A rezoning of 73 acres off Blue Clay Road in New Hanover County could allow part of the land to be used for more than 150 single-family home lots, a representative of one of the property owners said recently.

The county Board of Commissioners is holding a public hearing at 4 p.m. Oct. 5 on a request to change the zoning for the land, located in the 3000 block of Blue Clay Road, from an R-20 to an R-10 residential district. The hearing will be held in the Human Resources Training Room at the New Hanover County Government Center, 230 Government Center Drive.  

Because public water and sewer is available in the area, the R-10 zoning allowing for higher density makes sense, said Cindee Wolf, owner of Design Solutions, who submitted the request on behalf of the property’s owners, TF Holdings Lt. Partnership, the heirs of Rachel Trask Gonsalves, and New Beginning Christian Church Inc.

The Gonsalves heirs own the majority of the property, and if the rezoning is approved, about 46 acres could hold 154 single-family lots instead of the 87 that would have been allowed in R-20. That’s if the owners choose to proceed with a neighborhood, Wolf said.

The county Planning Board on Sept. 3 voted to recommend approval of the rezoning.

More lots and homes have been added throughout New Hanover County and the Wilmington area in recent years, with planning activity for new subdivisions picking up briskly in the past several months.

About 14 miles south from the Blue Clay Road land where new lots might go, Realtors toured model homes this week in a new gated community off Sanders Road called Willow Glen, according to a news release. 

Willow Glen, recently purchased by home builders H&H Homes and Mungo Homes, features 57 home sites, according to a news release. The sites start around a quarter of an acre and back up to the golf course at Beau Rivage. The homes, which can range from 2,000 to 4,000 square feet, start at $289,900, the release said.

“This is an extraordinary location that offers the beauty and serenity of large, golf course lots in a park-like setting with the convenience of Monkey Junction, the beaches and downtown Wilmington all within easy reach,” said Michael Jones, a broker with Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Advantage and the on-site sales agent for Mungo Homes at Willow Glen, in the release.