Months after first proposal, plans for Wilmington west bank hotel, spa still under review

More than five months after developers proposed building a hotel and spa on Wilmington's west bank, the project is still winding its way through the review process.

The proposed 146-room hotel and spa would be built on undeveloped land between the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge and Battleship North Carolina.

The proposal came on the heels of another plan to build three high-rises of condos, apartments and commercial space at Peter's Point, roughly half a mile north of the spa and hotel.

While not the first major construction ideas for the riverbank opposite downtown Wilmington, the two bids received major pushback from local environmental advocates and sparked broad public debate about the unique, historic and largely undeveloped west bank.

The hotel and spa project went before New Hanover County's Technical Review Committee for review.

Since then, revised plans haven't been submitted to New Hanover County's Planning and Land Use Department, according to department director Rebekah Roth.

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It can take months for developers to address comments received in their initial technical review meeting. The StarNews requested an update on the project's status from developers but did not receive a response before publication deadline.

Project history

Ginn Corporation, a Charleston-based development company, is behind the project with Edward "Bobby" Ginn acting as the owner's agent during the development process.

The nearly 14-acre tract located at 125 N.E. Battleship Rd is owned by the Holdings of TCM, Inc., a company based out of Mooresville. The group has owned the land since 2016, according to New Hanover County property records.

Past reporting on Ginn outlines a history of developing resort-style hotels throughout the Southeastern United States, including projects in Hilton Head, Florida, Georgia and North Carolina. He also has worked to develop projects in Colorado and the Bahamas.

But the financial history of these projects is questionable at best.

Building in Hilton Head, Ginn put together a deal in 1985 to buy two of the town’s largest developers and landowners, according to a 2003 article from the Orlando Sentinel. 

In 1985, a purchase deal Gin had lined up in Hilton Head collapsed, leaving Ginn to file for bankruptcy, according to the Orlando Sentinel. A New York Times article from the era recounts the “Honk if Bobby Owes You” bumper stickers that Hilton Head residents stuck to their cars following the bankruptcy filing.

From there, Ginn went on to develop several projects across Florida, including near Naples, Port St. Lucie and Palm Coast.

The developments, including one in the Bahamas, featured golf courses designed by professional golfers such as Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus. The Bahamas project contained plans for a lavish casino inspired by those along the French Riviera. It was set to be the “Monte Carlo of the Bahamas,” according to the project website.

But it never fully came to fruition and instead defaulted on its financing during the Great Recession in 2008. Plans to build another resort on a mountaintop near the town of Minturn, Colorado, fizzled out as financing on the project also fell through, according to a story from The Colorado Sun. 

In Florida’s Collier County, a resident filed a lawsuit in 2012 alleging that Ginn committed fraud by artificially driving up lot values in lavishly advertised resorts. Those who invested lost millions when plans for the resort fell apart during the 2008 recession, according to reporting from the Naples Daily News.

Despite these financial and legal troubles, Ginn has been lauded for the vision and grandeur of his projects. He's helped build many resort communities that are still operating today under other companies like the oceanside Hammock Beach Golf Resort & Spa in Palm Coast, Florida and Bella Collina, a neighborhood of luxury-branded homes in Orlando, Florida.

Site plans for the west bank development show the six-floor hotel would include 146 rooms, ranging in size from one- to five-bedroom units. Plans also feature two rooftop pools, an open-air patio and an infinity pool overlooking the Cape Fear River. The project is set to include retail space along with a restaurant and commercial kitchen.

Where do plans go from here?

New Hanover County's technical review process aims to make sure all projects meet the county's development regulations and technical standards.

After project plans are submitted to the planning department, one of the county's four current planners is assigned to the case. Project plans are then distributed to at least 15 county and state-level departments, ranging from engineering and the fire marshal to New Hanover County Schools and 911 communication.

Representatives from each entity along with planning staff make up the Technical Review Committee that offers comments on each project.

“Really any kind of agency that is involved in the review of new development is tagged in as part of that committee,” said Robert Farrell, a senior planner with New Hanover County.

The fire marshal, engineering department, Cape Fear Public Utility Authority and the N.C. Department of Transportation gave preliminary comments on the hotel and spa plans, Farrell said.

During the December meeting, New Hanover County Fire Services expressed concern about access to the site and the distance of fire hydrants from the building in site plans. A representative from the county's engineering department questioned the project's plans for stormwater mitigation.

Now, the ball is in the developer's court, Farrell said. They'll have to address the comments and adjust their plans accordingly, which might mean going back to the drawing board for some aspects of the project.

Once they've met the standard of each department, developers will submit the revised plans to the county's planning department for a final review.

The land being eyed for the project is already zoned for commercial business, including a hotel. That means the project doesn't have to go through the rezoning process like the one another west bank development is moving through.

That project proposes building three skyscrapers on Peter's Point to house apartments, condos, retail space and a hospitality venue. Plans for the Peter's Point project are on pause in New Hanover County after the board of commissioners decided to take a step back to re-evaluate their vision for the west bank of the Cape Fear River.

Developers explored annexing the project into Leland, but recently withdrew their application after running into problems with utility connections.

A broader debate

The two west bank proposals have brought discussions about the future of the west bank to a boiling point.

Some Cape Fear residents are staunchly opposed to west bank development and have advocated for the area to be conserved as a park. They've expressed concerns about flooding as sea levels continue to rise.

Others have expressed support for development, pointing to the successes of other cities like Savannah in developing both sides of the river.

The county's current land-use plan encourages urban mixed-use development in certain sections of the west bank. Urban mixed-use development is one of the most intensive development patterns allowed in the county.

Much of the land on the west bank is zoned for industrial development. One tract just south of the Isabel Holmes Bridge is zoned for riverfront mixed-use development.

The board of commissioners is taking another look at those plans during a series of meetings on the west bank's future. They held their first meeting at the end of March and plan to hold another meeting to look at their options.

Reporter Emma Dill can be reached at 910-343-2096 or edill@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Plans for hotel and spa on Wilmington's west bank still under review