In Union County, a new Waxhaw subdivision gets its sewer capacity well after the town board vote and well after a builder's sign goes up along Providence Road South. Union County Water says it does not issue "Will Serve" letters. It allocates capacity at Step 5 of its process, after development review and only once the developer has permits, easements and a recorded Extension Agreement.
That one rule explains much of what buyers see when they compare new construction in Waxhaw. Some communities are closing homes, others sit in review, and some announced projects seem to go quiet for long stretches.
Capacity Waits for Permits and a Recorded Agreement
The county's process is spelled out on its development services page. At Step 5, the developer must already have its permits and easements. It then signs and records the county's Extension Agreement. Only after that is capacity allocated and an approval-to-construct letter issued.
The Union County Code of Ordinances gives the county the right to deny water and sewer extensions when treatment capacity is not available. It also covers a second case. Sometimes the treatment plant has room but the pipes leading to it do not. If a Board-approved five-year capital project will fix those pipes, the county may track the expected flows but hold the developer's state permit application until that project is permitted for construction.
So a project can pass every town vote and still wait on two separate questions: whether the plant has room, and whether the pipes do.
The Plant's Remaining Room Has Barely Changed Since 2024
Most of western Union County drains to the Twelve Mile Creek Water Reclamation Facility, which the county calls its primary wastewater treatment plant. The local site The Waxhaw Wall places the plant on Kensington Drive. It says the plant serves Waxhaw, Weddington, Wesley Chapel, Indian Trail, Stallings, parts of Marvin and some unincorporated areas.
The county measures capacity by adding the flow the plant actually treats to the flow it has already promised to approved projects. Its wastewater capacity table, posted September 22, 2026, uses a 12-month rolling average through August 2026:
| Twelve Mile Creek WRF | Million gallons per day |
|---|---|
| Permitted capacity | 7.5 |
| Actual average daily flow | 5.126 |
| Actual plus permitted and obligated flows | 6.735 |
| Share of permitted flow used | 89.8% |
The plant treats about 5.1 million gallons a day, but about 6.7 million gallons a day is already spoken for. The difference is flow promised to projects that are approved but not yet built and occupied. That leaves roughly 0.765 million gallons a day unclaimed under the current permit.
In October 2024, The Waxhaw Wall reported the plant at 90.6% allocated, with about 0.708 million gallons a day left. Two years later, the share has moved less than one percentage point. New homes connect, promised flow turns into actual flow, and new commitments replace the old ones about as fast. The same post estimated that eight Waxhaw developments together had requested or would need about 0.699 million gallons a day. That estimate counts requests, and it does not show what was actually allocated. Still, it gives a sense of how large Waxhaw's pipeline is compared with the plant's remaining room.
The next big increase in room is scheduled. Union County's FY2027 adopted budget says the plant is being expanded from 7.5 to 9.0 million gallons a day and that "this project will be completed in 2027." The capital plan lists the expansion at $56.39 million project-to-date. Until it opens, Waxhaw's new-home pipeline moves one phase at a time, because each phase needs its own allocation.
Where Waxhaw's Named Communities Sit Today
The Town of Waxhaw tracks each project through a five-stage process: Staff and TRC Review, Staff Approval, Final Plat/Bonding, Pre-Construction Meeting, and Under Construction. Its Developer Projects page shows where these communities stand:
| Community | Builder or applicant | Scope | Current town stage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adelina Phase 1, Providence Road S | Shea Homes of the Carolinas | 486 single-family homes and mixed use | Under Construction |
| Adelina Phases 2 and 3 | Shea Homes of the Carolinas | 144 single-family homes and 108 townhomes | Staff and TRC Review |
| Blythe Mill Townhomes | Eastwood Homes | 120 attached units | Under Construction |
| Amavi, Cuthbertson Road | Shea Homes | 93 single-family homes, townhomes and cottages | Final Plat/Bonding |
| Seven Hills | Green Street Land Company | 189 units | Pre-Construction Meeting |
Adelina shows the pattern clearly. It is one community on one stretch of Providence Road South, but its first phase is building while its next two phases have only reached the first review stage. A buyer touring the model homes is looking at one approval, and the lots in later phases will each go through approval separately.
These stages are the town's checkpoints and do not show the county's sewer allocation. "Under Construction" on the town's page means the project has cleared town review. It does not by itself show where that project stands with the county. Rezoning comes even earlier. The Waxhaw Wall reported that on May 27, 2025, the town board voted to annex and rezone 47 acres off Rehobeth Road to R-4, allowing at least 100 more homes. A vote like that makes land eligible for homes, but it does not start any of the five stages above.
What the Resale Market Is Doing Meanwhile
While new phases wait their turn, existing homes are where most of Waxhaw's choice is today. The Canopy Realtor Association's September 2026 Waxhaw update, current as of October 5, 2026, shows a market with more homes for sale that still sold faster than a year earlier:
- Inventory: 279 homes for sale in September 2026, up 9% from 256 a year earlier, with 3.5 months of supply
- New listings: 77 in September 2026, down 18.9% from 95
- Days on market until sale: 42 in September 2026, down from 65
- Share of original list price received: 95.1%, up from 94.3%
- Median sale price: $655,000 in September 2026, down 6.4% from $700,000
- Closed sales, January through September 2026: 764, up 4.1% from the same period in 2025
Fewer sellers listed in September, yet the number of homes for sale still grew. That means buyers have more existing homes to choose from than they did a year ago. Even so, homes that sold went under contract faster and closer to their original price. The lower median reflects which homes happened to close in September, so it does not mean values are falling. Buyer interest is holding. In August 2026, Waxhaw tied Davidson for the fourth-highest showing activity in the Charlotte region, at 4.2 showings per listing, according to Canopy's August market release.
For comparison, Union County as a whole had a $474,000 median and 3.3 months of supply in September 2026, per Canopy's county update. Canopy's regional releases cover existing-home sales. Builders selling new phases face these resale homes as their main competition, and so do Waxhaw homeowners deciding whether to list now or wait until 2027.
Reading a New-Construction Timeline in Waxhaw
The sewer process gives buyers a few concrete questions to ask about any Waxhaw community that is still building:
- Which phase is this lot in? Look up that exact phase on the town's Developer Projects page. Adelina's three phases are at different stages.
- What stage is the phase at with the town? A phase in Staff and TRC Review has more steps left than one at Pre-Construction Meeting.
- Has the county allocated sewer capacity for this phase? Allocation follows the recorded Extension Agreement. A builder's sales team can say whether that has happened.
- Is the delivery date tied to the 2027 plant expansion? Phases that need capacity beyond what remains today depend on the expansion schedule in the county budget.
Some of the steps above come from county utility ordinances. This post is general information and not legal, financial or construction advice, so confirm the specifics of any contract or lot with the builder and the appropriate professional.
Quick Answers
Does a town board approval mean homes will be built soon? No. Town approvals come before the county assigns sewer capacity, which happens only after permits and a recorded Extension Agreement.
How full is the Twelve Mile Creek plant? It is at 89.8% of its 7.5 million gallon permit when promised flows are counted, using the 12-month average through August 2026.
When does more capacity arrive? The FY2027 adopted budget lists the expansion to 9.0 million gallons a day for completion in 2027.
Are Waxhaw resale homes selling slower because of new construction? Not according to September 2026 figures. Days on market fell to 42 from 65 a year earlier, even with more homes for sale.
If you own a home in Waxhaw, your listing competes with whichever new phases reach the market next and with the 279 homes already for sale. Carolina Living by Jennifer can show you where your home fits among those choices this fall. Start with a free home valuation and we will walk through the September numbers for your part of Waxhaw together.
