HAMPSTEAD — Approximately 110 acres of wooded land between Highway 17 and the Intracoastal Waterway will be developed as the new Carolina Creek subdivision, the first buildout of which is expected to add between 101 and 135 trips to daily traffic volume.
Wilmington-based developer Bill Clark Homes submitted plans to develop and build out 191 single-family home lots the property, a third of which is classified as delineated wetlands.
Pender County Planning Director Kyle Breuer said the developer is building on upland areas of the site and will not extend any lots into the wooded wetland areas. The property is located off Country Club Road, just northeast of the Old Pointe subdivision and about a mile southwest of the Belvedere Country Club.
The preliminary phase of the project will include 135 lots with an option for future development, according to Robin Campbell, head of marketing and sales for Bill Clark Homes. She said the majority of homes in the subdivision will fall within $275,000 and $355,000.
Although too early to estimate a time frame for the project’s total buildout, Campbell said the company expects several of 11 inventory homes to be completed by January. A grand opening event is expected sometime between next January and March, when several inventory homes should be finished and ready for move-in.
The project is split into two development plans. More than 82 acres are owned by Bill Clark Homes — of which 53 acres will be developed — while the remaining 27 acres is owned by Colorado-based Pensco Trust Company, according to plans submitted to the county in August.
Breuer said the developer is asking to revise the first section to replace a planned a cul-de-sac with a road to connect to the second section.
On-site agent Shelby Traylor said the project’s first phase includes 35 homes, including the 11 spec homes, falling within a range of 1,600 to 3,000 square feet. She said the developer typically rolls out 20 to 30 homes in each phase and expected the next phase to begin sometime in the fall of 2020.
There will also be a pool and clubhouse layout similar to that of the Hanover Lakes subdivision in Hampstead, according to Traylor. She said Carolina Creek residents will use Pender County Utilities for drinking water while irrigation will come from a community well. Fees for irrigation, as well as trash and recycling, are expected to come from monthly HOA dues.
Traffic Impact Analysis
A traffic impact analysis was approved for the first 135 single-family homes, which according to the study are anticipated to be completed in 2021. It is estimated the development will generate approximately 1,290 total site trips on its roadway network during a typical 24-hour weekday period.
Daily traffic volume is anticipated to increase by 101 trips (25 entering and 76 exiting) in the morning peak hour and 135 trips (85 entering and 50 exiting) in the evening peak hour.
Specific roadway improvements to mitigate increased traffic were identified based on the findings of the study. Improvements include:
U.S. 17 and Sloop Point Road
- Construct a continuous green T-intersection with two free-flow southbound through-lanes.
- Widen the southbound left-turn lane.
- Widen the northbound receiving lanes to provide three receiving lanes.
- Construct an additional southbound receiving lane for turning traffic.
- Modify signal times to account for the new intersection lane configuration.
U.S. 17 and Country Club Drive
- Construct a dedicated eastbound right-turn lane.
- Construct two westbound left-turn lanes.
- Construct a westbound through-right turn lane.
- Construct a median along US 17.
- Modify signal times to account for the new intersection lane configuration.
Recommended Improvements by Developer
- Entrance at Country Club Drive and Kings Landing Road
- Provide site access via a full movement intersection with one ingress lane and one egress lane.
- Provide stop control for entranceway.
- Provide an exclusive eastbound left-turn lane on Country Club Drive.
Mark Darrough can be reached at Mark@Localvoicemedia.com or (970) 413-3815
