Soda Pop District Developers Talk Next Steps

Wilmington’s Soda Pop District is set to grow in the coming years as local developers work to bring new businesses, uses and a new restaurant to the area.

For Andy Hewitt, one of the Soda Pop District’s developers, his near-term focus for the area is securing a tenant for a restaurant space at 920 Princess St. He also has plans to renovate the rest of the site’s original bottling facility and is eyeing land along Market Street for a new mixed-use project.

In 2019, Hewitt’s firm AC Hewitt began its work on the Soda Pop District with the redevelopment of a former car dealership at 1020 Princess St. The 12,000-square-foot space today houses a taproom for Asheville-based Hi-Wire Brewing and pizza restaurant Cugino Forno.

In 2021, Hewitt and Sandy Thorpe, both of Parastream Development, purchased the former Coca-Cola bottling facility at 921 Princess St. and several other nearby properties in an $8 million deal. The first phase of work included renovating 66,000 square feet of the 78,000-square-foot Bottle Works building.

That Bottle Works space is now home to 16 tenants, including ice cream shop Wandering Cone Creamery and Ibis Coffee and Cocktails.

Among the building’s latest tenants is the YMCA of Southeastern North Carolina, which moved into a 6,400-square-foot office and 6,700-square-foot warehouse space last fall. Hewitt said having the YMCA offices in the district will help activate the area during the day.

“Bars and restaurants are great, but you also need some daytime users, which is why the YMCA moving their headquarters here is such a big win for the Soda Pop,” he said. “That’s putting 30 to 40 people daily here.”

Hewitt wants to diversify the area’s food offerings by bringing a new restaurant to a 4,000-square-foot shell space at 920 Princess St. He’s hoping for an eatery that’s a “little bit more elevated” and a “date night spot.”

Listing broker Lannin Braddock of The Braddock Group said she’s marketing the space to local and regional restaurateurs with concepts that match the Soda Pop District vibe.

“Somewhere where the local businesses and the community immediately surrounding the downtown area can go for lunch,” Braddock said, “but then it’s also a good destination, a place to take family or have a date night.”

Since the space hit the market in December, Braddock said she’s seen strong interest. Hewitt said renovations to the exterior of the building began last October and wrapped up toward the end of the year. The interior space won’t be upfitted until a tenant is secured.

“We’ve intentionally left it in a shell condition,” Braddock said, “so that a restaurant visionary can really put their own personal mark on it and hopefully be able to bring the history of the building to life.”

The restaurant also has an outdoor area that could be used as a patio and a roll-up-style door that opens onto Princess Street. Braddock said she’s had good conversations with potential tenants and expects a restaurant user could be secured this year.

A new restaurant will provide a “culinary anchor” within the district, Braddock said, that will help support the area as it continues to grow.

“It deserves a great restaurant to just kind of launch it to the next level,” she said.

District developers have started discussing plans to renovate the remaining 12,000 square feet inside the Bottle Works facility. Hewitt said the space will need to be gutted and will be the most time-consuming and expensive part of the Bottle Works renovation.

“It is a natural next area of focus because we’re filling up,” he said. “So we are looking to continue to provide more space and the type of space based on inquiries we’re getting and what we feel like is missing.”

The developers are also looking at the future of a roughly two-acre tract at 909 Market St. In the coming years, Hewitt wants to bring new construction to the site, which is currently zoned for mixed-use development.

Hewitt is also working with the city of Wilmington on efforts to improve parking and streetscapes in the Soda Pop District. He said the developers plan to roll out more available office and retail space in hopes of attracting users at all times.

“We would love to see the Soda Pop District be busy 24 hours a day with people living here, working here, coming here to go have a drink or grab a pizza or whatever it may be,” Hewitt said. “When you look at what neighborhoods truly succeed … they’re active throughout the day.”