A project bringing more than 3,000 homes near a bustling Brunswick County intersection remains quiet five years after being revived from abandonment.
Rice Creek is a 3,400-unit residential project that was approved in 2021 near the corner of U.S. 17 and N.C. 87. Despite the once-abandoned housing development
began moving forward again in 2023, the project has two years left until becoming zombified again.The Rice Creek planned development was first approved in 2006, offering 2,736 total housing units and 66 acres of commercial space to 1,239 acres of land in Winnabow near Town Creek Park, with pedestrian connections to the park as well as Town Creek Middle and Elementary schools. After a minor modification, however, the 2006 project never came
to fruition after the 2008 housing market crash.
Here's a look at what's been going on since.
Going back to 2021
Revised plans for the development resurfaced and were approved in 2021, increasing the total number of housing units to 3,400, including 1,999 single-family lots, 700 multifamily units, 641 townhomes and 60 duplexes. The commercial area was reduced to 60 acres.
The developers and property owners are Brunswick-STU & Associates LLC, Town Creek Land Partners LLC and Bubbas Bog LLC.
Prior to presenting revised plans, the developer installed the main entrance, a pump station, the connection to the school and received the North Carolina Department of Transportation's (NCDOT) driveway permit for the first 175 single-family lots, according to recorded meeting minutes from 2021.
Dan Weeks with H&W Design PLLC, who represented the project applicant at the time, said the development will be developed in four phases. Weeks said first one, consisting of townhomes and single-family lots, was anticipated to begin construction in 2022.
As for traffic, it was estimated that the development would add 28,000 vehicle trips per 24-hour weekday volume to the area.
Installing a large sewer transmission line
County commissioners in 2023 approved an agreement to expand the county’s sewer transmission line and make the county the exclusive water and sewer provider for the Rice Creek project. The agreement outlines that the developers will pay roughly a third of the line's total cost, which was already planned in the county’s future capital improvement plan.
The project is currently on schedule, County Communications Director Meagan Kascsak said.
"Due to a delay in receiving an NCDOT encroachment permit, a work change directive was issued to extend the contract completion date to Dec. 12, 2026," Kascsak said.
The 20-inch sewer transmission line will run from roughly the north end of Bolivia to Benton Road, providing the capacity necessary to support development beyond the Rice Creek project.
Where the project stands today
The project remains at 3,400 total residential units on just over 1,296 acres of land. Approved plans include 1,999 single-family homes, 60 duplexes, 641 townhomes and 700 multi-family units.
County planning staff approved revisions to Rice Creek in February 2025. The biggest part of the revision removed the planned golf course, leaving the amount of open space unchanged, Kascsak said.
"The reason it was approved administratively is because the changes were minor," Kascsak said. "There was no increase in density or land use intensity."
NVR is listed as the project applicant in the most recent set of plans. NVR is a national homebuilder and parent company of Ryan Homes, NVHomes and Heartland Homes.
No residential units have been built, nor are any under construction as of Sept. 24, 2026, according to the county's residential development dashboard. Though no homes have been built, the road extending from U.S. 17 to the Town Creek schools and "significant on- and off-site utilities" are installed, Kascsak said.
Applicants also provided an updated traffic impact analysis study predicting the development adding 18,174 daily trips to the area, said Kascsak, noting the study was approved in March 2026.
The Rice Creek project is considered valid until 2028 due to the seven-year approval period granted by state statute, Kascsak said.
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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: Once abandoned project planned for Brunswick could be deserted again
