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OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

Wilmington City Council and Historic Preservation Commission Meeting - September 16, 2026

Board of Adjustment — Wednesday, September 16, 2026

BodyWilmington, North Carolina

SessionBoard of Adjustment

DateWednesday, September 16, 2026

StatusFILED

Video Record

0:00 / 3:57:05

Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

0:02

So maybe we wouldn't particularly be in this situation, but you know they chose not to do that.

0:09

So it's just I think we're we're here, we're now just a decision that we have to make, but it is it's more so it is definitely option A alternate A versus alternate B.

0:27

Just because of the significance.

0:29

Council Member Lau.

0:31

Um wanted to follow up and see if there were other council members who were wanted to modify number two as uh mentioned.

0:40

I didn't get a feel for that.

0:44

I I was a little confused by what you were saying.

0:48

Uh take out the take out the confusing part of number two.

0:53

Um I don't think I was confused until you asked us to take it out.

1:01

Mayor Bar Tim, if I'm if I may please the the way that I've got the changes written down um for what you would be voting on right now if you took a vote based on council member Lau's input um and the rest of councils as well would be on the revised R2 that you read hand out that you were handed out tonight.

1:19

Number two at the end uh under the that clause would take out the second sentence that reads these options may include modernization operation, etc.

1:30

And would leave the first sentence in the third sentence.

1:33

So it would that one would now read additional and potentially much less costly alternatives that can meet future regional transportation needs be explored beyond the two advanced by the EA.

1:46

These alternatives are also likely to prove less costly and quicker to deliver.

1:50

And then in number three, it would be specified as Mr.

1:54

Joyner suggested, the proposed project alternative B of a fixed band bridge in or near the alignment of the existing Cape Fear Memorial Bridge be eliminated from further consideration and evaluation due to its projected cost and uh I'm sorry, should be eliminated due to its projected cost and the negative impacts to the Wilmington community.

2:15

And those would be the two changes that I've got recorded so far.

2:19

Councilmember Sandy Gwynn has a comment.

2:21

I'm comfortable with that with one modification on number two in the sentence that says these alternatives are also likely to prove less costly and quicker to deliver.

2:29

Just say likely.

2:31

I would just say remove the less costly and because it's redundant from the first sentence.

2:35

So it would just say these alternatives are also likely to prove quicker to deliver.

2:40

Is that correct, Ramar?

2:41

Okay.

2:42

That works for me.

2:44

Thanks.

2:44

I'm comfortable with that.

2:45

Yep.

2:46

Okay.

2:47

Councilmember joyner.

2:49

And and just to clarify, we anticipate having something actually to offer to them as a proposed alternative by the end of the public comment period, and that's going to come back to us as staff comments for us to take us another vote on.

3:01

That is correct.

3:02

Got it.

3:03

I'm good with that then.

3:05

Thank you.

3:08

Any other questions, comments?

3:10

Okay.

3:15

Thank you, Mr.

3:16

Mayor.

3:17

Um, I've been messaging with our director of legislative affairs, Cara Spencer, and um she indicated that she has some of the details that council member joyner was asking about related to the wording of the federal funding, wanted to make sure that that was shared with council.

3:32

Yes, good evening, council.

3:33

I wanted to let you know that um it certainly can be confusing some of the deadlines um and what's due to who by when, but just to recap, um many of us were together in July 2024 when we stood under the current bridge and got excited about that 242 million dollar grant.

3:51

Um, like so many other things, grants do expire, and there's something called a grant agreement.

3:57

So at the time that was about half of what we thought a new bridge would cost, so it was about 50 percent, which was pretty awesome.

4:05

Um the grant agreement is what really matters here.

4:10

So there is a um budget period that the federal highways administration has, and the only way to change the um grant agreement would be federal action, um, which is incredibly rare.

4:24

Um so if funds are not obligated by September, they are legally terminated of what year?

4:33

2027.

4:34

I think you thank you, Kara, for that clarification.

4:45

Anyone else?

4:46

Anything else?

4:47

Okay, we have a motion to approve by council member Andrews, second by council member Santa Guido.

4:54

Any further discussion?

4:56

All in favor of that motion, please indicate by saying aye.

