Business district could add hundreds of cars per day on New Hanover road

A rezoning request has been submitted to allow commercial development at a site on a rapidly growing New Hanover County corridor. McCormick Ventures LLC has submitted a rezoning application for 10.4 acres located at 6810 Sidbury Road, according to county documents. The rezoning would establish a reg

What is the story about?

A rezoning request has been submitted to allow commercial development at a site on a rapidly growing New Hanover County corridor.

McCormick Ventures LLC has submitted a rezoning application for 10.4 acres located at 6810 Sidbury Road, according to county documents. The rezoning would establish a regional business district on the site, which has been zoned for low-density residential development since 1972 to accommodate the use of private wells and septic systems in the area.

In the decades since, the Cape Fear Public Utility Authority has extended public water and sewer infrastructure to support the rapid growth in northern New Hanover.

The application is for a straight rezoning request, which means that no specific site plans are attached and

its approval cannot be contingent upon any conditions. However, the applicant has also submitted a building permit application for a 6,000-square-foot metal storage building on the northeastern portion of the property.

About the potential traffic impact

Under the proposed regional business zoning, development could increase traffic to 158 morning and 232 evening peak hour trips. The current zoning, which would allow for development as a residential subdivision with 22 single-family homes, is estimated to generate approximately 19 morning and 24 peak hour trips.

A full traffic impact analysis is not required for the straight rezoning, but county documents note that one would likely be required during development because of the property size and range of uses permitted by the district. The analysis would require approval by the Wilmington Urban Area Metropolitan Planning Organization, the N.C. Department of Transportation and the Technical Review Committee.

The latest WMPO point-in-time count was conducted in September 2025 and counted 4,201 vehicles. The roadway has a planning capacity of 10,978 vehicles per day. Analyses from the nearby Sidbury 187 and Avenue One subdivisions could increase the count 421% to 25,052 once the neighborhoods are fully built out. The McCormick rezoning application also notes that 53 acres of commercial property are currently undeveloped to the west of the subject site.

What comes next

County staff recommended approval of the application, which will be presented to the Planning Board on Aug. 6 before heading to the Board of Commissioners for final review. Staff found that the proposed use is consistent with the county’s comprehensive land use plan, which encourages small-scale mixed-use development in the area.

A variety of uses are permitted in the business district, including: