WILMINGTON — Almost 100 Wilmington residents gathered at the New Hanover County Library raising concerns regarding traffic, the environment, and the build-to-rent approach to developers bringing almost 500 units to the Mayfaire area.
READ MORE: NHC housing unit gap increases, commissioners and PB discuss county’s future
ALSO: Almost 500-unit development planned adjacent to Mayfaire Town Center
Located on 42 acres, adjacent to Eastwood Village, Parkside, and Windemere communities, Mayfaire West will consist of 256 apartments and 223 townhomes and carriage homes. Developers BrodyCo are behind the project and shared with residents their plans.
The company helped develop Mayfaire Town Center, as well as apartments and condos in the area, such as Village and Reserve at Mayfaire.
BrodyCo President and CEO Hyman Brody said he bought the land 10 years ago with the intention of developing it. Throughout the time he’s owned it, he told Port City Daily he has been approached numerous times to sell.
“Something’s going to happen on this land,” Brody said. “We just feel like, ultimately, our plan would be the best plan long term to protect a lot of interests that are around it for the good or bad.”
Brody, along with land designer Scott Stewart and civil engineer Richard Collier (who announced his city council run this week), presented the layout, which includes nine acres of greenspace, new roundabouts, and a network of internal streets and multi-use paths promoting pedestrian and bicycle connectivity.
“As developers I can see what you’re all excited about, this looks like a beautiful plan,” Parkside resident Kerry Newman said. “As people who live around the area … I can’t see anything I should be excited about other than being careful.”
The BrodyCo development team will submit a rezoning application to the city to move forward with the project. They are proposing to change the land from R-15 zoning to conditional zoning, including both MD-10 and MD-17. This rezoning would allow a medium density mix of housing of up to 20 units per acre; Mayfaire West will have an average density of 11.25 units per acre.
The rezoning request will be submitted later this month, with the goal to present in July before the Wilmington Planning Commission — which civil engineer Collier is also a member of. Then it heads to Wilmington City Council by August, according to developers.
If approved, construction is slated to begin in 2028 at the earliest.
Build-to-Rent Model
The largest collective groan from the crowd came when BrodyCo’s attorney Sam Franck announced the townhomes and carriage homes would be offered for rent.
Wilmington resident Nick Mitchell, who doesn’t live near the project, said he came to the meeting concerned overall about overdevelopment of apartments in the city. More so, he was shocked when Franck revealed the townhome and carriage home units would also be listed for rent.
“The people that are renting them don’t invest in building them or making them better over time,” Mitchell said, worried renters would not treat rental properties with the same level of respect and responsibility that comes with ownership.
After the meeting, Brody defended the decision to rent the properties, saying they’ll be high-end and trends are showing favorability toward renting over buying. The fad arrived in Wilmington a few years ago with The Cottages at Riverlights and since has grown to more than 4,000 units.
The real-estate trend appeals to customers looking to rent, who may not be in a position to buy a house, but are searching for more homey designs and greater amenities than a typical apartment offers.
“The way people live their lives has changed, a lot of the younger generation would rather rent than build a house,” Brody told Port City Daily. “If you build something that’s nice and different, maybe they don’t have to own it.”
Port City Daily asked the developer how much monthly rent will be for each prospective property in Mayfaire West but did not receive an answer by press. According to 2025 data from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the estimated rent for a two-bedroom apartment in New Hanover County is $1,580.
Brody spoke about the housing shortage in Wilmington and New Hanover County, claiming Mayfaire West will help alleviate it by providing living space for multiple types of residents.
“For the young people who can’t afford to buy a house, they might want to live here for a couple years,” Brody said, “retirees might want to downsize and live in some of the townhomes, the people that live in Raleigh and Greensboro might want a weekend residence.”
On May 1, at a joint New Hanover County Commissioners and planning board meeting, Mollie Fitzpatrick of Root Policy Research presented about the county’s housing needs for the future. According to previous PCD reporting, the assessment conducted by the county revealed more than 20,000 residential units are required to support population growth projections through the next 10 years.
The housing market has become drastically less accessible for median homebuyers, who have annual incomes between $36,100 and $86,640. Accessible affordable homes have dropped regionwide from 50% to just 5% in 2023 and working-class individuals accounted for only 12% of home sales in 2023, according to the assessment.