5:00

Any opposed item passes unanimously.

5:04

That brings us to our next item of business.

5:06

And our last item of business is the report of councillors evaluation committee.

5:10

And at this time, I'd like to recognize Mayor Pro Tim Spears, who is chairman of that council's evaluation committee to present the recommendations from the entire city council.

5:24

Thank you, Mr.

5:25

Mayor.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Historic Preservation███████████████████████████████████████39%

Public Engagement████████████12%

Building Design███████████11%

Transportation Safety███████7%

Procedural██████6%

Signage Regulations█████5%

Downtown Planning████4%

Building Permits████4%

Public Safety██2%

Summary of Proceedings

Wilmington City Council and Historic Preservation Commission Meeting - September 16, 2026

The meeting began with the City Council addressing revisions to a resolution regarding the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge, followed by approvals of annual compensation for appointed officials and public announcements. Later, presentations on the downtown wayfinding plan and the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) annual report were delivered. The Historic Preservation Commission (HPC) then convened to review and approve several certificates of appropriateness (COAs) for properties in the historic district.

Consent Calendar

The City Council unanimously approved the revised resolution concerning the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge, which requests exploration of additional alternatives and eliminates Alternative B (fixed band bridge) due to projected cost and negative impacts. The revision also removed the phrase "less costly" from Item 2 to avoid redundancy.
The Council unanimously approved annual compensation for three appointed officials: City Manager Becky Hawk ($288,400.32), City Clerk Penelope Spicer Sidberry ($121,303.78), and City Attorney Meredith Everhart ($215,008.70).

Public Comments & Testimony

Councilmember Clinton Quintana announced NCDOT public hearings on the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge project: Monday, September 14, 2026, at Cape Fear Community College (4:30 PM), and Tuesday, September 15, 2026, at Leland Cultural Arts Center (4:30 PM). Comments are accepted through October 15, 2026.
Councilmember Andrews noted that September is National Preparedness Month; the city is partnering with AARP for a free disaster preparedness series starting Friday, September 4.
Councilmember Santa Guido acknowledged Labor Day and thanked workers who fought for labor rights.
Councilmember Lau thanked the appointed officials and city staff for their service.

Discussion Items

Cape Fear Memorial Bridge Resolution: Council debated modifying Items 2 and 3. Councilmember Lau proposed removing the second sentence in Item 2 ("These options may include modernization operation, etc.") and specifying elimination of Alternative B in Item 3. Councilmember Sandy Gwynn suggested removing "less costly" from Item 2 to avoid redundancy. The motion passed unanimously.
Federal Funding Clarification: Kara Spencer (Director of Legislative Affairs) clarified that a $242 million federal grant for the bridge must be obligated by September 2027; funds not obligated by then are legally terminated.
Downtown Gateway & Wayfinding Plan Presentation: Planning Director Linda Painter and Guide Studio presented a wayfinding system for downtown, including gateway signs, vehicular directionals, parking identification, and pedestrian kiosks. Six sign concepts were narrowed to Concept D. Council discussed fabrication timelines (by end of September 2026), maintenance, and potential replication citywide. No vote was taken; the presentation was informational.
MPO Annual Report: Mike Kozlovski (Wilmington MPO) presented the annual report, covering legislative agenda (e-bike regulation, federal reauthorization, Independence Boulevard extension removal, alternative funding exploration), funding (2026-2035 STIP adoption, 42 projects submitted for Prioritization 8.0, $2.7 million to the city for Kerr Avenue Trail), planning (Cape Fear Navigating Change 2050, ITS plan, safety action plan), technical services (439 development reviews, 83 traffic impact analyses, 444 traffic counts), and community engagement (newsletter to 12,000 contacts, helmet distribution). Council asked about bridge funding gaps and possible local option sales tax as a needed revenue source.

