WHAT'S BEING BUILT IN LELAND, CASTLE HAYNE, HAMPSTEAD, AND SCOTTS HILL? 11 WILMINGTON-AREA DEVELOPMENTS EXPLAINED.

One development in Leland has 950 acres approved for about 3,400 homes, and almost none of it is built yet. That's a single project. Across Leland, northern New Hanover County, and Pender County, 11 developments are adding thousands of homes, and they sit at very different stages: some are finished, some are mid-build, and some are still a line on a map.

I'm Kimberly Crouch, a Wilmington Realtor with eXp Realty. I live near Wrightsville Beach and work with relocating buyers and local sellers every week. Before real estate, I spent more than two decades in finance and public accounting, so I sort these projects by what's approved, what's under construction, and what each one means for your decision.

Quick Reference: 11 Wilmington-Area Developments at a Glance

What Is Being Built in Leland Right Now?

Leland has the most large-scale activity in the region, across five projects.

Terrapin is the largest thing under construction in Leland. Logan Homes broke ground in January 2025. Phases 2, 3, and 4 are approved, and Phase 5 is in technical review. Phase 3 alone includes 115 single-family lots and 66 duplex lots, and six builders are working there, including Atlantic Homes, Legacy Homes by Bill Clark, Logan Homes, and Chesapeake Homes. Pricing is broad: townhomes start in the high $200s to low $300s, single-family homes run from the mid $400s to the high $500s, and the Osprey Reserve section has sold out. The amenity center, called the Oasis, has two resort-style pools, a clubhouse, fitness center, pickleball, bocce, and tennis, and the roads are golf-cart friendly.

East Lake (off Highway 74/76 at Malmo Loop Road) has approved phases of 185, 122, 152, and 373 lots, about 832 in total. Phase 6, at 391 lots, is in technical review, which would bring the total to roughly 1,223 and make it the largest residential item under review in the Town of Leland. About seven builders are active, including Ryan Homes, New Leaf Homes, Bill Clark Homes, and Dream Finders Homes, with Dream Finders starting around $302,000. At the time of recording, the MLS showed 34 active, 12 pending, and 18 closed listings. Separately, a September 2026 Port City Daily report said the developer filed to consolidate roughly 2,600 acres into a single planned unit development of about 3,800 units, with 66 acres of commercial space and an 18-hole golf course. That is roughly three times what's currently approved, and the request would remove 602 acres from conservation district protections. The Leland Planning Board took it up on September 22, so check the current status.

Del Webb at Mallory Creek is an age-restricted active adult community with 762 homes approved and construction underway since 2024. The 20,000-square-foot clubhouse includes a fitness center and indoor pool, plus pickleball, bocce, a dog park, and trails. The HOA runs under $300 a month and covers high-speed internet, lawn care, amenity access, and a lifestyle director. Del Webb finished more than 500 homes at River Lights first, so this isn't their first local community. The trade-offs: it's 30-35 minutes to Wrightsville Beach, you cross the Cape Fear River to reach most of Wilmington, and the age restriction defines the resale buyer pool by the community's own rules.

Indigo Preserve has a naming quirk worth knowing: the Town of Leland files it under Brunswick Forest Phase 8, so searching public records for "Indigo Preserve" returns almost nothing. D.R. Horton sells four neighborhoods there: The Cove (townhomes, 1,418-1,763 sq. ft., starting in the $270s-$300s), The Palms (townhomes, from the $285s), a single-story Tuscan plan, and The Haven (single-family, 1,672-3,503 sq. ft., mid $370s to about $550,000). It's minutes from the villages of Brunswick Forest and under 20 minutes to downtown Wilmington. Don't confuse it with Indigo at Abbey Preserve in Scotts Hill, covered below.

Brunswick Forest's final phase is nearly done after about 20 years of building. Three neighborhoods remain, totaling 267 home sites: Trestle Ridge (113 single-family homes from the upper $400s, by Stanley Martin Homes), Collingwood Cottages (30 sites from about $570,000, by Bill Clark Legacy Homes, lawn care included), and Ibis Roost (124 sites pre-selling, home sites from around $175,000 and packages from the upper $600s). A 124-room Marriott is still in technical review. Once the builders leave, resale becomes the only supply, so for sellers this is a timing question and for buyers the inventory will shrink to whatever existing owners choose to list.

