15 October . 2025
More than 1,900 homes being built for Wendell's soaring population
Wednesday, October 15th, 2025 by Elaina Athans
This story was originally published on ABC11.com, click here to view.
WENDELL, N.C. (WTVD) -- The Town of Wendell's population has soared during the past two decades. The latest Census showed a staggering 70% spike since 2020.
The population is expected to keep growing as a developer is expanding its footprint. There's a massive new project on the horizon.
Brookfield Residential, which built Wendell Falls, has broken ground on another subdivision. More than 1,900 additional homes are being built for the booming population.
"Wendell's growing by leaps and bounds," said Wendell Falls resident Patrick Cowden.
For the last four decades, Cowden has owned restaurants or headed up kitchens at well-known Triangle spots. He was once the executive chef at basketball superstar Michael Jordan's sports bar in Chapel Hill and the general manager at the old Weathervane Restaurant at Southern Seasons. He owned the Pharmacy Café on Person Street in downtown Raleigh. When he and his wife built their home in Wendell Falls, he was supposed to slow down. "That actually was the plan that this was going to be my retirement plan," said Cowden.
Only a year after moving in, he put the apron back on and decided to invest in the development. Cowden opened The Farmhouse [Cafe] and says he loves the environment of this community.
"It truly is the epitome of the live, play, kind of situation," said Cowden.
Wendell Falls opened in 2015, and the Ponder community is now under construction. It's located along Highway 97 near Lizard Lick Road. The project is focused around nature. There will be a 2-mile trail, a lake and water activities just down the road from Raleigh. "You have big-city access," said Tanya Matzen from Brookfield Residential. "North Hills (and) downtown Raleigh is about 15 minutes away from here, so it's conveniently located."
The Wake County Public School System said data analysis showed that eastern Wake County will be the next area to experience extensive growth, and the district is looking to build more schools in the area. "We give them our community count and our development plans, so they are actively monitoring the growth," said Matzen.
The new community is expected to open fall of 2026.