Key Outcomes

City Council approved the revised Cape Fear Memorial Bridge resolution (unanimous).
City Council approved compensation packages for city manager, clerk, and attorney (unanimous).
Historic Preservation Commission approved the following COAs with conditions:
- 23 N Front Street: courtyard redesign (unanimous).
- 27 N Front Street: masonry work, window repair, new rear exit (unanimous, with amendment to include storm windows on six rear windows).
- 35 N Front Street: storefront replacement and masonry work (unanimous).
- 120 N Eighth Street: new two-story residential home (unanimous, with condition to enlarge three windows on the Chestnut Street elevation to full size).
- 620 Orange Street: new construction (unanimous, with conditions: relocate HVAC unit to the right side, add bandboards between floors, add one full-size window on the left elevation).
- 511 Gray Street: in-ground pool and pergola (unanimous, with modification replacing pool railings with planters).
- 712 Red Cross Street: renovation and stabilization (unanimous, with conditions: replace diamond vent with diamond-shaped window, replace chimney with brick replica, install two-over-two windows).
- 19 N Fifth Avenue: secure and underpin niches with lattice and install garage doors (unanimous).
- 407 & 411 S Third Street: pool installation with setback adjustment (unanimous, contingent on recording new property boundary).

Other Business

HPC discussed the condemnation notice on the historic church at Fourth and Church streets; the owner has 30 days to respond.
HPC noted the 2026 annual report showing 8% after-the-fact cases, a declining trend attributed to increased activity and public education.
Councilmember Lau reminded the public of the NCDOT bridge hearings and encouraged participation.

Meeting Transcript

So maybe we wouldn't particularly be in this situation, but you know they chose not to do that. So it's just I think we're we're here, we're now just a decision that we have to make, but it is it's more so it is definitely option A alternate A versus alternate B. Just because of the significance. Council Member Lau. Um wanted to follow up and see if there were other council members who were wanted to modify number two as uh mentioned. I didn't get a feel for that. I I was a little confused by what you were saying. Uh take out the take out the confusing part of number two. Um I don't think I was confused until you asked us to take it out. Mayor Bar Tim, if I'm if I may please the the way that I've got the changes written down um for what you would be voting on right now if you took a vote based on council member Lau's input um and the rest of councils as well would be on the revised R2 that you read hand out that you were handed out tonight. Number two at the end uh under the that clause would take out the second sentence that reads these options may include modernization operation, etc. And would leave the first sentence in the third sentence. So it would that one would now read additional and potentially much less costly alternatives that can meet future regional transportation needs be explored beyond the two advanced by the EA. These alternatives are also likely to prove less costly and quicker to deliver. And then in number three, it would be specified as Mr. Joyner suggested, the proposed project alternative B of a fixed band bridge in or near the alignment of the existing Cape Fear Memorial Bridge be eliminated from further consideration and evaluation due to its projected cost and uh I'm sorry, should be eliminated due to its projected cost and the negative impacts to the Wilmington community. And those would be the two changes that I've got recorded so far. Councilmember Sandy Gwynn has a comment. I'm comfortable with that with one modification on number two in the sentence that says these alternatives are also likely to prove less costly and quicker to deliver. Just say likely. I would just say remove the less costly and because it's redundant from the first sentence. So it would just say these alternatives are also likely to prove quicker to deliver. Is that correct, Ramar? Okay. That works for me. Thanks. I'm comfortable with that. Yep. Okay. Councilmember joyner. And and just to clarify, we anticipate having something actually to offer to them as a proposed alternative by the end of the public comment period, and that's going to come back to us as staff comments for us to take us another vote on. That is correct. Got it. I'm good with that then. Thank you. Any other questions, comments? Okay. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Um, I've been messaging with our director of legislative affairs, Cara Spencer, and um she indicated that she has some of the details that council member joyner was asking about related to the wording of the federal funding, wanted to make sure that that was shared with council. Yes, good evening, council. I wanted to let you know that um it certainly can be confusing some of the deadlines um and what's due to who by when, but just to recap, um many of us were together in July 2024 when we stood under the current bridge and got excited about that 242 million dollar grant. Um, like so many other things, grants do expire, and there's something called a grant agreement. So at the time that was about half of what we thought a new bridge would cost, so it was about 50 percent, which was pretty awesome. Um the grant agreement is what really matters here. So there is a um budget period that the federal highways administration has, and the only way to change the um grant agreement would be federal action, um, which is incredibly rare. Um so if funds are not obligated by September, they are legally terminated of what year? 2027. I think you thank you, Kara, for that clarification. Anyone else?

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