A newly proposed development expects to bring new businesses and push nearly 2,000 residential units along evacuation routes in southern Brunswick County.
Plans proposed to Brunswick County place roughly 1,800 more residential units and a new commercial hub near Sunset Beach. With this proposal and another near Ocean Isle Beach
, the total residential unit count between the two beach towns could climb above 15,000.Plans submitted in June 2026 by Cape Fear Engineering propose building a total of 1,760 residential units on a property called the "Sunset Beach Development Tract," tucked behind other properties between U.S. 17 and N.C. 904.
Sunset Beach Development Tract proposal
The 565-acre project spans across two parcels and includes a 13.7-acre commercial space directly off U.S. 17.
Plans name Realstar Acquisitions, LLC, as the applicant, with Sunset Beach Development, LLC, and Seaside Office Park, LLC, as property owners.
Of the total 1,760 residential units, 1,460 will be single-family homes and 300 multi-family. In addition, a 10-acre amenity and mail area is designed for the residential area.
If approved and built as proposed, phase one only involves constructing the multi-family units on 38.3 acres.
Proposed plans show 14 ponds on the site, two being designated for stormwater retention, and less than 40 acres of wetlands. With the project being located within a half mile of a voluntary agricultural overlay district, developers are also proposing a 50-foot periphery buffer between the project and the agricultural district.
Plans outline four acres along N.C. 904 for a satellite fire station, as well as roughly 19 acres carved out for the potential expansion of the wastewater treatment plant serving the Sandpiper Bay area.
As proposed, some of the residential traffic from the new development will be using neighboring developments, Sailor's Haven and Sandpiper Bay, to access N.C. 904 and Old Georgetown Road.
The proposed plans state that residential roads are to be private, with the road connecting to the main commercial area being dedicated to the North Carolina Department of Transportation.
Nearby projects
While no public hearing has taken place for the newly proposed project, Sunset Beach residents previously raised safety and traffic concerns about a neighboring development, Sailor's Haven, that was approved in November 2025.
Both N.C. 904 and U.S. 17 are evacuation routes and major roadways, serving thousands of drivers every day. Ongoing growth and traffic concerns already pushed officials to conduct a study to address needed improvements for a 6-mile stretch of the two-lane major thoroughfare of N.C. 904.
There are already two completed neighborhoods totaling 300 residential units near the project site in the county's jurisdiction. However, several approved residential projects adjacent to the proposed development are bringing a total of 3,089 residential units.
One of those projects is the 2,500-unit development named Timber Farms, located at the corner of U.S. 17 and Longwood Road. Timber Farms was approved in April 2025 and is in the beginning stages or construction, according to the county's development dashboard.
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Savanna Tenenoff covers Brunswick County for the StarNews. Reach her at stenenoff@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Proposed development could add nearly 2,000 homes in southern Brunswick
