A large residential development is pushing to expand a southern Brunswick County town following its approval earlier this year.
As Gray Bridge Road becomes full with development, a previously approved residential development with hundreds of homes plans to add more than 100-acre to the town of Shallotte.
Colliers Engineering and Design originally proposed the Gray Bridge Planned Development to the county on behalf of the property owners OI Investment Properties, LLC. The project was approved by the county planning board in June 2026.
Site plans submitted to the town of Shallotte show Humabuilt Development as the developers of the new project.
As approved, the project consists of 400 single-family lots on over 98 acres within a half mile of a voluntary
agricultural district off Gray Bridge Road SW and Shell Point Road SW. If built, the development will sit between the recently opened Solserra development and the Ibis Bay development. Both nearby developments bringing over 1,000 residential units to the area.
"It would bring property taxes into the town for the 98 acres," said Assistant Town Manager Robert Waring, noting the town fire department already services that area.
Annexing into the town is also saving the developers money, Waring added. The town's sewer line is physically closer to the property than the county's sewer line and the town accepts road dedication, Waring said.
"The proposed annexation would make use of the existing sewer utility line further up Gray Bridge Road," Waring explained.
The town is requiring developers to install sidewalks along both sides of the street and complete a tree survey, Waring said.
A roughly 2-acre parcel located across Shell Point Road is also part of the project. However, Waring said developers are considering dedicating the property to the county, noting the property is too small to build a new fire station.
The residential project will be developed in two phases with "great vehicular and pedestrian interconnectivity," as stated on the development application filed to the town.
A traffic impact analysis, previously approved by the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT), states the development will generate an additional 3,612 daily vehicle trips. No road capacity deficiencies for Gray Bridge Road or Shell Point Road were noted.
"There will obviously be traffic impacts on Gray Bridge Road and Shell Point Road," Waring said.
To help with traffic in the area, Waring said the town is working with the NCDOT to improve the intersection of Gray Bridge Road and Red Bug Road.
According to the traffic impact analysis, the project is expected to be completed by 2033.
The proposed annexation is expected to go to a public hearing in early September, Waring said. If the annexation is accepted, the town will also set an initial zoning for the property.
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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: Developers behind 400-home project request annexation into Brunswick town
