Monday’s meeting of the New Hanover County Board of Commissioners featured the appointment of a new Commissioner, an update on workforce housing, info on the work by Port City United and much more. Check out the highlights below.
Welcome, Commissioner Scalise!
A new face was welcomed to the Board of Commissioners on Monday as local attorney and insurance broker Dane Scalise was unanimously approved to join the Commissioners. Scalise, who was recommended by the New Hanover County Republican Party, will fill the vacancy through the 2024 election cycle left by the sudden passing of former Commissioner Deb Hays in late March.
More information about Commissioner Scalise can be found here.
Workforce Housing Advisory annual update
The Workforce Housing Advisory Committee, a joint effort between New Hanover County and the City of Wilmington, made its annual presentation to Commissioners, providing updates about ongoing work in the community to address affordable housing deficiencies and make recommendations for next steps.
In Fiscal Year 2022-23, the county approved $3 million in direct funding for two low-income housing tax credit projects that will create a combined 152 affordable housing units. Commissioners also created a Housing Division tasked with developing, implementing and managing programs and initiatives to increase and retain affordable housing stock.
Moving forward, the committee presented five recommendations, including the creation of a dedicated affordable housing development fund, replacing one-time funding opportunities for developers looking to subsidize affordable housing and the expansion of counseling and financial literacy programs related to housing. You can see the entire report, by clicking here and learn more about some of the county’s housing efforts at Planning. NHCgov.com.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none"><p lang="en" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NHCgov?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NHCgov</a> Commissioners heard an update and received recommendations from the NHC/<a href="https://twitter.com/CityofWilm?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CityofWilm</a> Workforce Housing Advisory Committee to continue increasing equitable access and supply of affordable workforce housing in the community. Read the annual report: <a href="https://t.co/jeXErCTMqj">https://t.co/jeXErCTMqj</a> <a href="https://t.co/ifOIHUyfJA">pic.twitter.com/ifOIHUyfJA</a></p>— New Hanover County (@NewHanoverCo) <a href="https://twitter.com/NewHanoverCo/status/1647977680862871556?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 17, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Port City United highlights one year of work
A year after the department’s founding, members of the Port City United team made a presentation to Commissioners about their efforts to interrupt violence in the community and provide much-needed support and resources for individuals and families.
Since beginning their work a year ago, PCU has dedicated its focus to building community trust. This includes mediation and outreach, assisting more than 3,500 callers who reached out to the PCU Connect Center, providing wrap-around services to more than 600 students in seven New Hanover County Schools, and hosting numerous outreach events to provide resources to the community.
They have numerous community efforts coming up, including an apprenticeship program for youth in our community, Fresh Chance Friday this summer to connect residents with resources and help with expungement, and their continued Bright Lights Peaceful Nights initiative that identifies streetlights that need to be repaired or installed – among many other events.
Learn more about the work of PCU at PortCityUnited.com.
Water Station Pilot Project approved
An update to the county’s Sewer and Water Revolving Loans Program was approved by Commissioners, which will allow the county to partner with Cape Fear Public Utility Authority and local nonprofit/civic organizations to install community water stations in locations near existing water lines that are currently being served by private wells. This is a short-term effort to help residents have access to clean drinking water in areas where PFAS contaminations may be present.
The first community that will benefit from this updated loan program is the Rock Hill and Oakley Road area, where a station is expected to be built and connected to CFPUA water lines. The county will work with CFPUA to identify additional potential communities that may benefit from this program.
The county is continuing to work with CFPUA and the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality to hold Chemours accountable for water contamination and the county is exploring additional water quality initiatives and expansions with CFPUA.
That’s not all …
More development is on its way to the Blue Clay Business Park as Commissioners approved two offers to purchase two separate lots at the site. The first was to Coastal Millwork Supply for 5.5 acres, and the second was for 5.02 acres to FFT Cabinetry. Both will go through 10-day upset bid process. The current offer for both proposed developments is at a cost of $42,500 per acre. During the meeting, Wilmington Business Development outlined the benefits of these purchases, with the potential to bring more than 100 new jobs and millions in capital investment to the business park.
Commissioners also unanimously approved a trio of resolutions and proclamations honoring special events or time periods of note in the community.
The first was a resolution celebrating the work of the local representatives to make the Honor Flight of the Cape Fear Area possible. Next, was a proclamation to recognize the month of April as the 22nd annual Sexual Assault Awareness Month aimed at bringing awareness to the public about sexual violence in the community and how to prevent it. The final proclamation was in celebration of 40th annual National Travel & Tourism Week which is a significant economic driver in the community. All three proclamations can be found here.
You can view the April 17 meeting here and below. The next regular meeting of the Board of Commissioners is set for 4 p.m. on May 1.
<iframe title="Swagit Video Player" width="640" height="360" src="https://newhanovernc.swagit.com/e/04172023-580/2/" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
The New Hanover County Board of Commissioners holds its regularly scheduled meetings on the first and third Monday of each month, unless otherwise noted. These meetings take place at the New Hanover County Historic Courthouse (24 North 3rd Street, Room 301). A schedule of the 2023 meetings can be found here.
All meetings are broadcast live on NHCTV.com, New Hanover County's YouTube channel and Spectrum channel 13. For meeting agendas, minutes and exhibits, visit Commissioners.NHCgov.com.
Click here to subscribe for meeting recaps direct to your inbox