An enclave called Banyan Bay will be a first for the Leland master-planned community of Brunswick Forest.

One of the major differences between Banyan Bay and other homesites there will be the wall that will surround 28 homes, according to site plans for Phase 1, Section 5 of Brunswick Forest’s master plan. 

Town of Leland Planning Manager Robert Waring said those plans have been through administrative review and received the go ahead from the town’s planning board. Waring said they were scheduled to be considered by the Leland Town Council at its July 14 meeting.

“From a land use perspective, the plans meet the objective standards laid out in the Town’s ordinances, and staff recommends approval,” Waring said in an email.

Two years ago, the town had banned gated communities, after planners cited research about enclosed neighborhoods, such as Landfall in Wilmington, tending to “identify internally” rather than with the community outside the gate and cutting off access to roads, trails and traditionally public places, according to a 2014 StarNews article. 

But earlier this year, despite some opposition from Brunswick Forest residents and others, that ban was lifted by the council.  

Because of ongoing demand for homes within gated communities, lifting the ban made economic sense, those in favor said.

Their opinions were based on some of the demand reported at housing shows, mainly in the Northeast corridor of the U.S. That’s where neighborhoods in Brunswick and New Hanover counties are marketed to buyers predominantly in the 50-plus age group looking to spend
from $400,000 to more than $1 million on a house-and-lot combo, said Daniel Keir, director of sales for Ideal Living Shows.

And in 42 percent of the 765 lifestyle questionnaires returned at shows this winter, buyers said they were looking for homes in gated communities, Keir said.

Jerry Helms, director of sales at Brunswick Forest, said offering homes in a small gated section as a choice has for a long time been part of the plan for the community.

“The one choice we have not offered here is a small, gated enclave,” which would be no different than those offered in other Brunswick County master-planned developments, Helms said.

When it comes to preferring a gated community, “the safety concern is prevalent across most buyers’ minds,” said Vance Young of Intracoastal Realty’s Vance Young & Associates team. 

Young, a Realtor who is one of the top sellers in as well as a 22-year resident of Landfall, said buyers take comfort in the extra layer of security.

“There’s a great peace of mind that comes with living in a gated community. Obviously it’s no guarantee that you’re not going to have any crime, but it’s a very nice, significant buffer,” Young said.

“I think there are definitely those people who want to be in gated communities, and there are some buyers who prefer not to be in gated communities; there’s a need for both,” Young added. “I don’t see a wholesale, cross-the-board sweeping of gated communities proliferating everywhere, but I do think there’s a significant population that wants that buffer, that peace of mind and are willing to pay for it.”