Plans for several large-scale developments could bring thousands of homes and new recreation and commercial space to the Castle Hayne area.

Castle Hayne and other parts of northern New Hanover County have witnessed an uptick in residential and commercial development in recent years as the population increases across the Cape Fear region. The extension of water and sewer lines and other infrastructure into the area has helped fuel ongoing growth and development. 

One proposed residential subdivision would be built on just over 700 acres bounded by Interstate 140 and Sidbury and Crooked Pine roads. It would be built next to Sidbury Station, a master-planned community developed by national homebuilder D.R. Horton.

Plans for the project went before New Hanover County’s Technical Review Committee earlier this month. The committee ensures that proposed projects meet the county’s development standards.

The project would include 1,751 total housing units, including single-family homes, townhomes and duplexes. The subdivision would be built over three phases with phase one planned for 2029 and the second phase planned for 2030. Full build-out is expected in 2032, according to planning documents.

D.R. Horton is developing the subdivision on two tracts of land. The land, which plans refer to as the Sidbury 187 and Gore tracts, is owned by Corbett Package Co. and Corbett Industries, documents show.

At full build-out, the project could generate 14,093 daily vehicle trips, including 999 trips during peak morning hours and 1,378 trips in peak afternoon hours, according to a traffic impact analysis. The analysis recommends several improvements to help mitigate the impacts of traffic, including extending existing turn lanes, adding new turn lanes and installing new traffic lights.

D.R. Horton is proposing another project that would bring 263 new townhomes to a nearly 50-acre tract along Blue Clay Road. The project, which is called the Blue Bay Townhomes, would be made up of a series of 4-, 5- and 6-unit townhomes. Plans also include an amenity center, dog parks and a mail kiosk. The site at 5735 Blue Clay Road is owned by Blue Tank LLC and is zoned for multifamily development.

The project is expected to generate 131 peak morning vehicle trips and 154 peak afternoon trips. This month, plans for the project went before New Hanover County’s Technical Review Committee.

Also this month, New Hanover County’s Board of Commissioners unanimously approved a rezoning that would allow plans for a YMCA and other commercial development to move ahead in Castle Hayne on the north side of the 6600 block of Sidbury Road.
 
The YMCA of Southeastern North Carolina submitted the request earlier this year to rezone 53 acres of a 242-acre tract from a low-density residential district to a community business district – a designation that would allow for the construction of a YMCA.

The YMCA plans to use about half of the site and the organization’s leaders are under contract to purchase the land, Dick Jones, president and CEO of the YMCA of Southeastern North Carolina, told the Business Journal earlier this year.

The proposed 25-plus-acre site would be more than double the size of the facilities at the Nir Family YMCA on Market Street and the Midtown YMCA off South 17th Street, which cover roughly 10 acres each. Land not used by the YMCA could see commercial development.