It's little surprise that the new year is expected to bring continued growth, construction and development in Brunswick County’s largest municipality.
The town of Leland, like much of Brunswick County, has seen transformative development and population growth over the past several years. Officials with the town say that is only expected to continue in 2024.
U.S. Census Bureau data shows Leland’s population increased nearly 70% from 2010 to 2020 when nearly 23,000 people were recorded as living within the town. By 2021, the town’s population was estimated at nearly 26,000.
Barnes Sutton, director of economic and community development in Leland, said the town expects new residents to continue to flock to the town in 2024, and that residential and commercial development will continue to meet the demand of those new residents.
Continued construction and a shift toward rentals
As of early December 2023, Sutton said, the town has nearly doubled the number of new residential permits it saw in 2022 and 2021.
The town approved around 3,300 residential permits in 2021 and just over 3,000 in 2022. To date in 2023, he said, that total is over 6,400.
A large percentage of those permits were attributed to the multi-family projects under construction in the Westgate area this year, Sutton said.
Much of the residential development the town has seen this year, he said, was planned and approved in past years but just moved into the construction phase this year. Likewise, he said, many of the developments approved in 2023 likely will begin construction in 2024.
“We have a lot of existing projects that will be new housing stock going onto the market,” he said. “But based on everything we’ve seen, that trend does not slow down at all.”
Leland once saw largely single-family home development, with an emphasis on multi-family development occurring in more recent years. Sutton predicts the town will see multi-family development continue, and it could see an increase in townhomes and duplex-style residences.
With interest rates, mortgage rates and the costs associated with owning a home, Sutton thinks the town could see a continued trend in rentals – apartments, townhomes, duplexes or even build-for-rent dingle family detached homes.
The demand for rental properties, he said, remains high in Leland. Unlike nearby Wilmington, however, which has existing housing and rental stock, many of the residences being built in Leland are built for or by their first occupants. The housing stock in Leland, Sutton said, is younger because the town is younger.
“The demand is still here, the growth is still happening,” he said. “I don’t think that will change. We might just see the different forms take place.”
Leland continues to attract chain restaurants, stores
When it comes to general retail and commercial development, Sutton said the town continues to attract “bigger names” – national chains, such as Lowe’s Home Improvement and 7-Eleven which recently opened locations along the U.S. 17 corridor in Leland.
Recently, the town has also seen some “spillover” from Wilmington, with Wilmington restaurants opening locations in the Brunswick town.
While residents have expressed a desire for more small businesses and local restaurants as opposed to the chains, Sutton said that will take time. Leland was founded in 1989, and much of the young town’s development is brand new. Franchises, he said, can afford the upfront capital costs associated with building a new facility or adjusting a space to meet their needs.
Restaurateurs often need second generation space, which is hard to find in Leland.
While development along the U.S. 17 corridor is expected to continue, Sutton added that Leland’s Gateway District could also see some growth in 2024. The area has already seen the arrival of some new businesses, such as Leland Brewing Company and Brunswick Beer Xchange, which Sutton said is expected to continue, as well as the construction of more residences.
Town projects and industry
The new year will also bring big strides for town services and projects in Leland, such as the renovation for Founders Park, which will bring an amphitheater and splash pad to northern Brunswick County.
“That’ll be a really important piece to add – not just to the Gateway District, but Leland as a whole – to have a facility that can meet that need for open space and public recreation,” Sutton said.
More:These Leland roads will soon see improvements. Here's where and what to expect.
Sutton added the town expects to see its innovation park – a 630-acre campus housing industry-leading companies – flourish in 2024. The space is positioned in close proximity to Wilmington’s airport and port, U.S. 74/76 and I-140, and is supported by the town and Brunswick County Business & Industry Development (BBID).
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Next year, Sutton said, the town is looking at ways to bring town and county leaders together with researchers and leaders in the pharmaceuticals and biotechnology industries to discuss ways the town can provide a workforce and space for those industries.
It’s a cycle: expanding the town’s labor force will lead to higher-paying jobs, which will bring even more commercial and retail services current residents say they want.
Jamey Cross covers Brunswick County for the StarNews. Reach her at [email protected] or message her on Twitter/X @jameybcross.