NEW HANOVER COUNTY — A conservation nonprofit known for its management of ecological vulnerable land in the state is committing to permanently preserve 3,200 acres in Sledge Forest. However, the agreement is contingent on the Hilton Bluffs subdivision in New Hanover County, currently appealed by area residents, proceeding as is.
“The agreement would make the Coastal Land Trust the steward of one of the largest undeveloped tracts remaining in New Hanover County,” according to a release.
The purchase-of-sale agreement between North Carolina Coastal Land Trust and Copper Builders indicates 1,200 acres will be donated outright to the nonprofit and the other 2,000 acres will be sold to the trust through a “bargain sale,” with the developer “contributing a substantial share of the land value.” Also, Copper Builders agreed to fund a multimillion-dollar stewardship endowment for the Coastal Land Trust to support infrastructure and ongoing conservation efforts.
READ MORE: Hilton Bluffs poised for first 580 homes to break ground in phased build-out
ALSO: Controversial development planned for Sledge Forest paused ahead of appeals hearing
To put it into context, 3,200 acres in Sledge Forest is four times the size of Carolina Beach State Park.
According to Harrison Marks, executive director of the Coastal Land Trust: “It’s one of the most significant conservation opportunities in New Hanover County in a generation.”
Sledge Forest makes up 4,000 acres in Castle Hayne and is under contract by Copper Builders, a Charlotte-based developer that wants to build Hilton Bluffs homes on 600 acres of uplands in the property’s southeast corner along the Northeast Cape Fear River. That area is already timbered, according to the release.
However, the surrounding acreage is lush with Longleaf pine forests and wet pine flatwoods, some more than 300 years old, as well as bald cypress trees up to 500 years old. Plus, there are freshwater and tidal habitats dependent on the wetlands, not to mention species like the Venus flytrap and Riverbank Evening-primrose, and a vital fish nursery.
“Sledge Forest is one of the most ecologically significant properties in the county,” Kenneth Lingerfelt, director of land protection for the Coastal Land Trust, said in a release. “What we are committing to protect here is irreplaceable: thousands of acres of wetlands, riparian buffers along the Northeast Cape Fear River, and upland habitat, including longleaf pine. Permanent conservation of land at this scale has benefits that last for generations.”
Last July, Sledge Forest was added to the Old Growth Forest Network’s National Index of Threatened Forests due to the potential development of Hilton Bluffs. Though the designation doesn’t guarantee protections, community members have come together to appeal the county’s conditional approval for Copper Builders to break ground on its first phase of 580 homes.
Technically, the developer can build out the property by-right — meaning it’s within its zoning allowance and doesn’t need a board of commissioners vote — but the county’s technical review committee still had to sign off on conditional approval and permitting, such as ensuring U.S. Army Corps of Engineers permits were secured for construction of a connection bridge to the adjacent Wooden Shoe neighborhood.
At full build-out across six phases, Hilton Bluffs will consist of 1,800 units on an 1,800-acre tract — down from the original 4,000 units first floated on 4,000 acres; though 1,200 acres consist of unbuildable wetlands. Thus Copper Builders wants to construct all homes on 600 acres of uplands. But TRC conditional approval included having a conservation agreement in place to receive a “performance density bonus.”
Unique Places to Save, a nonprofit conservation land trust, reached an agreement with Copper Builders in March last year to purchase 1,160 acres for $10.2 million in the northern portion of the Sledge Forest property, but only if it could secure the money through grants. It fell through in the fall and the developer, Wade Miller, told Port City Daily his Copper Builders’ team was working to find another conservation partner.
Currently, Copper Builders is in the midst of an appeal on the Hilton Bluffs’ build-out. Despite the county’s technical review committee giving conditional approval for 580 homes to begin construction, in April the New Hanover County Board of Adjustment voted unanimously to pause issuing county permits until the BOA is able to officially rule on the two appeals filed, as first reported by Port City Daily.
One appeal was put forth by attorney Grady Richardson representing residents in the Wooden Shoe and Marathon Colony subdivisions; the other comes from the Southern Environmental Law Center representing additional Castle Hayne residents. All appellants claim to be affected by the development negatively, through varied traffic impacts, flooding concerns, roadway problems and property rights infringement. Each group argued the county misapplied development rules in granting approval for the project’s first phase, and asked the board of adjustment to overturn the TRC decision and halt the project as currently proposed.
One of the accusations was the county incorrectly applied density calculations since Copper Builders hadn’t technically solidified a conservation partner at the time of the April 2026 stay hearing. Though that was combated by the developer’s attorney, Sam Franck, noting the appellants misread the rules.
“The approved subdivision plan utilizes density transfer, a standard New Hanover County zoning approach that concentrates development on this upland portion while permanently conserving the surrounding wetlands. Clustering density is an approach that conservation and land-use planners recommend and advocate as the best way to balance growth with protection,” Coastal Land Trust indicates in Thursday’s release.
The Coastal Land Trust spokespeople said they are not taking a stance on the appeals and whether Hilton Bluffs should be developed. The organization’s focus remains on the 3,200-acre preservation, which both Coastal Land Trust and Copper Builders have committed to making publicly available, with basic infrastructure, parking, a trail network, and river access facilities along the Northeast Cape Fear River.
A group of citizens that have developed Save Sledge Forest grassroots campaign responded to the news after press on Thursday: “Good land stewardship requires opposition to the development proposed by Copper Builders.”
While appreciative that the land trust is working to preserve the 3,200 acres, the group released a statement noting the move doesn’t thwart development of 1,800 homes affecting small, rural neighborhoods nearby. They are steadfast in their concerns regarding hundreds to thousands of vehicles the development will bring to narrow streets, clearcutting 122,000 trees, increasing flood threats, disrupting the surrounding ecosystem and compromising a nearby toxic plume from GE’s hazardous waste site.
“We remain focused on the legal appeal of the county’s erroneous conditional approval of the proposed Hilton Bluffs project of 1800 units,” the statement indicates. “We will continue to move forward in the appeal process with confidence and determination, while also supporting all appeals and lawsuits that have been filed against Copper Builders.”
The appeals have to be ruled on by July 31 and according to a county spokesperson, the hearing is planned for Monday, July 20, starting at 9 a.m.; July 21 is also reserved in case additional time is needed.
Should the 3,200 acre preservation go through, it will be the second transaction on the books for New Hanover County land protected by the North Carolina Coastal Land Trust this year. In March, the trust worked with the county to purchase 60 acres for $3 million off Independence Boulevard, known as the Flossie Bryan tract; the trust has until December 2027 to close on the deal.
The organization’s land buys are funded through a mix of private donations, public grants and settlements. North Carolina Coastal Land Trust has become a steward of more than 91,000 acres, annually monitored and restored for habitats.
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