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New details released Wednesday outline the future of Project Grace, a re-development of Wilmington s downtown library and history museum.
The re-development project has been talked about for years. It was first introduced in 2016 and formally re-surfaced earlier this year when the New Hanover County Board of Commissioners adopted a Memorandum of Understanding with Zimmer Development Inc., a commercial developer.
The MOU directed Zimmer Development Inc. to define the terms of Project Grace and to move forward with community engagement and project design.
Now, the first step outlined in the MOU - the discovery phase - has been completed. The discovery phase allowed LS3P Architecture, the project s design team, to become familiar with the needs of the library and museum and to meet with staff to understand their goals and ideas for a new facility.
Amid public comments both in support of and against Project Grace, the New Hanover County Board of Commissioners approved moving forward with the project – with some amendments.
Zimmer Development Inc. presented a Memorandum of Understanding to the commissioners at their regular meeting Monday morning that detailed the foundation of Project Grace s plans and the timeline for making it happen.
Adam Tucker, with Zimmer Development, explained the company doesn t yet know how all the boxes will fit but signing the memorandum will allow it to move forward with gathering more information to check those boxes off.
The projected project will include 38,000 square feet of library space and 35,000 square feet of museum space, plus 8,000 square feet of shared museum and library space. It would also include 75,000 square feet for office space and multifamily units, with at least 5% for workforce housing.