Park Plans Proceed
An image from Google Maps shows the site of the property purchase by the city for a future park off Greenville Loop Road and located behind Bradley Creek Elementary School. (File image)
After closing on 25 acres off Greenville Loop Road, Wilmington leaders are planning a public engagement process that would help determine what the property, slated for a future park, could look like.
According to deeds recorded on Monday, the city of Wilmington purchased four tracts at 6325, 6335, 6341 and 6345 Greenville Loop Road for $9.75 million. A $7.75 million grant from the New Hanover Community Endowment, along with $1 million commitments from both the city of Wilmington and New Hanover County, funded the land buy.
City officials are planning a public kick-off event to gather feedback from residents about what they want to see in the new park, Amy Willis, the city’s communications manager, wrote in an email to the Business Journal on Tuesday. According to Willis, the public engagement process is expected to last about a year, and city officials plan to hire a firm to help with the park’s design and engagement.
The Wilmington City Council approved a resolution in October earmarking up to $1 million for a future park purchase and authorizing City Manager Becky Hawke to negotiate and enter into a purchase agreement for the site.
In February, the Wilmington City Council and the New Hanover County Board of Commissioners voted to move ahead with a joint interlocal agreement to acquire the property. According to the terms of the agreement, the city would be responsible for the park's development, operations and maintenance, while the county would assist the city and the Endowment in developing plans for activating the property and would be included in the park's naming and signage.
Hawke told city council members at the time that officials identified the land as a potential park property in March 2025.
She added that it could take millions of dollars to develop a park on the largely undeveloped site. City leaders plan to tap into the next five-year cycle of Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) funding to pay for future park improvements, Hawke told council members in February.
Willis said on Tuesday that it is still too early in the park’s planning to predict the total cost of its development.
As part of the grant agreement with the Endowment, the site must be activated as a park within five years. A declaration filed with the New Hanover County Register of Deeds on Monday added restrictive covenants to the property, aligned with the conditions of the Endowment's grant.
According to the filings, the city must open a public park on the property by March 16, 2031, and continuously use and operate the property as a park.
“The Park should include a meaningful mix of active recreational amenities such as sports fields, playgrounds or courts and open areas suitable for informal or passive recreation, such as picnicking, fitness activities or performances,” the declaration states.
“As a general guideline, approximately forty percent (40%) of the site should be devoted to active recreational amenities and approximately thirty-five percent (35%) to open, flexible recreational areas. The city will provide a site-specific park master plan for approval in form and substance that is acceptable to the Endowment.”
Another filing, also recorded on Monday, combined the four parcels at 6325, 6335, 6341 and 6345 Greenville Loop Road into a single contiguous tract.
According to property tax and state records, the city purchased a little over 6 acres of the 25-acre area from GLOOP 6341, an entity managed by Mark L. Maynard Sr. and Robert J. Hollis of 332 Military Cutoff Road in Wilmington. Tax records show GLOOP 6341 bought that land for $972,500 from various sellers in March 2025 and November 2024.
The city purchased approximately 19 acres in the assemblage from 6325 GLRD LLC, an entity registered to Jeffrey Baker of Wilmington, property records show. According to the deed, Mark L. Maynard, Sr., is also a manager of 6325 GLRD LLC.
