Real estate development company Greenfield Communities has big plans for Lillington. 

Development is set to begin in the first quarter of 2025 on a mixed-use community called Capeton. This community is situated on approximately 840 acres and runs along the Cape Fear River. 

After their first development in Harnett County, a large residential community called Serenity, garnered a positive response from the community, Greenfield Communities didn’t hesitate to seize the opportunity to develop on another piece of land in the fast-growing county. 

“When the opportunity came up for this land, and we walked it, and especially along the Cape Fear River–it is the most majestic property I think I’ve ever walked, and we just knew we wanted to create something wonderful for the town of Lillington,” shared Greenfield Communities Vice President of Marketing Dawn Forrest. 

Capeton will include approximately 2,250 residential units consisting of single-family homes, townhomes, cottages, multi-family and active adult living. Plans call for a grocery store-anchored shopping center and office park. 

The name Capeton was derived from the “Cape” of Cape Fear River and the “ton” of Lillington.

Forrest shared that they are currently working on development approvals with the Town, the County and the State of North Carolina. Behind the scenes, Greenfield’s commercial broker, Jim Broemer, is preparing to market Capeton’s retail section to local and regional businesses, with the goal of commencing development on the commercial section as closely aligned with housing construction as possible. 

Forrest shared that, during the first phase, Greenfield will construct their first amenity at the same time as builders begin constructing homes so that future homeowners can enjoy it right away. 

The first amenity will be a family friendly splash park with an open-air clubhouse. In future phases Greenfield will add “The Fieldhouse,” a sports center offering a location for recreational sports leagues, as well as pickleball, a fitness center, swimming pool and an air-conditioned clubhouse. A third amenity will be specifically designed for the active adult community component. 

“One of the amenities that we’re most excited about at Capeton is the Fieldhouse, which is essentially a covered sports arena that also can be used for more formal events and gatherings,” shared Forrest. “So, say that Campbell University wants to host a banquet one Fall evening; this would be a great venue for it. Or imagine a couple getting married at the riverfront amphitheater and then holding their reception at the Fieldhouse. While not fully enclosed, it will be designed to accommodate both private events, wedding receptions and similar public gatherings.”

Forrest shared that they’re hoping to deliver lots to builders by the second quarter of 2026. If lots are delivered by the summer of 2026, then they’ll have homeowners in before the end of that year. 

A wide variety of home choices will be built throughout Capeton, including single-family, cottages, townhomes, multi-family apartments and active adult homes. Though it is hard to predict house prices this far in advance, Forrest shared that offering different types of housing provides people of varying income levels the opportunity to find an option within their budget in this new community. 

“There’s just so many components to getting a community of this scale off the ground – from erosion control to amenity design, from coordinating with NCDOT on entrance designs to rolling out architectural theming. And we’re so grateful for the Staff at the Town of Lillington. They’ve been amazing to work with, and Green field could not be more excited to bring to life such an amazing community that we hope will play a part in showcasing the beauty of the Cape Fear River and the charm of Lillington,” remarked Forrest. 

There’ll be a 2.5-mile riverfront greenway nature trail, a riverfront amphitheater and future planned riverfront retail. 

Capeton is sure to offer residents a beautiful blend of natural scenery, beautiful homes, and business and retail amenities. 

To follow along with the community’s development and learn more about the many offerings of Capeton visit www.CapetonNC.com.