NEW HANOVER COUNTY — One of the fastest growing areas in the Cape Fear region continues to develop after commissioners unanimously signed off on two rezoning requests in Castle Hayne.
Represented by applicant Cindee Wolf, owner of Design Solutions, a 2.2-acre request on 2117 Castle Hayne Road will accommodate new commercial space. A 7.9-acre rezoning on 1728 Rockhill Road will make way for 24 affordable homes on behalf of Cape Fear Habitat for Humanity.
The Castle Hayne Road rezoning transfers the 2.2-acre parcel from the office and nstitutional district to business residential. It will enable the construction of three 6,000-square-foot buildings across an approximately 18,000-square-foot flex commercial business space. Wilmington-based Backyard Specialist, a custom outdoor kitchen company, will occupy one of the three buildings.
The approval included conditions designed to address concerns about traffic and noise. Allowable uses for the other two buildings, not currently spoken for, include instructional services and studios, general retail, offices, recreation excluding shooting ranges, restaurants excluding drive-thru, and animal grooming or veterinary services, excluding daycare and kennel.
The rezoning request received 16 public comments before the planning board unanimously recommended approval Nov. 2. Fifteen residents opposed it and one was neutral; resident Melissa Green said she did not oppose the project as long as trees in the vicinity are not removed.
Opposed residents cited concerns the project would cause traffic and safety problems, noise pollution, increased flooding, environmental degradation, and devaluation of neighboring property values. Several members of the adjacent Hanover Lakes community also spoke in opposition to the proposal at the planning board meeting.
“The current zoning regulations have been integral in preserving the character of our community and maintaining a balance between residential and commercial spaces,” Hanover Lakes residents William and Jenelle Smedley wrote to the county. “Any modifications to the existing zoning regulations have the potential to disrupt this delicate equilibrium, leading to increased traffic congestion, decreased property values, and the loss of the unique identity that defines our neighborhood.”
According to the North Carolina Department of Transportation, the portion of Castle Hayne Road providing access to the site currently has 17,000 average daily trips. NCDOT communications officer Andrew Barksdale told Port City Daily the road’s 2021 capacity was 16,000 trips.
“Traffic volume on Castle Hayne Road has increased exponentially over the past seven years without a corresponding improvement in roadway infrastructure,” Hanover Lakes resident Pamela Hudson wrote to the county.
Commissioner Rob Zapple agreed with residents and expressed concern increased commercial activity on the Castle Hayne corridor will further exacerbate congestion.
“We’ve got seven subdivisions by my count that are under construction within a 1-mile radius there,” Zapple said, “on a road that we know is already over capacity.”
The county anticipates the site’s approved uses would not generate enough traffic to trigger a traffic impact analysis; Wolf agreed to include a TIA in the event tenants trigger traffic above the threshold of 100 peak hour trips.
Development review supervisor Robert Farrell said the county would review the estimated traffic impact of each proposed business before granting approval; county staff will also evaluate the site after approval to guarantee all land use ordinances are met.
“Each of those occupancies has their own permitting they have to go through and it is at that point we would look at intensity,” Farrell said at the Dec. 11 meeting.
Zapple was also worried the zoning ordinance would be difficult to enforce if businesses end up creating more traffic than anticipated. He raised the example of a dance studio as an allowable business that could generate more evening traffic.
“With very little stretch of imagination you could have something in here that will exceed what is clearly a busy corridor now and is about to get a whole lot more busy,” he said.
Zapple noted the area has had trouble with stormwater runoff and flooding in the past; he asked the applicant how she would “raise the comfort level of the adjacent neighbors.”
Wolf said she would work with the county engineering department during permitting to determine the best method to direct overflow to the site’s retention pond; she added an isolated wetland behind the site would assist with stormwater management. Wolf agreed developers would be responsible for every drop of rainwater to fall on the property to ensure it doesn’t flow to the Hanover Lakes neighborhood.
Wolf has a long history in the region; she’s been a land planner in Wilmington since 1990 and formerly served on the Cape Fear Public Utility Authority board. Design Solutions is currently involved with roughly 15 development projects in the region, Wolf said.
Cape Fear Habitat for Humanity reached out for help with the 1728 Rockhill Road rezoning request, which she also handled at the Dec. 11 meeting. It will allow 14 new attached single-family dwelling units to join 10 existing single-family residential lots, for a total of 24 homes across approximately 7.9 acres.
NCDOT and Wilmington Urban Area Metropolitan Planning Organization do not have traffic data for the site’s nearby streets, Rockhill and Reminisce roads, but county staff estimates traffic generated for the site will remain under the 100 peak hour threshold that would trigger a TIA.
The two rezonings add to recent commercial developments in the region, including the Hermitage Road Business Park, Holly Shelter Business Park, and Blue Clay Business Park, and residential projects such as River Bluffs, Blue Clay Townes, Bountiful Village and the Covenant.
According to data from tech real estate firm Zillow, Stacker Media estimates Castle Hayne has the 10th fastest growing residential values in the state.
CFPUA has described northern New Hanover as the “last frontier” because it remains relatively undeveloped compared to the rest of the county. It is currently working with the county on a $23-million project — which will potentially increase another $16 million — to extend water and sewer infrastructure throughout the area to help facilitate development.
Tips or comments? Email journalist Peter Castagno at peter@localdailymedia.com.
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