A Brunswick town is ‘finally, finally’ growing in land size for the first time in decades
A small town in Brunswick County got the green light to extend its city limits for the first time in 20 years, and officials wasted no time in doing so.
According to Belville Mayor Mike Allen, in the early 2000s – following years of fighting over property in northern Brunswick County – an agreement was reached between the towns of Leland and Belville that limited the towns’ boundaries and annexation power. That agreement stripped Belville of its ability to annex land and was signed by the towns before Allen’s time as mayor. Allen said the agreement came to an end in mid-December 2023.
Immediately, the town received its first annexation request in two decades. Property owner Walter Burckhalter submitted a petition for voluntary annexation into the town of Belville on Dec. 15, regarding two parcels of land on Chappell Loop Road. The land – at 9971 and 9981 Chappell Loop Road – was located in unincorporated Brunswick County.
The Belville Board of Commissioners met in a special meeting Wednesday to approve the voluntary annexation request. Mayor Pro Tem Chuck Bost and Commissioner Morgan Mehler were not present, but Allen and commissioners Ryan Merrill and Hunter Smith unanimously approved the request.
“Mr. Burckhalter, welcome to the town of Belville,” Allen said.
Together, the two parcels total just over three acres of land. The land was previously zoned for industrial use in Brunswick County, and it remains zoned for industrial use following an initial zoning in Belville.
The parcels are boarded by land in the town of Leland and unincorporated Brunswick County. While the annexation was noncontiguous – meaning the land is not connected with other Belville land – the parcels are located nearby Belville’s Woodridge subdivision.
“It felt good tonight,” Allen said. “Finally, finally we get a chance to take some property in.”
While the town has seen significant population growth in recent years, Belville has been outpaced by other Brunswick County towns when it comes to extending physical boundaries. Nearby Leland has grown by approximately 20 square miles in the last 20 years, mostly thanks to voluntary annexations of land previously in unincorporated Brunswick County.
Belville was incorporated in 1977 and grew from roughly a half a mile to its current size of around two miles within the first 20 years of its existence. Its growth has been halted for the last 20 years, but Allen said this is just the beginning.
“This is the first opportunity we’ve had, and I hope it won’t be the last,” Allen said.
STAY CONNECTED: Keep up with the area’s latest Brunswick County news by signing up for the Brunswick Today newsletter and following us on Facebook and Instagram.
Belville’s first taste of growth after 20 years ironically comes at a time when neighboring Leland can’t annex land. State lawmakers passed a bill in July stripping voluntary annexation power from the town of Leland. The bill, called in part the “Leland Annexation Moratorium,” does not indicate when the power to annex land would be restored to the town.
“The town of Leland is disappointed in the decision by the NC General Assembly to restrict the personal property rights of landowners by preventing them from voluntarily annexing into the town," the town said in a statement following the passage of the bill.
Jamey Cross covers Brunswick County for the StarNews. Reach her at jbcross@gannett.com or message her on Twitter/X @jameybcross.
This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Belville, NC extends city limits for the first time in 20 years
