On the waterfront: it could have been a contender, but Wilmington must change its economic-development strategy if it wants to be somebody.

• Author: Martin, Edward
• Position: OUR TOWNS

If Wilmington's head swelled when it was the second-fastest-growing city in the U.S. behind Las Vegas in the 1990s, it got a dose of reality in 2000. That's when UNC Wilmington made its first appearance in the NCAA men's basketball tournament and chartered a plane to take the team to its opening game. "Unfortunately," says Woody Hall, an economics professor at UNCW's Cameron School of Business, "they sent it to Wilmington, Del." Still, its burgeoning movie industry, busy port and collection of accolades --national magazines named it one of the top spots for startups, arts and careers--raised the city's profile. Now it's another face in the crowd.

"We've got some really serious challenges ahead," Chamber of Commerce President Connie Majure-Rhett says. The unemployment rate declined more than a percentage point in a year --to 6.8% in August--but the number of people working has increased just 6% since the 2008-09 recession ended, Hall says. Four years after die 2001 recession, it was 20% higher.

In 2013, New Hanover County hired Garner Economics LLC to scrutinize its sputtering economy, and the Atlanta-based consultancy graded every facet of its economic development as either normal or weak. "There's just a lot of average in New Hanover County," Garner President Jay Garner says. "You don't win the economic-development game with average." Some blame Scott Satterfield, CEO of Wilmington Business Development, according to a story Greater Wilmington Business Journal published in August. Some business leaders and former members of the nonprofit aren't happy with its lack of strategy and Satterfield's nearly $304,000 compensation in 2013. But 17 directors or former chairmen praised its work in letters to the weekly newspaper. Garner says the county has virtually no shovel-ready sites--with infrastructure and zoning to meet the needs of a large-scale manufacturer. "If there's nothing to sell, it's not their fault." Satterfield declined to comment for this story.

The General Assembly threw the city a line in 2010 when it passed a 25% tax credit of up to $20 million for a film, TV show or commercial made in the state. Spending tied to credits increased from $47.6 million in 2010 to $244.8 million in 2013. Having EUE / Screen Gems Studios, the largest movie lot in the U.S. outside California...