There are red balloons floating along the Cape Fear River, across from downtown Wilmington. They went up this morning, as a test for a new development.
The big red balloons floating along the river just downstream from the USS North Carolina have a purpose.
They show the heights of a series of buildings that a developer is proposing for that piece of property.
The new development would include four buildings, each 75 feet tall. That’s about twice the height of the Alton Lennon Federal Building and Courthouse, downtown along the river.
Because the new development would sit directly across the river from Wilmington’s historic district, it needs to get by the National Historic Preservation Act. The question being, would these new structures have a negative effect on existing historic buildings?
Those balloons show the footprint of the proposed towers. That allows a study of the impact on the view, a “view shed analysis.”
The project includes retail, office and residential space, three parking garages, and a center plaza.