The Brunswick County Planning Board voted 5-0 on Monday evening to approve Heron Bluff, an 80-acre subdivision near Longwood that will eventually bring 172 single-family homes to a stretch of land off Longwood Road. The project cleared the board even as nearby residents pushed back over traffic on the roads that would feed it, including a curve they say is already prone to crashes.
What's Planned for the 80-Acre Site
According to Port City Daily, the Heron Bluff project will be built in three phases — 36 lots in the first, 46 in the second and 90 in the third — with homes sitting on lots expected to run around 9,400 square feet. The county's own meeting agenda, cited in a separate Port City Daily agenda roundup, described the project as 172 single-family units on approximately 80.18 acres at an overall density of 2.13 dwelling units per acre. A separate, low-confidence excerpt from county planning board minutes puts the proposed density at 2.3 units per acre, a discrepancy that has not been resolved in the available records. The Brunswick County permits office lists the site at 7255 and 7269 Ridgewood Trail NW and Longwood Road NW, or N.C. 904, near Longwood.
Brandon Truesdale, who represents G3 Engineering, told the board the project amounts to roughly 40% of the allowable density on the tract, per the station's report. Planning staff recommended approval on the grounds that Heron Bluff meets the county's unified development ordinance and is consistent with the future land use map's medium-density designation. R-7500 medium-density zoning in the area allows up to 5.8 dwelling units per acre, while nearby commercial low-density zoning allows 13.6 units per acre, according to the same account.
Open Space, Stormwater and Utility Plans
The development is slated to include 25.78 acres of open space, well above the four acres the county requires, along with 8 acres of recreational area against a 0.60-acre requirement, per the outlet's reporting. Site plans call for seven stormwater ponds designed to handle a 100-year storm event — a storm with a 1% annual chance of occurring — and developers plan to leave a 5-acre wetland undeveloped. Heron Bluff homes will not be built in a flood zone, and the project will connect to Brunswick County utilities for water and sewer service when available, with 10-foot and 25-foot buffers built into the layout.
Traffic Concerns Dominate Public Comment
Much of the public hearing centered on traffic rather than the housing itself. Speakers raised concerns about congestion on N.C. Highway 904, also known as Longwood Road, and flagged a particular trouble spot near the curve at Russtown Road, the same report notes. Dave Brown told the board he's seen quite a few accidents at that corner, where he said cars travel around the curve at 50 miles per hour. Tina Axelson went further, describing the road as a death trap.
Marc Pages said any intersection improvements, including updated turn lanes, may hinge on what the project's traffic impact analysis finds, while Clif Cheek noted the planning board itself has no purview over road design decisions. Truesdale confirmed the developer has already mobilized a traffic consultant to begin that analysis. Heron Bluff is projected to generate around 1,634 daily trips, and under state rules, the North Carolina Department of Transportation must approve the traffic impact analysis before construction can begin. A draft county text-amendment document proposes requiring NCDOT approval of the traffic impact analysis before the project's first plat can be recorded, according to Brunswick County’s text amendment documentation.
A Driveway Dispute Over Emergency Access
Heron Bluff's main entrance will come off Longwood Road, with emergency-only access planned on Ridgewood Trail and a connection to private roads inside the neighboring Timber Farms development, which itself contains 2,500 units. That emergency access point became a sticking point for resident Margaret York, who asked whether an emergency gate would block her circular driveway, which has two entrances. York said she supports emergency access in general but opposes Ridgewood Trail becoming formally part of the development. Truesdale confirmed the developer would work with her to make sure her driveway stays clear.
Burning, Dust and Drought Complaints From Neighbors
Other residents raised concerns unrelated to the road network. Brandon Brown said truck traffic on unpaved land near his property has kicked up dust since last fall, and he complained that timber has been burned on other lots since then, sometimes overnight. The county does not control burning permits, but it recommends developers use water trucks to douse affected areas, particularly as Brunswick County is currently experiencing mild drought conditions.
Builder Timeline and Wider Growth Pressures
Before homes can rise on the site, three parcels still need to be purchased by the developer, and federal and state permits must be secured. Truesdale estimated that builder Beazer Homes, which is headquartered in Atlanta and entered the North Carolina market in the Raleigh-Durham area, could break ground around the end of the first quarter of 2027, assuming it secures a contractor beforehand.
Heron Bluff adds to a wave of large subdivisions moving through Brunswick County's approval pipeline. Just weeks earlier, the planning board approved three developments bringing roughly 900 units to the county, the bulk of them the 800-home South Cape planned development, Port City Daily reported in October. South Cape's density of 2.38 units per acre came in below its zoning maximum, and its plan included 175.04 acres of open space. An even larger project, the almost 595-acre Hooper Tract, squeaked through on a 4-3 vote last year with 145 acres of dedicated open space against an 89-acre requirement, and was projected to generate 14,500 vehicle trips in 24 hours — triggering similar complaints about traffic congestion and limited emergency access, the outlet noted at the time.
The growth reflects broader trends in the region. Brunswick County's housing stock grew 6% between July 2023 and July 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau's housing-unit estimate cited by the North Carolina Office of State Budget and Management, which ranked the county among the fastest-growing in the country. For now, Heron Bluff's fate still depends on the pending traffic study and the permits still to come before any ground is broken near Longwood.
