Castle Hayne residents want answers from elected officials about a proposed development coming to Sledge Forest

“How are we going to have the quality of life that we all expect? We don’t just expect it, we deserve that.”

NEW HANOVER COUNTY (WWAY)–Some residents of a Castle Hayne neighborhood stood outside the New Hanover County Courthouse in the cold and rain Monday afternoon– protesting a potential new development. What the developer plans to do — the group says — will threaten an “old growth forest” in New Hanover County.
Standing in front of the New Hanover County court building are Castle Hayne residents bearing cold and rainy conditions to protect thousands of acres of wetlands from being developed.

Reporter: “Tom, are you hoping to get the answers you want tonight?”
Tom: “I don’t know if we will get the answers we want.”

Among the nearly two dozen folks is Castle Hayne resident Tom Rushton.

“We want to get the Commissioners to be thinking about the questions that need to be asked. So that we can get the answers,” Rushton said.

Tom has lived in the neighborhood for two decades. For the most part, he says the neighborhood is a quiet, rural community. That is, until a proposed development came in, shaking a few things up.

“How are we going to have the quality of life that we all expect? We don’t just expect it, we deserve that,” Rushton said.

And that’s why he decided to join in the protest. With green signs in their hands, waving to anyone watching, all of these folks have one thing in common, to save Sledge Forest.

“We’re here in front of the County Commissioners because we want them to dig deeper- to their homework and get us the answers,” Rushton said.

Outlined in the draft master plan, the developers proposed to add 4,000 homes on 1,000 of the 4,000 acres Sledge Forest sits on.

“It’s a by-right development. The only chance for input that the county has is making sure they have everything in their permit correct,” Commissioner Rob Zapple explained.

However, New Hanover County Commissioner Rob Zapple says that adding many homes to a small area of land can only be done through a performance residential.

“That allows a developer to commit to saving a certain part of the land they would like to develop, and they can cluster or have higher density,” Zapple said.

Essentially, getting a bonus density by adding four homes per acre. Originally, the 1,000 acres that were proposed to be zoned for development are currently zoned R-A or Rural Agricultural, which allows for one home per acre.