Brunswick County may be the No. 1 population growth leader in the region, but nearby Pender County is not far behind.

Pender County ranked fifth in the state with a 13.2 percent spike in population growth from 2010 to 2016, behind Brunswick’s state-leading 18.2 percent growth. By the end of the year, the N.C. Office of State Budget and Management projects that more than 62,000 people will call Pender County home, with a significant number having moved into the area.

But that expansion can create challenges for county officials and planners to plan ahead for the influx and address the potential for congested traffic, pressure on utilities and infringement on green space.
 

TRAFFIC SOLUTIONS

Relieving arterial road congestion is coming but still years away.

In the Hampstead area each day 43,000 drivers run a traffic gauntlet – some unsuccessfully. A crash analysis completed in 2010 found a wreck rate of 16 percent above the state average on U.S. 17 around Hampstead. And daily traffic volumes have spiked 24 percent since then.

To solve the traffic quagmire, construction of the multilane Hampstead Bypass is slated to start in late 2020. But relief will come in stages. Funds for the $150 million northern stretch from N.C. 210 to just beyond the Topsail schools complex are in place. The other portion from the Wilmington Bypass to N.C. 210 has funds only for road design.

A 2016 Collector Street Plan calls for more immediate help around Hampstead.

“Collector streets connect neighborhoods and local roads to the arterial roads. These streets are typically two lanes, not more than two to three miles long, have speed limits between 25 and 45 mph,” according to the plan.

Kyle Breuer, Pender County’s planning director, said that new developments require collector roads to ease traffic on U.S. 17 and N.C. 210.

“The new Sparrows Bend development in Hampstead will provide a direct connection from Hoover Road to [U.S.] 17 as opposed to dumping cars out at one single location on 17. We’re laying the groundwork for a more safe and efficient future travel network,” Breuer said.

The result is that local residents could use collector streets for shorter trips, keeping traffic off arterial roads occupied by long-distance travelers.

Eliminating left turns at intersections is another county tactic.

Called “directional crossover,” minor cross-street traffic can turn only right. A few hundred yards down the road drivers access a U-turn area. The concept originated in Michigan in the 1960s and is called a “Michigan left.” These crossovers and medians will be installed from Washington Acres Road to Sloop Point Loop Road.

“This project will reduce the amount of serious and fatal collisions along the U.S. 17 corridor,” Breuer said.

The road improvements can’t happen soon enough for local drivers. Pender County is forecasted to grow 18 percent between 2020 and 2030. Although the county has 933 square miles – the state’s fifth-largest county – most of the growth is projected along the U.S. 17 corridor, according to the county’s Street Collector Plan.

MANAGING SURGING WATER NEEDS

For Chad McEwen, assistant county manager, water tops his list of priorities for preparing for the future.

“Our most immediate need is meeting water demand. We don’t want future growth to be impaired by a lack of public water,” he said.

To support the rapid growth from the Scotts Hill area to the Onslow County line, upgraded water mains along N.C. 210 are planned along with changes to the county’s $21.5 million water treatment plant located near U.S. 421.

“The plant is readily expandable to 6 million gallons per day (MGD) for minimal cost – less than $1 million. We’ll expand the plant incrementally from the current 2 MGD to 4 MGD, then to 6 MGD based on demands,” interim utilities manager Bryan McCabe said. “The expansion to 4 MGD will be necessary within the next two years.”

Water needs will reach 6 MGD by 2032, according to county projections.

An interconnect agreement with Wallace to share water for nonemergency purposes provides a hedge for additional water.

The county also is pursuing other options.

“We’re looking at regional utilities to see about their willingness to provide an interconnection and their ability to meet our demands in the event of an emergency,” McEwen said.

He added that the county is considering possible long-term relationships to buy and then sell water.

On the wastewater front, the county recently opened a system primarily serving customers in the Pender Commerce Park. Named the Melinda K. Knoerzer Adaptive Ecosystem Wastewater Treatment Facility, the facility began processing wastewater last summer with an initial capacity of 500,000 gallons per day.

The only plant of its kind in the Southeast, microorganisms in plants housed inside a greenhouse treat wastewater using natural biological processes. The result is a cost-effective and energy-efficient treatment solution, Breuer said.
 

LAND USE PLAN UPDATE

To ensure that government was meeting the local needs, the county surveyed residents last year. Almost 1,400 responded, with 600 suggestions. The feedback is a guiding force for the county’s new Land Use Plan.

Regarding “growth and development” for Pender County, traffic was the leading concern for 75 percent of respondents. Close behind, 65 percent were most concerned about public services (such as schools, fire, police). More than half said conserving natural habitats and dealing with stormwater runoff were top priorities. Using land for industrial or multifamily development received little support.

Developers will test the new Land Use Plan often at more than 20 sites.

Preliminary approvals have been granted for 3,404 residential lots, while another 5,228 lots are pending initial approval.

Blake Farm is the largest development with 3,000 lots spread over 1,300 acres.

Although construction has not started and the developers are in the midst of a legal dispute, Blake Farm’s first phase has been approved and is planned to include a commercial and retail area and 240 homes.

Lane’s Ferry Landing with 2,695 lots and Hawksbill Cove’s 1,023 lots are the next largest developments. Both have yet to receive preliminary approvals.

County officials say they are taking into consideration the residents’ input.

“We want to make sure that we’re protecting our natural assets and make it a place where people want to come and live,” Breuer said. “Around the new bypass, the landscape will really change and we want to plan carefully.”  

Check out another business story about Pender County in our Region in Focus special section:
Hampstead lures commercial projects