Planning board recommends updated Malmo Loop Road proposal with 912 more housing units

LELAND, N.C. (WECT) - Leland and Brunswick County have gone back and forth with developers for the past few months around the land near the intersection of Malmo Loop Road and Highway 74/76. Though the Brunswick County Board of Commissioners struck down a development on the south side of Malmo Loop, plans for the north side continue via an annexation request with the Leland Planning Board.

With one version of the development already recommended by the planning board in July, the developers brought an amended proposal with an additional 912 housing units and about 211 more acres. That extra land comes from three additional parcels, one of which puts the site adjacent to U.S. 74/76.

The board unanimously reccomended the proposal on September 27, but the town staff and board agreed that concerns about flooding should be mentioned when the proposal is considered for final approval by the town council.

The owner/developer is Malmo Ventures, LLC from Belville. McKim and Creed, Inc prepared the proposal on the developer’s behalf. They will bring the proposal to the Leland Planning Board on Tuesday, September 27.

Per the proposal, the 897-acres include 2,796 housing units divided as follows: 888 units in single-family homes, 810 units in single-family rental homes, 255 units in duplexes, 321 units in townhomes and 495 units in multi-family buildings. Densities vary; the single-family homes take up 296 acres (3 units per acre) while the multi-family buildings take up just 25 acres (20 units per acre).

As for the rest of that land, 298 acres of wetlands are designated for open space, 50 acres for recreation space, 10 acres for stormwater ponds and 20 acres for commercial/office use.

To accommodate the variety of housing styles, the developer is proposing a Planned Unit Development District (PUD) for the zoning and associated annexation.

The proposal south of Malmo Loop Road was denied in part because of concerns brought by the county Board of Commissioners audience. Audience members were concerned about overcrowding, the extra capacity required to accommodate the new people and about Malmo Loop Road itself, which was washed out during torrential rainfall in 2021. It should be said that the southern proposal was brought to the county, while this proposal is being brought to the Town of Leland for annexation.

As for this development, a public hearing for the initial proposal was held at the Leland Town Council on August 18. Resident Steven Parker opposed it because he didn’t want to pay taxes associated with living in town limits, and another landowner Seth Willis reccomended considering the project later because the developers were buying more land to reach U.S. 74/76.

Council previously agreed to continue the public hearing to October 20, though it remains to be seen if it will be pushed back again due to the revisions.

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