Ten years have gone by since Pizza Hut closed its doors, leaving an empty lot on Salisbury Street and a void in Wrightsville Beach’s pizza buffet market.
“I can’t believe it’s been that long!” exclaimed Fran Russ, who said she used to walk over to Pizza Hut from her house to pick up dinner.
July 22, 2004, bulldozers reduced the iconic Pizza Hut with the muted red roof to a pile of rubble. The building was destroyed after Pizza Hut decided, possibly for economic reasons, not to renew its lease. Reports at the time indicate the restaurant had been paying a monthly lease of $2,000 for the waterfront property, and the cost per month was set to increase to as much as $15,000.
The Wrightsville Beach Board of Aldermen voted to rezone the property from commercial to residential, though both citizens and town officials were divided on the issue. Land-use plans encourage retaining commercial property on the island whenever possible, a point which led to an unfavorable recommendation from planning and parks staff. Even the aldermen were split, voting 3–2 in favor of rezoning.
JoEtta Joris of Live Oak Drive spoke up for the Wrightsville Beach citizens.
“We have, as citizens and as a planning board, asked that there be a serious plan put together to stop the erosion of commercial properties at Wrightsville Beach,” Joris said during the meeting. “That erosion of commercial to residential can never be regained.”
Current director of planning and parks Tony Wilson said that is technically not the case.
“It’s been vacant all these years, so I don’t know what the future of that property is, but someone could come back in and ask for a rezoning back to commercial,” he said during a Sept. 30 phone interview.
Wilson said he wasn’t aware of any businesses showing interest in the property, which could be due to flood zone restrictions or the high cost of leasing.
Cody Cress, the listing agent for the property, said the land is currently divided into three residential plots, with a dock and eight boat slips. The landowners, Kenan Enterprises, Inc., put the property on the market approximately 10 months ago.
“We’re actively marketing the site for sale,” Cress said during a Sept. 30 phone interview.
Mitch Baker, who until very recently resided in the property neighboring the now-vacant lot, said he understood why Kenan Enterprises would want the land rezoned to residential and he supported its decision to make the most out of that site.
“Back then, the residential market was getting very hot,” Baker said during a Sept. 30 phone interview. “To have three lots and three nice boat slips would have been a lot more valuable than renting out a property to Pizza Hut. … I think they have three great lots and they’ll be able to sell them over time.”
Baker said he wouldn’t oppose the property being rezoned back to commercial, as long as the business wasn’t too intrusive to the quiet neighborhood.
“If it’s going to be a restaurant that would stay open until two o’clock in the morning, that would be detrimental to the area,” he said.
With the future of the vacant lot uncertain, Wrightsville Beach residents fondly remember the days of playing in the surf all morning and walking over the bridge to indulge in Pizza Hut’s all-you-can-eat lunch buffet.
“It was the young sprouts that went there,” Russ said. “Friday night was quite popular with the teenyboppers. And the lifeguards that worked on the beach would come over to the Pizza Hut with their lifeguard outfits on.”
Whatever the reason for the Pizza Hut’s demise, Russ said, it was not due to the food.
“It was good pizza,” she said, “no question about it!”
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