Development in the Castle Hayne area could get a boost from a proposed water line project, on which the Cape Fear Public Utility Authority board is slated to vote April 11.

The board will consider a 16-inch water line in its capital improvement plan for the 2019 fiscal year, authority spokeswoman Peg Hall Williams said.

The proposal, called the Northern Water Main project, would provide 2 million gallons a day of water capacity for future development, she said. That’s enough new capacity for an additional 5,000 residences mixed with commercial or industrial growth in the area. If it is approved, the $4 million project’s target completion date would be mid-2020.

Developers of River Bluffs, who worked with Cape Fear Public Utility Authority (CFPUA) to bring sewer infrastructure several years ago to the 313-acre subdivision in Castle Hayne before it was built, say the water project could bring more investment to the already growing area.

River Bluffs developers paid for the installation of a 6-mile, force main sewer system at a cost of $4 million, said John Lennon, director of sales and marketing for River Bluffs Development Corp.

“We entered into a developer agreement with CFPUA in 2012, which had us turn over the sewer system to the CFPUA after its completion and allows for us to recoup some of the cost as new users tie into the system over the next 20 years,” Lennon said.

While River Bluffs currently has the water capacity it needs, the addition of a water line up Castle Hayne Road is an ideal scenario for growth both in and around River Bluffs, Lennon said.

River Bluffs contains nearly 100 homes but is permitted for 738 units, Lennon said.

“It’s an area that I think is ripe for development,” he said. “For years, much of northern New Hanover County, in particular the Castle Hayne area, was really untouched in terms of infrastructure and also in terms of development opportunity.”

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