The town of Carolina Beach has agreed to purchase three properties, building on a planned facilities expansion that will replace a shuttered thrift store.
At a special meeting on July 21, Carolina Beach Town Council unanimously approved the purchase of 1301 Bridge Barrier Road, 1307 Bridge Barrier Road and 608 Glenn Ave. The combined 1.13-acres will be acquired for $935,000, according to a news release from the town.
The purchase will be made using reserve funds from the town’s Utility Fund, meaning that no property tax dollars will be spent on the purchase. The town expects to close on the purchase on Sept. 1. Multiple council members credited the town’s robust financial standing for allowing them to jump on rare land acquisition opportunities.
The Utility Fund, which is largely made up of water, sewer and stormwater fees, has an estimated total of $12,748,316, according to the town’s most recent budget documents. The General Fund is just over $26.5 million.
Town council will consider a budget amendment to appropriate funds for the purchase at a meeting on Aug. 4. Council will also hold a closed session to discuss real estate matters at that meeting.
INDIC Group Holdings LLC previously purchased the property for $700,000 in 2021, according to New Hanover County property records.
Shuttered thrift store set to be demolished
Carolina Beach currently operates a facility on Bridge Barrier Road on land that the town has owned since 2015. The building that housed the Island Cottage, the town’s sole thrift store that closed back in March, is situated on town-owned land between the existing facility and the newly acquired property.
The town issued the store a 30-day notice to close due to unmet code requirements, with council member Deb LeCompte stating that the building had “structural and safety deficiencies that require major repair.”
Demolition permits for the former thrift store were issued in late May with an expiration date of Nov. 24. The store’s Facebook page previously posted that it was seeking to relocate, but no plans have been announced. Representatives for the Island Cottage did not respond to inquiries regarding any potential plans to open a new location.
The store operated as a nonprofit, with all proceeds benefiting the Help Center of Federal Point. The center provides food, clothing and other resources for residents in need.
The Island Cottage had operated for the past decade with the understanding that the town may someday need to use the property for municipal services, Town Manager Bruce Oakley previously told the StarNews.
Utilities and recreation expansion planned
The new property will allow the town to relocate Public Utilities and Public Works staff, as well as a significant amount of equipment that is currently staged at the main town hall.
A facility study shows two options for the Public Works campus expansion, featuring either a one-story warehouse or a two-story operations building. The expansion is meant to accommodate projections presented at a town council workshop that show the town’s population doubling in the next 20 years.
After freeing up the extra space in town hall, the town plans to develop recreational amenities for the community.
The acquired land will also reduce the town’s dependence on leased property at Military Ocean Terminal Sunny Point, which it uses for water treatment operations and utility storage.
LeCompte said that the purchase will allow for more centralized operations, rather than having separate services “scattered” across town.
“It’s important that when we find opportunities, we take them because there have been so many missed opportunities in the past,” LeCompte said.
Daniel Sheehan covers New Hanover County for the StarNews. Reach him at dsheehan@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Carolina Beach buys land to expand operations after thrift store closure
