10-05-2025
Triangle's largest master-planned community takes next-to-last phase to market
The Triangle's largest master-planned community, Wendell Falls, is launching its next-to-last phase a decade after it first opened.
Starting in mid-May, developer Newland Communities said it will release 169 lots in the 1,100-acre development on the west side of town, south of Hwy. 264 bypass. It's 15 miles east of downtown Raleigh.
Four builders — Garman Homes, Homes by Dickerson, McNeill Burbank and Brookfield Residential — are constructing townhomes and single-family homes ranging from 1,637 to 4,000 square feet with three and four bedrooms.
Prices start in the low $300,000s and go up to over $900,000, according to its website.
'Our phased approach is bringing our Wendell Falls vision alive,' said Tanya Matzen, senior vice president at Brookfield Residential, in a release. 'As the community grows, we continue to add amenities, retail and restaurant options, and of course, new homes.'
Wendell Falls opened in 2015 after a rocky start. (The original developer was foreclosed upon, and the project was owned by Wells Fargo for several years before Newland paid $34 million to acquire the property in 2013, The N&O previously reported.)
To date, more than 70% of the 4,000 total new homes, built through 12 prior phases, have been built and are now occupied, the firm said.
The community includes nearly 273 acres of preserved open space, 10 miles of trails, parks and playgrounds, pools and waterparks, outdoor fit pods, fitness center, The Farmhouse Café, and Treelight Square, a retail and dining venue.
The subdivision is a joint venture partnership between North America Sekisui House LLC and Brookfield Residential, which also manages the development.
Settled in the 1850s by tobacco farmers, the once-sleepy Wendell is one of the region's fastest-growing towns, not only in Wake County, but in all of North Carolina.
As growth spills over from Raleigh, Wendell's population grew to 14,400, from 2020 to 2023, Census data found. That's up 46.5%.
Today, it's closer to 17,300, according to World Population Review, growing at a rate of 9.27% annually.
Investors and officials, meanwhile, are pouring millions into the town to meet surging demand.
In 2024, WakeMed opened its new 12,000-square-foot Wendell Healthplex. It's around the corner from Wendell Falls. Wake Tech Community College, which has launched a new 100-acre east campus to the north.
And this month, the town opened long-awaited Hollybrook Park at 1209 S. Hollybrook Road after acquiring the 19-acre site in 2020.
'This endeavor is just one piece of a larger expansion of recreation services to our residents,' said Mayor Virginia Gray, in a release.
Amid market uncertainty and higher mortgage rates, home prices are sliding.
In Wendell, the median-sale price for all housing types (single-family homes, townhomes and condos) was $357,590 in February 2025, Redfin found. That's down 4.6% year over year.
On the plus side: As new stock hits the market, sales are up 21.6% year over year, data showed.
On average, homes sold after 48 days on the market in February compared to 57 days last year. There were 45 homes sold this year, up from 37 last year.
