Another potential neighborhood is being planned for the southern part of New Hanover County. A 9-acre site just off Chissom Road—across from Veteran’s Park—might soon be home to a 72-unit townhome community called The Woods at Galen. This spot is tucked behind the existing Winds Ridge neighborhood and sits just off Carolina Beach Road.
To make the project possible, the land would need to be rezoned from low-density to moderate-high density residential. That means the property could go from allowing just 2.5 units per acre to up to 8. Initially, the plans called for more homes, but it turns out that about five acres of the land are already set aside as open space for the neighboring community, so the layout was scaled back.
Even though it’s being described as a townhome development, the design shows 36 duplex-style buildings. The new homes would be built along an extended version of Chissom Road, which currently dead-ends after Golden Road. No additional road entrances are being added, so drivers would loop back out through Golden Road to reach Carolina Beach Road.
Traffic is likely to be a hot topic if this moves forward. That intersection already sees over 4,000 trips a day, and adding more homes could push that number higher. It’s also worth noting that this would be the only R-5 zoned area for nearly a mile, surrounded mostly by single-family homes and woodlands.
Carolina Beach Road has seen a lot of action lately when it comes to development. Not far from the proposed site is a planned Sheetz gas station, and several townhome communities have popped up nearby in recent years—like Pierson’s Point and Townes at Park Place. A few of those developments have drawn mixed reactions, especially when concerns like traffic and environmental impact come up.
This project adds to what many call “missing middle” housing—homes like duplexes and townhomes that provide more options between single-family houses and large apartment complexes. These types of developments can help create more walkable neighborhoods and offer a range of price points for different types of homeowners.
Right now, the need for new housing in New Hanover County is significant. The latest numbers show the county is short by over 21,000 units—both rentals and homes for sale. That gap could grow even more in the next two decades as the population continues to rise.
If built, The Woods at Galen would be another step toward helping meet that demand.