Pender County Comprehensive Land Use Plan Coastal Pender Collector Street Plan (2007) The Coastal Pender Street Collector Plan was adopted by Pender County on May 21, 2007. The Plan was prepared by the Wilmington Urban Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) which, along with the NC Department of Transportation and all participating local governments (three counties and ten municipalities), coordinates transportation planning in the greater Wilmington region. Proximity to the City of Wilmington and to Interstate 40 and the recently opened Interstate 140 provides Coastal Pender County with an excellent transportation system which in turn supports regional growth. In fact, the fastest growing areas of Pender County are clustered along Interstate 40 and along the southeast side of US Highway 17 near the Intracoastal Waterway. The planned US 17 / Hampstead Bypass will impact the location and the rate of land development within Coastal Pender. At this time NCDOT is still assessing the environmental impacts of several potential corridor locations (see US 17 Preliminary Corridor Build Alternates Map).
* Photo courtesy of Wilmington Metropolitan Planning Organization (wmpo.org)
The Intracoastal Waterway acts as a natural growth barrier on the southeast side of the Coastal Pender area, so most future growth will be pushed to open land on the northwest side of US Highway 17. The proposed US 17 / Hampstead Bypass with potential interchanges at NC 210 and Sidbury Road would greatly improve access to and from the western portion of the Coastal Pender study area and is expected to further stimulate growth in and around the Hampstead and Scotts Hill areas.
Currently, the Hampstead and Scotts Hill areas are primarily rural with significant existing or planned suburban residential development in the region closest to the Intracoastal Waterway. US Highway 17 acts as the primary commercial arterial, connecting most local and collector streets. Many of the existing side streets into residential subdivisions are not interconnected making US 17 a congested corridor trying to accommodate major traffic movement both within and through the area. The potential for growth in Coastal Pender is likely to dramatically impact the rural character of the area and put significant stress on the current transportation system. The Coastal Pender Collector Street Plan reviewed and analyzed the need to accommodate current and future growth in an efficient manner, to move goods and people within and through the area, and to connect the area with the arterial street system.
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