Tuesday, February 18, 2025

1,800-unit proposal heads to Brunswick County planning board

An expansive single family unit development proposal will be considered by the county planning board after a year of review. It’s expected to generate 14,598 daily trips by 2035 and remove trees across up to 570 acres in a small unincorporated community in Brunswick County. (Courtesy Brunswick County)

[Update: The Brunswick County Planning Board approved the King Tract proposal at its Monday meeting.]

BRUNSWICK COUNTY — An expansive single family unit development proposal will be considered by the county planning board Monday. It’s expected to generate 14,598 daily trips by 2035 and remove trees across up to 570 acres in a small unincorporated community in Brunswick County.

READ MORE: 341 residential developments in Brunswick County approved

ALSO: Brunswick County awarded $20M EPA grant to mitigate lead pollution, preserve wetlands

The King Tract proposal consists of 1,800 single family units on 642 acres of vacant, forested land on NC Highway 130 (Whiteville Road) in Brunswick’s unincorporated Ash community. It will be in front of the Brunswick County Planning Board at 4 p.m Monday.

South Carolina-based Stillwater Development is partnering with BRD Land Development & Investment on the project. Pat Quinn, an employee with both firms, is the applicant; PCD reached out to ask about the King Tract project but did not receive an immediate response.

The Blueprint Brunswick Future Land Use Map denotes the area — owned by King Carolina Properties LLC — in the Rural Agricultural and Open Space Conservation districts. The King Tract property includes a portion of the South Prong Wet Ash Swamp waterbody.

King Carolina Properties owns a neighboring 131 acre parcel used for King Sand Mine, operated by Hardee Enterprises. BRD Land & Investment’s other projects in the area include the 570-unit Brunswick Pines development in Shallotte.

The 2,950-unit Ashton Farms development is next door to King Tract on the other side of Whiteville Road. The planning board cited traffic, flooding, and environmental concerns in its November 2023 rejection of Ashton Farms but approved a revised plan with heightened stormwater and riparian buffer conditions in March. 

Planning staff recommended approval for King Tract contingent on similar conditions, such as maintaining 30-foot riparian buffers around wetlands. The developer has agreed to include 153 acres of open space, provide 148 units for workforce housing, and place wetlands in a conservation easement. Stormwater engineer Richard Christensen stated stormwater controls must be designed to handle a 100-year storm in November’s technical review comments.

ECS Southeast LLC provided a threatened and endangered species review for Stillwater finding 15 potential vulnerable species on the site. In a May Department of Interior questionnaire, ECS wrote the project will require tree removal across 570 acres of the 642 acre property.

The Town of Shallotte Board of Aldermen considered annexing the King Tract property — which was estimated to roughly double its population — earlier this year. The board previously approved a large-scale annexation and rezoning request from BRD Land and Investment; in July 2022, the town annexed and rezoned 311 acres to allow the 570-unit Brunswick Pines development.

The developer opted to move forward on the King Tract project with the county after reaching a utility connection agreement.

Shallotte Mayor Walt Eccard raised concerns surrounding roadways would be unable to handle new traffic during an October workshop. Engineering consultant DRMP Inc. has completed a traffic impact analysis and submitted it to NCDOT; the project is estimated to generate 14,598 daily trips on Whiteville Road at completion in 2035. 

DRMP recommended roadway improvements including constructing an eastbound left-turn lane at NC Hwy 130 and Big Neck Road NW and installing new traffic signals at NC 130 and US 17.


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