Student housing complex would add 144 units to South Kerr Avenue.

WILMINGTON -- Developers want to bring a 144-unit student housing complex to South Kerr Avenue, but some neighbors and city staff worry it doesn't fit with the surrounding neighborhood.

Kerr Station Lofts at 125 S. Kerr Ave. would include a four-story building with 82 apartments and 5,000 square feet of commercial space and a three-story building with 62 apartments. The one- and two-bedroom units would be leased by the bed, aimed at University of North Carolina Wilmington students.

Cindee Wolf of Design Solutions, speaking for developers at a Jan. 9 city council meeting, said the project would rejuvenate the Kerr Avenue corridor, currently being widened by the N.C. Department of Transportation.

"The Kerr and Market Street intersection has historically been a major commercial node in the city, but the shopping centers and many of the services around it have aged," she said. "The traffic headaches and urban sprawl lead shoppers to go elsewhere, and what has been left are some obsolete and underused buildings."

Though the Planning Commission supported the request, city staff recommended council reject it due to incompatibility with the neighborhood. Councilman Charlie Rivenbark, whose real estate office is representing the property, recused himself.

Staff liked the four-story building that would front Kerr Avenue, but took issue with the three-story issue in back. The entire complex would have 436 parking spaces, mostly to hold students' cars. Between the height of the back building and the potential for more traffic, staff said it would not mesh with the neighborhood.

"Staff’s opinion is that the rear property can be developed, but not at the density that it's being proposed," said planning director Glenn Harbeck.

The property currently holds Kerr Station Village, a shopping center built in the 1980s that holds Saigon Market, which is moving to a new location at 831 S. Kerr Ave. this month. That building, as well as a home and auto shop owned by Brian Welch, would be demolished.

Residents of Franklin Avenue, which borders the site, said during the meeting they worried about students cutting through the neighborhood to drive to class or stores. Wolf noted that -- as with other nearby student housing like the Lofts at Randall and Lighthouse Wilmington -- developers expect students to use WAVE Transit and the Seahawk Shuttle, though there are few sidewalks in the neighborhood.

Councilman Neil Anderson said he wanted to see the project connect better with adjacent shopping centers like the Market Street Shopping Plaza.

"What happens with this project is important because it will set the tone for the rest of that street," he said.

Council decided to hold off on a final vote until its first meeting in March.

Reporter Cammie Bellamy can be reached at 910-343-2339 or Cammie.Bellamy@StarNewsOnline.com.

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