“People coming here for college — they stay, they rent, they work, but at some point they want to start a family and get a house,” Mitchell said. “There are no houses because they keep building more and more apartments.”
Traffic
Initial questions broached by multiple members of the crowd centered on a traffic impact analysis the developers have underway. Community members wanted to know whether the BrodyCo team considered other residential developments yet to be built, such as CenterPoint less than a half-mile from Mayfaire, bringing 265 apartments. It’s under construction beside Drysdale Drive, sandwiched between Eastwood and Military Cutoff roads.
Attorney Franck said the TIA is going through final approval and took into account nearby structures and developments.
BrodyCo states on their website the community is designed for “efficient and safe traffic flow” through on-street parking, medians, and narrow streets.
Traffic coming in and out of the Mayfaire West community will also be alleviated by five roundabouts. Of these, two are already in place — one located to the west of the proposed property near St. Marks Church, and another situated to the east on Town Center Drive.
“For those of us who actually live here as incumbents, we’re going to be dealing with one or two thousand more cars moving in and out of that place,” Newman said at the meeting. “I have a feeling that this whole thing was a show today, because the truth of the matter is you’re going to get the zoning approved.”
The two major corridors traveling to Mayfaire West are heavily trafficked; just under 30,000 cars commute daily on Eastwood Road near the intersection at Military Cutoff Road, according to 2024 data from NCDOT. 2025 data shows nearly 40,000 cars commute daily on Military Cutoff Road between Drysdale and Eastwood. Those numbers were expected to almost double along Eastwood to 39,000 by 2035 and increase to 64,400 on Military Cutoff.
Both Eastwood and Military Cutoff roads are currently considered failing, carrying “E” standing for level of service.
NCDOT improvements for traffic flow at the Eastwood-Military Cutoff Road intersection are already underway. A $7.20-million project to extend Drysdale Drive across Military Cutoff to Eastwood roads has been under construction since 2022 and officially opened on April 30. According to NCDOT, about 7,200 cars will travel through the new extension each day.
To further alleviate traffic, NCDOT also plans on adding a graded overpass at the Eastwood-Military Cutoff Road intersection. The overpass has been in NCDOT plans for years and is expected to cost at least $45 million; it’s supposed to break ground by 2027.
Environment
Outside of traffic, residents in attendance questioned BrodyCo’s stormwater plans. Civil engineer Collier informed residents there are currently no plans to build stormwater runoff ponds. Currently, four stormwater ponds surround the proposed Mayfaire West property with two along Town Centre Drive, one in the Parkside neighborhood, and another in the eastern section of Eastwood Village.
Residents of Eastwood Village, like Patricia Burkes, worried the almost 500-unit development would increase flooding chances to their neighborhood. Eastwood Village is adjacent to Bradley Creek, which puts about half of the neighborhood in a high-risk flood area, according to the NC Geographic Information Coordinating Council.
The development team said it’s already been in contact with some residents of the community and will continue to work with the Eastwood Village Homeowners Association to maintain stormwater ponds and drainage ditches near the neighborhood.
Collier added current stormwater plans for the community emphasize groundwater infiltration. He explained they’re considering permeable surfaces for parking lots to give stormwater easy access to flow vertically into the ground. He alsonoted the main streets within and around the property would be made of impervious asphalt.
The majority of the 42-acre development is currently forested with trees, with the goal to preserve at least nine acres of greenspace. Land planner Stewart emphasized maintaining an “opaque” quality through tree preservation, keeping the residential community visually hidden within the natural landscape.
Angela Powell — who lives in Eastwood Village on Green Bay Circle — worried getting rid of so many trees would affect wildlife in the area. She explained the planned development site is currently home to numerous animals, such as deer, foxes and possibly bears.
“They’re running out of habitat, they’re running out of space, places to go,” Powell said and questioned whether or not BrodyCo had considered providing a wildlife corridor for animals currently living in the forest.
“It’s always tricky to put the onus on any private landowner to protect specific wildlife habitat,” Franck responded, adding he was curious to learn more about potential bears living in the woods.
Brody said the development team will continue to hold community meetings as necessary, adding they will also meet with residents one-on-one. There will be two public hearings — one when the development team presents the proposal before the planning commission and another before city council.
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