Plans for a 60-unit townhome project proposed just off Market Street are moving forward.

Raleigh-based development firm TBM Partners recently submitted project plans to the city of Wilmington for technical review. The project, called 142 Switchyard, is slated for a roughly 10-acre site at 120 Switchyard Road and secured a needed rezoning last summer.

According to property records, Switchyard Developers LLC purchased the site in January for $2 million. The limited liability company is registered at the same address as the TBM Partners’ Raleigh office.

The site was formerly owned by PBW Holdings LLC, a limited liability company registered to local developer Dave Spetrino. At one time, Spetrino had proposed building more than 190 apartments on the site. 

Joe Cebina, managing director of TBM Partners, told the Business Journal the new plans reflect a market shift, following increased demand for townhomes. Project plans include 60 attached townhomes, which site plans show clustered throughout the site in 14 buildings.

Cebina said he expects to receive the first comments from the city's technical review of the project plans in mid-March.  He said site work could begin in June or July with building construction starting in spring 2026. Cebina expects the project to be completed in two to three years.

Aspects of the project's design are still being ironed out, Cebina said, and he’s looking for input from the city on the look of the buildings. The initial submittal includes two proposed approaches – one that’s more traditional and craftsman-style and another that’s more contemporary and modern.

“Our approach with this has been we would really like the city's input in terms of if they've got a preference on style in this area,” Cebina said. “We were willing to go either way, but we wanted to provide two options.”

TBM Partners is working with Raleigh-based homebuilder Robuck Homes on the project. Cebina said the two companies have worked closely on several past projects. Robuck Homes is also building homes in East & Mason, a master-planned community in development off Masonboro Loop Road in Wilmington.

Meredith Horner, director of marketing with Robuck Homes, said the company expects to release more information about the 142 Switchyard community this summer.