After years of talking, developers of a 3,300-acre property that will forever change N.C. 211 have taken a step to resurface the project.
The town of Oak Island is being presented the chance to renegotiate terms of a 17-year-old development agreement for the property long known as the “Williamson Tract,” a giant property stretching from the edge of St. James to Sunset Harbor.
The Williamson Tract extends from Middleton Boulevard to Sunset Harbor Road, roughly 104-acres of the site being along N.C. 211. Though the property is on the mainland, it resides in Oak Island’s jurisdiction.
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“With over 3,100 acres on the mainland, this is one of the biggest projects Oak Island has ever seen,” resident and Oak Island Civic Alliance President Glenn Baker said. “While growth is inevitable, the sheer scale of adding up to 7,200 homes means we need an absolute accountability from the town and developers before it’s too late.”
Over thousands of homes are already approved for the site, but a new plan could be at play for the nearly two-decade-old project.
Background on the Oak Island property
A planned unit development was originally approved for the tract in 2009 through a development agreement with the town, Town Attorney Lydia Lavelle said during the Oak Island Town Council meeting on June 10. The plan included 7,200 mixed housing units, along with about 260-acres of commercial area.
The project resurfaced in March 2022 with 7,500 homes. This was when the last public hearing on the property was held, said Lavelle, noting the council rezoned the property to a planned unit development and approved a phased development vesting plan.
Council also instructed staff to work with the project applicant on a new development plan, but Lavelle said the new plan never happened.
“It has been rezoned, and there has been an adopted planned unit development by this council and the development agreement has not been renegotiated yet,” Lavelle said.
In May 2024, former mayor Liz White told the StarNews the development stalled on the project due to the national financial picture.
Recent steps to pick up the development
The town of Oak Island invited Rock Tower Partners representative Ben Mathis to give a presentation on the current status of the project on June 10. Mathis did not present formal plans, instead, he said he was there to share what they are thinking and to hear feedback.
“This is a very general presentation, there will not be a lot of specifics in this because we don’t have specifics at the end of today,” Mayor Christopher Brown told the crowd.
While the maximum density is over 7,000 residential units, Mathis said the updated version could look closer to 6,000 housing units. There is a wetland delineation on the site that developers will verify through studies, Mathis added.
“We think we’re going to be more in the 6,000-6,500 range, we’re not going for max density,” Mathis said.
Ideally, Mathis said the plan is to break ground on the site in 2-3 years and be completely built out in 20 years.
“This is a 15 to 25-year development, its a major investment in time and resources,” Mathis said.
Oak Island residents question impact to traffic and environment
Residents urged council to protect existing residents and consider how the “massive town within a town,” Baker said, will impact property taxes, roads, stormwater and public safety.
“When we replace thousands of acres of forests with asphalt, concrete and roofs, that water has to go somewhere… We shouldn’t have to wait for a grid-lock disaster during a hurricane evacuation to realize the roads can’t handle the density,” Baker said.
A few community members suggested the property be placed under conservation due to its environmental significance, not built upon.
Next steps for Oak Island
The developer’s agreement will be reviewed by town staff and council until the developer and the town fully agree on terms within the contract, Mathis explained. Then, there will be a public hearing on the agreement before a final vote.
“It’s treated as a partnership,” Mathis said.
Negotiation is expected to take three months, Mathis told council. Mathis said he is willing to do more public engagement as well.
Asked for the total acreage being used for development, Mathis said he does not know exactly. Roughly 1,600 acres were originally planned for the development and 450-acres of the site are in conservation, said Mathis, noting state regulations could change the developable acreage during the process.
“We understand the emotion with this, the only thing I can say to everybody is we’re listening,” Brown told residents. “I encourage you to continue emailing and talk with us.”
Reporting by Savanna Tenenoff, Wilmington StarNews / Wilmington StarNews
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