This report details the process and results of an urban design study conducted by the North Carolina Department of Commerce – Division of Community Assistance (DCA) for the Castle Hayne Commercial Corridor (CHCC) in northern New Hanover County.
In January of 2005, DCA’s Small Town Main Street Program Coordinator, Robert Murphrey, facilitated a community-wide visioning meeting at the request of the New Hanover County Planning Department and the Castle Hayne Steering Committee. The visioning session, which brought together over 150 members of the Castle Hayne community as well as a large number of representatives from interested state and local agencies, was used to solicit ideas from the community about the future development of the CHCC.
Mixed Use area example: before (above) and after (below) proposal.
In order to more effectively illustrate and communicate the identified needs from the community meeting, the New Hanover County Planning Department determined that a design study, focusing on the issues, would be necessary in order to develop a comprehensive strategy to deal with future development issues along the CHCC. DCA was asked to analyze the existing physical elements of the CHCC and develop a visual, urban design component that addressed the identified community desires.
A team of DCA planners from the Southeastern Regional Office began preliminary work on the project in February of 2006 – ending with a final report in September of 2006.