A proposal to upgrade the parking lot at Dockside Restaurant and Marina is once again moving forward to the Wilmington City Council, though some opposition to the increased density still lingered in the planning commission vote that approved the proposal.
The Wilmington Planning Commission on April 5 approved 6-1 rezoning part of the two tracts of land across from the Airlie Road restaurant for a higher density, while separately unanimously approving a related request for a special use permit to let Dockside refurbish the gravel parking lot. The approval will put the issue before a Wilmington City Council on May 2.
The restaurant’s developers proposed paving part of the Dockside parking lot, creating a standardized drive aisle and adding a pedestrian walkway and a T-head turnaround for oversized vehicles, as well as overall improving the depth and space for parking. The existing trees in the parking lot would be preserved, as well as would low-impact stormwater management systems. The proposal would also add two “patio homes” to the back of the lots, prompting the requirement for the commission to approve rezoning to the more-dense R-5 classification.
Planning Commission Chair Deb Hays reiterated her opposition to the increase in density created by adding two residential lots on the property at 1303 and 1308 Airlie Road, but voted for the permit for the improved parking. No one spoke at the public hearing for or against the proposal.
The proposal approved by the commission was nearly identical to one it approved in January, which was delayed by the Wilmington City Council over concerns about a change in code that developers believed was necessary.
This time, Cindee Wolf of Design Solutions represented Dockside before the planning commission. She said that the developers needed to add the houses to the property to pay for the upgrades to the parking lot.
“We all know that economics are a major issue in positive business decisions,” Wolf told the commission. “The possibility for development of two additional home lots will allow for the investment in the improvements.”
Wolf said the single-family homes would be the largest they could develop on the land. These homes would be accessible through the driveway of the home at 1303 Airlie Drive or developers could negotiate for access to the nearby private Airlie Oaks Lane.
The commission’s approval is the third time since February 2016 that the proposal to upgrade parking was considered by the Wilmington Planning Commission. Concerns from neighbors about commercial rezoning, density and city parking laws have kept the Wilmington City Council from approving the plan, with the council twice sending the parties back to negotiations before a defeat on the council, which would set developers back on time.
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