The City of New Bern has completed renovations to the old garage site in preparation for its new use as a workforce development and training center.  The renovation project, located at 114 Rhem St., was finished ahead of schedule and the building is currently under lease with Craven Community College.  City and college representatives did a final walk-through today (Oct. 27, 2020) and city staff handed over the keys to the new tenant.  The old city garage will soon become Craven Community College’s Diesel Mechanic and Heavy Equipment Operator Workforce Training Center, an expansion of the Volt Center. “We are proud to once again partnerRead More →

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The New Bern Board of Aldermen will conduct a public hearing and consider annexing an 11-acre West New Bern tract formerly called Craven Thirty. Clifford Parson, on behalf of Weyerhaeuser NR Company, requested the annexation. Once annexed, the area would benefit from city services such as water, sewer, and possibly power, as well as police, fire, and city development standards. Residents there would be New Bern citizens and can vote in municipal elections. A public hearing was called for 6 p.m. Tuesday, July 28, at city hall, corner of Pollock and Craven streets. Radio upgrade During the meeting, the board will also hear a presentationRead More →

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The Board of Aldermen meets Tuesday for two separate sessions, a regular meeting starting at 6 p.m. and a work session covering utility rates starting at 3 p.m. During Tuesday’s regular meeting, here are some of the more interesting agenda items: 10. Presentation on NC Global TransPark Authority. Allen Thomas, Director of the North Carolina Global TransPark (“GTP”), was scheduled to make a presentation before the Board last July, but cancelled due to illness. He has rescheduled that presentation for this meeting. 11. Presentation by Craven County Board of Elections. Melani Wray, Director of the Craven County Board of Elections, will make a presentation thatRead More →

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The New Bern Planning and Zoning Board will take a look at several proposed subdivisions. The board meets at 5:30 p.m. Feb. 5 at City Hall, in the Courtroom on the second floor. The proposals are: Consideration of Major Subdivision General Plan Approval, submitted by Weyerhaeuser NR Company/McKim & Creed Inc., is a proposed 250 +/- acre, a 2 lot major subdivision located to the north of Downey Drive and south of N.C. Highway 43 North. The property is further identified as a portion of Craven County Parcel ID’s 8-209- 13001. The property is outside city limits but within the city’s Extra Territorial Jurisdiction. ConsiderationRead More →

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The New Bern Planning and Zoning Board will hold an informational session about the New Bern Redevelopment Commission plan and also consider a proposed redevelopment area boundary. The meeting will be 5:30 p.m. Feb. 5 at City Hall, Pollock and Craven streets, in the second floor Courtroom. Jeffrey Ruggieri, city director of development services, will present the plans at the meeting. Ruggieri is also executive director of the New Bern Redevelopment Commission. The Redevelopment Agency is a way for the city to gather resources, identify areas of the city in need of significant improvements, and focus those resources on those areas. The agenda for theRead More →

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Remember back in  2012, all the buzz about Craven Thirty? All that sweet, sweet new retail space, a multiplex theater, and new neighborhoods? You probably also remember how last year Craven Thirty morphed into West Craven, with less focus on business and more focus on residential. Now, more than a year later, West Craven has emerged into the public eye again. Its developer, Weyerhaeuser NR Company, is asking for the city to enter into a development agreement. It is on the Board of Aldermen’s agenda for next Tuesday, when the board is expected to set a date for a public hearing. And this latest versionRead More →

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UPDATE: Meeting cancelled due to approaching hurricane.   Editor’s note: Changes to how City Hall posts its agenda with background information has made it difficult to translate it into a single webpage. Below is the basic agenda, with New Bern Post editor notes in bold. To see the entire packet, go here. CITY OF NEW BERN BOARD OF ALDERMEN MEETING SEPTEMBER 11, 2018- 6:00 P.M. CITY HALL COURTROOM 300 POLLOCK STREET Meeting opened by Mayor Dana E. Outlaw. Prayer Coordinated by Alderwoman Harris. Presenting and Retirement of Colors by New Bern Fire and Police Departments. Pledge of Allegiance. Roll Call. Request and Petition of Citizens.Read More →

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No one disputes the success of the 30-year transformation of Downtown New Bern from a run-down blighted mess, to the vibrant tourist attraction it has become. One thing that made the transformation so successful is that it restored 19th and early 20th century buildings to their original glory. Now, armed with a new redevelopment agency and a roadmap called the Greater Five Points Transformation Plan, the City of New Bern turns its attention to a collection of historically black neighborhoods collectively called “Greater Duffyfield.” (Note: I put “Greater Duffyfield” in quotes, because historically, they were different neighborhoods, not the least of which is Dryborough. “GreaterRead More →

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Times are tough for brick and mortar retail locations, particularly indoor malls. Just look at Vernon Mall in Kinston (hint: it’s vacant). New Bern Mall (aka Twin Rivers Mall) has been soldiering on, trying to fill remaining vacant out parcels and upgrade its interior tenants over the past several years. One such attempt was securing a Cracker Barrel. The mall’s owner, Hull Property Group, filled in a drainage pond and completely re-engineered its drainage system along with part of its parking lot in order to make space for a Cracker Barrel. The Cracker Barrel was to be located in the southeast corner of the mall,Read More →

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Before and after photos show impacts on Trent Road from the New Bern Marketplace shopping center construction. The photo on the left was taken several years ago. The photo on the right was taken on Wednesday. City officials are revising design standards for the Trent Road Corridor “to accurately reflect the development pattern” that has emerged on that stretch of city street. Changes were approved by the Planning and Zoning Board at its meeting on Tuesday and will come before the Board of Aldermen for final approval. Changes include: Removing a requirement that buildings maintain a front yard setback of 35-50 feet from the streetRead More →

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