23,000 residents with an average household income of nearly $107,000, according to the release.Branch Properties is developing several other Publix-anchored centers across the Southeastern U.S., including the Commons at Carolina Shores in Calabash and Rockfish Village in Fayetteville. Recently delivered projects include Flemington Village in Hinesville, Georgia; Braselton Village in Braselton, Georgia; Triple Crown Shopping Center in Richwood, Kentucky; and One Nexton in Summerville, South Carolina, according to the release.

Creative Outdoor Solutions, a Wilmington-based provider of hurricane shutters, motorized screens and retractable awnings, acquired Port City Hurricane Shutters, another locally based business, earlier this month.

A site plan shows a proposed 3,000-square-foot PNC Bank branch at 8086 Market St. (Image courtesy of New Hanover County)

Dubai-based logistics company DP World announced the launch of new express ocean freight services, including service to Wilmington, this week.According to a news release, the company’s two new Express Less-than-Container Load (LCL) services aim to help businesses move time-sensitive cargo more quickly and reliably between Asia, Europe and North America ahead of peak shipping season.The services include Express LCL Europe-USA, which provides weekly bi-directional service between major consolidation hubs in Antwerp, Belgium, Southampton, England and Cork, Ireland, and gateways in Wilmington and Chester, Pennsylvania -- with onward inland distribution to commercial addresses across Europe and the United States.The second new service, Express LCL Asia-USA, connects key manufacturing hubs in China, Vietnam, Thailand and Cambodia with Los Angeles before expedited inland delivery to commercial addresses across the United States, according to the release.“Designed for customers shipping smaller volumes, the new services combine the cost advantages of ocean freight with faster transit times, consistent weekly departures,” the release states, “and integrated inland transportation, providing a reliable alternative as businesses navigate elevated freight rates, constrained capacity, and ongoing supply chain uncertainty.”The services offer weekly departures with door-to-door transit times of approximately 18 to 24 days between Europe and the U.S. and 16 to 24 days between Asia and the U.S., according to the release."Businesses need supply chains that can respond quickly without sacrificing cost efficiency,” Joseph Fordney, senior vice president of freight forwarding for DP World in the Americas, wrote in the release. “Our new Express LCL services provide customers with faster ocean freight options, dependable weekly schedules and extensive inland connectivity, helping them move priority cargo more efficiently while avoiding the higher costs associated with air freight."Both services are supported by dedicated consolidation facilities with container freight station-to-container freight station (CFS-to-CFS) handling, optimized routing and extensive inland transportation networks, according to the release.