In the northern part of New Hanover County, the only part that hasn’t seen major growth and development, one road is seeing an increase in industrial and residential growth.
On Blue Clay Road, industrial buildings line the road on one side with railroad tracks on the other. One could see this as symbolism for the growth coming to one of the only somewhat rural sections left of the county.
Blue Clay Business Park
Perhaps the most significant development is Blue Clay Business Park, a 120-acre property which New Hanover County began working on in 2017 to bring in industrial opportunities.
The site is less than five miles from I-40, sits adjacent to the CSX rail line and is near Wilmington International Airport.
The park welcomed Francini Inc. Marble and Granite as well as Coastal Millwork Supply Co. in late 2023.
Scott Satterfield, CEO of Wilmington Business Development, said both companies are slated to break ground in 2024 as infrastructure at the park comes online.
Coastal Millwork Supply Co. and its sister company Risley Padula Construction Inc. purchased 5.5 acres of land in November 2023.
Satterfield said that the business park’s shovel-ready sites are what is driving investments in the area.
New Hanover County committed about $7 million for water, sewer, roadways, signage and joint ponds and that work will be completed this year to make the park’s remaining 45 acres more attractive to investors and occupants, Satterfield said.
Coastal and Risley Padula intend to expand their workforce to 75 once their location at the park is operational.
While the companies supply builders as far away as the Triangle area and Myrtle Beach, most of their work is in the business park’s backyard, in New Hanover, Brunswick and Pender counties.
Francini Inc. Marble and Granite closed on its purchase of six acres of land at the park in September 2023 with plans to house a $10 million warehouse and customer showroom for natural and engineered stone products.
Francini plans to create dozens of jobs through their expansion at the business park.
More industrial parks
More industrial parks are also popping up along Blue Clay Road with approval from the county.
One of those parks is Bluetail Industrial Park, owned by Dustin Braudway of Bluetail Properties, LLC. The project was approved in October 2023 and the property's intended use is for artisan manufacturing.
The site design included a 9,000-square-foot building with bay doors and a showroom.
New residential opportunities
While industrial opportunities continue to rise on Blue Clay Road, other development has started. There has also been an uptick in housing along the road, specifically plans for more affordable housing.
Blue Clay Road has homes that range from older brick homes to the most recent plans for affordable housing units. The most recent is a project that was initiated by Robert Campbell, the pastor of New Beginnings Church on Blue Clay Road.
Campbell said during the rezoning of the property that the 128-unit project will allow for those in the workforce in trades such as education, public service and public health, to be able to have more affordable options in New Hanover County.
Some neighbors that live in Rachel’s Place, the neighborhood that sits next to the property, spoke out against the project, but the county approved the rezoning unanimously.
This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: This road in northern New Hanover County will soon see new jobs and housing opportunities
Most Popular
Comments / 0