What Is Being Built Along Sidbury Road in Castle Hayne?

Two builders are working the Sidbury Road corridor at different stages. Sidbury Station (D.R. Horton) is further along, planned for roughly 1,200 or more homes, subject to change. Single-family plans run 1,618-2,713 sq. ft. with 3-5 bedrooms, priced from the low $380s to the low $470s. The Landing townhomes start around $270,000, and both sections had eight homes available in the MLS at recording. Amenities include a resort-style pool, a clubhouse with a fitness room and golf simulator, a fire pit, and a pond with a dock, some still being finished.

Avenue 1 is the opposite: 158 acres, sales opened in June 2026, planned for about 590 home sites (398 single-family, 190 townhomes) in 12 floor plans from 1,500 to just over 3,000 sq. ft. Townhomes start in the $290s and single-family homes in the $400s. Almost none of it is built, so buying now means buying early, with construction ahead of you. That can create a strong equity position, but you have to be comfortable living through the build. The builder's previous Castle Hayne community, Parsons Mill Farm, sold out at 65 homes. Both Sidbury communities sit with I-40 access, about 13 minutes to Porters Neck and about 20 minutes to downtown, the airport, and UNCW.

What Is Being Built in Scotts Hill and Hampstead?

Blake Farm (Scotts Hill, Pender County) has 270 closed homes and a planned total the transcript puts between about 2,200 and 3,000, with the next phase building out now. D.R. Horton's Magnolia Ridge offers seven plans from 1,618-3,503 sq. ft., 3-5 bedrooms, starting around $430,000, plus townhomes. Amenities include a resort-style pool, open-air clubhouse, splash pad, water slide, pickleball, and a fire pit, with a second amenity center planned. At recording there were 17 active and 16 pending listings, so selection is thin.

Mungo Homes' two Scotts Hill communities are at opposite ends of their runs. Indigo at Abbey Preserve (Pender County) is gated, with 13 plans from 1,671 to over 4,300 sq. ft., 2-6 bedrooms, starting in the high $500s; 75 homes have closed. Mungo bought a 242-acre tract and donated 62 acres to Pender County as the Abbey Nature Preserve, a public park, after funding a $100,000 archaeological study. Scotts Hill Village (New Hanover County, across the street) opened its final phase in June with 56 quarter-acre home sites in the same plan library, also from the high $500s. When those sell, it's resale-only. A third community, Sweet Grass at Abbey Preserve (about 230 home sites, Pender County), hasn't broken ground and is expected to start selling in February 2027.

East Wind (Hampstead) is a gated Intracoastal community of about 108 home sites with waterfront lots, built by Mungo Homes, Charter Building Group, and one other builder. Mungo's homes start in the low $600s (1,600 to over 4,300 sq. ft.), with a community dock, kayak launch, and waterfront gazebo. It's roughly halfway built, with 43 closed and 13 available.

Delamar (Hampstead) is a gated community on Sloop Point Loop Road with direct Intracoastal access, with all three planning pieces approved by Pender County: the master plan revision, Phase 1, and Phase 2. It offers private boat slips and storage, plus an amenity center with a pool, fitness center, tennis, and pickleball. Home sites release in phases, reservation list first; the developer reported over $13 million in home site sales during a launch weekend last November. It's about 5 minutes to Hampstead, 15 to the beach, and 30 to downtown Wilmington, and five homes were listed from $1.1 million to $4 million.

Pender County also has a long list of Hampstead-area subdivisions in review, including Tupelo, Hilltop Landing, Falls Mist, Vineyard Trace Phase 3, Riverstead, Point South, Sagebrook, and Pikes Landing Phase 2. Commercial filings include a Walmart (master plan filed in June) and Hampstead Station (filed in September). A conditional rezoning is also pending for a wastewater treatment facility, so sewer capacity is the practical constraint on how fast Hampstead can grow.

What Is Still Being Built in River Lights?

River Lights has closed 1,278 new construction homes since sales began around 2016, with 22 active and 18 pending listings. It spans about 1,400 acres along a 3-mile stretch of the Cape Fear River, 5 miles south of downtown. Community-wide pricing runs from the mid $300s to over $1 million. New Leaf Builders describes what remains as "final home site opportunities," Charter Building Group offers semi-custom homes from the high $700s, and another builder has ranch plans (roughly $420,000-$535,000) and three-story townhomes (high $300s to low $400s, 33 home sites). Del Webb at River Lights, the 55+ section, is sold out.

