Riverlight grows with new apartments and commercial space

Riverlights is set to grow again with an extension to Marina Village, the existing mixed-use center featuring apartments as well as a range of shops and restaurants.

Developers submitted plans for the new 24-building project earlier this month to the city of Wilmington for technical review. It is the latest in a series of expansions to the 1,400-acre community located along River Road near the Cape Fear River.

The project, which has the working name Riverlights Town Center, will expand the existing retail, dining and multifamily district within Riverlights, according to Nick Casala, vice president of operations for Brookfield Properties, which owns Riverlights.

“This project will always be part of the master plan, will extend from River Road to the riverfront, will enhance a variety of Riverlights businesses and serve as a destination for our residents and the broader Wilmington community,” Casala wrote in an email. Statement to the Greater Wilmington Business Journal.

Site plans submitted to Wilmington leaders show a mix of three- and four-story buildings spread across the 10.8-acre site. Combined, the buildings will be 78,881 square feet and contain 274 apartments and nearly 24,000 square feet of commercial space, according to site plans. The development is located just south of Marina Village on land bounded by Watercraft Ferry and Sandalwood Way roads.

The planned apartments are slated to include 120 two-bedroom units, 114 one-bedroom units, 22 three-bedroom units and 18 studios, according to site plans. The project will also include a swimming pool and clubhouse as well as 519 parking spaces and eight garages.

Birmingham-based developer Capstone Communities will serve as developer of the project.

Although several proposals were evaluated for the site, Capstone Communities was selected because of its “thoughtful land plan that closely aligns with our vision of providing a cohesive transition from nearby Marina Village,” according to Casala.

Marina Village, located near the northern edge of the Riverlights community, was the community’s first mall. It is home to a range of businesses, including an indoor golf course, a pizza parlor and a bike shop.

Capstone Communities also developed The Cottages at Riverlights, the region’s first single-family rental neighborhood, located at 7Bridge.

Last year, Riverlights leaders announced plans to create 7Bridge, the community’s second mall. The 37-acre center will be part of a larger, 120-acre mixed-use village that will anchor the southern entrance to Riverlights. That village will include The Cottages, along with the luxury Argento residential complex.