This Week Around Wilmington: Leland Growth Plans and a Triathlon

0:00Welcome to Real Stories with Buddy Blake. Today's episode features real estate insights from Buddy Blake. Let's dive in. All right.

0:13Welcome back to Real Stories with Buddy Blake. Buddy, every week you bring me this stack of local news, and I swear it's never boring. What do we got this time? Yeah, it's a good mix this week.

0:25Growth, government stuff, water quality, and then just a ton of things to actually go do around town. Little bit of everything. Okay.

0:36Let's start with growth because I know that's your bread and butter. What's happening out by Leland? So Brunswick County News is reporting the Brunswick County Planning Board is holding a public hearing on this thing called the South Cape Plan Development.

0:51It's off River Road Northeast near Leland, and we're talking 519 single family units plus 230 townhomes. Whoa, that's a lot of new houses in one spot. It really is.

1:07And look, that's exactly why I keep an eye on stuff like this before I ever sit down with a seller in Leland. Growth like that shapes your schools, your traffic patterns, home values. It doesn't happen overnight, but it happens.

1:22So if somebody owns property near there or they're thinking about buying in that area, this is worth paying attention to? Absolutely. If you're weighing a move in that direction, give me a call.

1:33My team and I can talk through what a project like this might actually mean for your specific street. Good to know. Okay.

1:41Switching gears completely. I saw something about a triathlon causing road closures. Yeah, this one's fun. Port City Daily's reporting more than 1,400 athletes are competing in the 46th Annual YMCA Wrightsville Beach Sprint Triathlon.

1:5846th Annual. That's a long tradition. It really is. But if you live near Wrightsville Beach or you commute through there, heads up.

2:08Expect delays along Oleander and Airlie roads from 630 to 1030 Saturday morning. Plan around it. Good tip. Now, what's this about Thalian Hall getting funding?

2:20Yeah, this is a big one for downtown. Port City Daily reported Wilmington City Council approved $3.5 million for renovations at Thalian Hall. And the New Hanover Community Endowment is matching that with an equal amount.

2:36So that's $7 million total going into Thalian Hall. That's right. And Thalian Hall's been a downtown anchor for a long time. So investment like this matters for anybody who cares about the character of downtown Wilmington.

2:50Civic projects like this tend to support property values in the surrounding blocks over time, too. That makes sense. It's like a vote of confidence in the whole area.

3:01Okay, now there was something about a settlement over water quality. Yeah, this one's important if you're in Brunswick County. Brunswick County News is reporting the county joined the state of North Carolina and other local entities in a $590 million group settlement with Chemours over PFAS contamination.

3:21Brunswick County itself is receiving $95 million. Wow, $95 million just to the county. Water quality's been a real concern out there for a while, right? For years, yeah.

3:33So this is worth following whether you already live there or you're considering a move to that side of the river. All right, let's lighten it up. What's going on around town for things to actually do this weekend?

3:44Oh, there's a lot. WWAY News Channel 3's got a whole roundup. There's a benefit concert, a Hispanic Heritage Month celebration, a movie night aboard the battleship North Carolina, and an Oktoberfest celebration over in Carolina Beach.

4:02Movie night on the battleship? That's such a cool setting. Right. And if you've got kids, the Cape Fear Museum's got a new planetarium show called Back From the Brink that's September 27th, 3 to 4 in the afternoon, nice indoor option.

4:19Anything for the outdoorsy folks. If you're a mountain biker, just know Big Branch Bike Park is closing select trails to the general public Saturday the 26th for the Coastal Carolina Off-Road Race Series. So don't show up planning a normal ride that day.

4:37Good to know before you drive all the way out there. Exactly. And for families, there's a 4-H STEM Day on the 26th at the County's Extension Office on Oleander Drive.

4:49Hands-on, educational, and free. Then out in Bergal, CFCC's hosting their second annual Career Connections Hiring Networking event on the 28th at the historic Bergal train station. That's a neat venue for it.

5:05It really is. And last one, Recess at the Lake is back Sunday at Greenfield Lake Amphitheater. Second year running. They've added an inaugural 5K this time, and it's tied to a $5,000 donation.

5:22Good mix of fitness and community. Man, that's a packed week. Growth out by Leland, road closures for the triathlon, big money moving into Thalian Hall, the PFAS settlement, and then just a ton of stuff to actually get out and do.

5:37Buddy, this was great as always. Always is. And hey, if any of this touches a neighborhood you're watching, Leland, Wrightsville Beach, downtown, just give me a call or text 910-395-1000.

5:54Happy to talk it through. We'll link the full article with all the sources in the show notes. Thanks for hanging out with us. We'll catch you next week.

6:02Thanks for listening to Real Stories with Buddy Blake. For the full article and more, check the show notes. See you next time.