The amenities are largely built: lake house and pool with kayaking and paddleboarding, a Cape Fear River pier and boardwalk, Marina Village with restaurants and shops, over 500 acres of preserved open space, and 10+ miles of trails, with a River House pickleball and fitness expansion opening in 2026. River Lights is past the halfway point but not finished, which is a narrow window: you're not buying a rendering, but a resale listing still competes with new construction.

How Does New Construction Nearby Affect Your Home's Value?

If you own within a few miles of one of these projects, the homes being approved now are the homes you'll sit next to on the market later. New construction backed by a builder incentive competes differently than a resale down the street, and an online estimate doesn't factor that in.

Want a real number for your home? I build it by hand: I pull the comps, look at what's pending and closed (not just active), account for the new construction competing with you, and walk you through how I got there. [LINK: request your home value]

What Should Buyers Know Before Buying Into an Unfinished Community?

Three practical points follow from the data above:

1. Check the real status. Planning departments file by phase number, tract name, or the LLC that owns the land, as with Indigo Preserve, so a project's marketing name may not match public records.

2. Weigh early-buyer trade-offs. Buying at Avenue 1 or Delamar means construction ahead of you, with potential equity upside and real disruption.

3. Watch the builder-to-resale shift. Once a builder finishes, as Brunswick Forest, Scotts Hill Village, and River Lights are approaching, resale becomes the only supply.

Most people planning a move get one or two weekends here and choose between Wrightsville Beach, Wilmington, Leland, and Ogden off that trip. Take my free Wilmington area match quiz first, so you spend the weekend confirming a short list instead of the whole map. [LINK: Wilmington Area Match Quiz]

Ready to talk through your situation? Call or text me at 910-218-8187, or book a call at [LINK: buyer consultation booking].

All information is deemed reliable but not guaranteed. Home counts, prices, and project status reflect the MLS and public filings at the time of recording (fall 2026) and change often; independently verify current status with the relevant town, county, or HOA before making decisions. This content is for informational purposes only and is not financial, tax, or investment advice. Community comparisons use objective property characteristics only. Age-restricted communities operate under their own governing rules, and eXp Realty supports equal housing opportunity.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. How many new homes are planned in Leland, NC? Several large projects are active. Terrapin has about 950 acres approved for roughly 3,400 homes, Del Webb at Mallory Creek has 762 approved, East Lake has roughly 832 lots approved with another 391 in review, and Brunswick Forest has 267 home sites left across its final three neighborhoods.

2. What new construction communities are in Castle Hayne, NC? Two builders are working Sidbury Road: Sidbury Station by D.R. Horton (single-family from the low $380s, townhomes from about $270,000) and Avenue 1 (about 590 planned home sites, sales opened June 2026, townhomes from the $290s and single-family from the $400s).

3. What is Delamar in Hampstead, NC? Delamar is a gated Intracoastal community on Sloop Point Loop Road in Pender County with private boat slips and storage, an amenity center, and more than 30 floor plans. Home sites release in phases, and five homes were listed from $1.1 million to $4 million at the time of recording.

4. Is Brunswick Forest almost built out? Yes. Three neighborhoods remain (Trestle Ridge, Collingwood Cottages, and Ibis Roost, 267 home sites total) after about 20 years of construction. Once builders finish, resale becomes the only source of homes.

5. How does new construction affect resale values nearby? Builders can offer incentives like rate buydowns and closing cost credits that resale sellers can't match, so nearby new construction can lengthen time on market or require sharper pricing. A hand-built comparison of pending and closed sales gives a more accurate picture than an automated estimate.

— Kimberly Crouch, eXp Realty | Coastal Relocation Specialist | Wilmington & Wrightsville Beach, NC 25+ years of combined experience in real estate, finance, and accounting; former CPA (Currently Inactive); eXp ICON agent (top 2% of eXp Realty agents nationwide), top real estate professional in local market per the 2026 RealTrends Verified City Rankings, New Hanover and Brunswick County Real Producers Top 300 and Rising Star in 2025 and 2026.