On March 10th, the New Hanover County Technical Review Committee conditionally approved the Hilton Bluffs project.  While there are still many requirements and permits needed before construction can begin, we believe this approval was incorrectly issued. 

And, we are writing today with important—and truly exciting—news to share.

We are proud to announce that individuals within the Save Sledge Forest 501(c)(3) organization have officially been taken on as clients by the Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC) to pursue a legal challenge to the conditional approval of the Hilton Bluffs development.

This means we will have an entire team of highly experienced environmental attorneys working on our case. Just as importantly, SELC will also be collaborating with our local attorney—who has been working tirelessly alongside us over the past year—so we continue with the strength of both local knowledge and regional legal expertise.

We can’t begin to express our profound gratitude to SELC for this support. 

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What this means—in plain terms:

We have filed an appeal with the New Hanover County Board of Adjustment.
In simple terms, this is asking an independent local board to take a second, hard look at the county planning department’s decision to approve this development and determine whether the rules were applied correctly.

It’s a formal way of saying:
“We believe things were done incorrectly—and it deserves to be reviewed.”

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 Why this happened

We share this with deep gratitude and a sense of perspective:

This level of support is never the result of any one effort. 

It reflects the steady, strategic work happening behind the scenes by our Save Sledge Forest leadership over the past year—and just as importantly, the strong and visible support from this community. 

Because of you—your voices, your presence, your advocacy—this is no longer just a local concern. It is a serious issue that has drawn the attention of one of the most respected environmental law organizations in the country.

SELC -the largest nonprofit, nonpartisan environmental legal advocacy organization rooted in and focused on the South - is made up of lawyers, policy and issue experts, and community advocates and partners that take on the toughest challenges to protect our air, water, land, wildlife, and the people who live here. 

And they have recognized that Sledge Forest represents one of the most important environmental threats in our region. At the same time, the potential threats to our community’s safety, well-being, and quality of life will be thoroughly addressed with the added expertise and insight of our local attorney.

A shared achievement

This is not just a legal milestone—it’s a community milestone.

It belongs to:

• Every person who signed the petition
• Every neighbor who showed up
• Every voice that spoke up when it mattered

You helped make this possible.

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 What comes next

This legal support is specifically for the upcoming appeal only.

If the appeal is successful, we take a major step forward.

If it is not, the fight does not end—but it would mean we need to prepare for the next phase, one that will likely require additional resources through fundraising.

For now, we are focused, prepared and confident.

           The appeal will go before the NHC Board of Adjustment at a yet to be determined date.                                We are asking every one of our supporters to be at that hearing!  

          We will send out a Call to Action with all the details as soon as we receive a hearing date from                                            the Board of Adjustment.

This has always been about more than trees.

It’s about protecting a rare and irreplaceable forest.
It’s about safeguarding our community from a development that threatens our health, safety, and peaceful environment.  

And it’s about ensuring that growth is planned responsibly—without treating the people, infrastructure, and natural resources already here as collateral damage. 

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Thank you for your continued support as we move into this next chapter to Save Sledge Forest.

To donate, please do NOT click the "Take the Next Step" button. To support our efforts, please donate  to Save Sledge Forest HERE 

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