Lake Wylie News and Events

Inclusive Playground Coming to Tega Cay

October 30, 2018 by lkw_df Leave a Comment

Children of all abilities are soon going to have a great new place to play in Tega Cay. The All Play Together playground will be a place where all children, regardless of physical challenges or lack of mobility will have a chance to enjoy themselves.

This long-awaited playground was supposed to be in Fort Mill on land donated as part of the Waterside at the Catawba neighborhood. Issues with that site including the slope were taken into account and instead the playground will be the feature of the revamped Trailhead Park in the heart of Tega Cay. The location can’t be beaten as the Tega Cay Police Department and Tega Cay City Hall are just across the road. This years-long effort is going to be a great addition to the community.

Now that the site is official, All Play Together is meeting with engineers to lay out the site. They expect the playground to open in 2019. This is the first playground of its kind in the area.

There have been many local fundraisers to help pay for the project at an expected cost of $500,000. They have about 60% of the funding secured at this time. This price tag includes improvements to the current park as well as playground equipment, bathroom facilities, trail work, and more. There will be a period of time during construction that the current park will be closed to the public.

The All Play Together playground will have structures with accessibility for all people. This means double wide ramps, multi levels accessible by wheelchair. There could be wheelchair accessible gliders, roller tables, roller slides, climbing domes, quiet space, seesaws with seating for four, and a variety of swings. The ground will have cushioned surfacing, there will be shade and fencing as well.

The city and All Play Together will meet in the coming weeks to determine the final project timeline. This playground will truly be a place for everyone to play together regardless of their abilities. To read more about this amazing playground, check out the full story in The Herald.

Don Stephens longtime Lake Wylie Realtor passes away

April 30, 2018 by David McCorkle Leave a Comment

Don Stephens longtime Lake Wylie Realtor and Partner in Lake Wylie Realty passed away unexpectedly at Home last week. Don was recently awarded the Realtor Emeritus designation from the National Association of Realtors for 40 years of service to the Community and the Industry, no one in this area has ever achieved that status. We used to laugh about the fact that Don probable sold every Home on the Lake at one time or another and some twice. Don knew the Lake like the back of his hand and was the real “MISTER LAKE WYLIE”

Don was a native of Charlotte a true Gentleman and Scholar and will be greatly missed, He is survived by his Daughter Natalie and her Husband Andy Adams of Clover, three Grandchildren and of course all his friends and Business associates over the years. So long Don.

Steele Creek and Lake Wylie Housing Market Report 2017-2018

February 1, 2018 by David McCorkle Leave a Comment

The Steele Creek Real Estate market continues to be one of the top markets in the Country and is estimated to be one of the top 5 in the entire Country by the end of 2018.

On the National scene existing Home sales will finish at a pace not seen since the bubble bursting run up to 2006 clocking in at about 5.5 Million but amazingly still approximately 1.1 Million less than that all time high.

According to forecasts by the National Association of Realtors the steadily improving US economy, sustained job growth and rising confidence that now is the time to buy a Home should pave the way for an increase in Homes sales in 2018.

Back to Steele Creek, the availability of land, proximity to Charlotte’s 485 outer loop, Downtown and the Airport along with a widely diverse Housing Market are driving increases in prices and sales. A new master planned Development is in the final planning stages for the large mainly undeveloped area west and south of the Airport which will include the proposed River District slated to be larger than the Ballantyne area in South Charlotte. The area is expected to increase in population by 20-25% over the next 5 years.

Sales of new and existing Homes in the Steele Creek area over the past 12 Months for the zip codes of 28278 and 28273 were at a staggering pace of close to 2000 sold, leading the way the Community of Berewick with sales up 33% to 356, the Palisades with 131 sales was a distant second.

Another large Master planned Community is rising in Gaston County near Lake Wylie and Belmont called McLean, while just getting started sales were up to 40 in 2017.

Over on the South Carolina side of the Lake new Developments are popping up like spring flowers, national production Home Builders like Mattamy Homes and DR Horton along with local Builders, Fielding and Bonterra Homes are building a potpourri of styles and myriad of prices. New Home sales in the Lake Wylie SC area have increased from 75 in 2014 to around 200 per year at the end of 2017.

Sales of existing Homes in the Clover-Lake Wylie-York area zip codes of 29710 and 29745 although not quite as strong as its counterpart Steele Creek were close to 1300 over the past year. The top seller in that area is the well-seasoned “Jewell” of them all, the magnificently well planned Community of River Hills with close to 80 closings and an average sales price up 15% to $354,000.

WATERFONT MARKET UPDATE

Median prices continue to rise in the waterfront market due to low inventory and high demand, as of this writing there were just 57 active listings in both Carolinas down from the 120-140 we experienced for a few years with only 6 priced below $500,000. The 1 Million plus market was very active with 16- 1 Million Dollar plus Homes closed in 2017 and currently 12 were on the market. A total of 169 waterfront Homes sold down slightly from the year before with a median price pushing close to $700.000 up from the low $600,000’s that were steady for some time.

As urbanized Charlotte continues to gobble up large tracks of land for high density development the demand from those looking for the serenity and peace of Lake living along the shores of Lake Wylie will find it more and more difficult to afford.

Lake Wylie and and US Real Estate Market Report

December 23, 2017 by David McCorkle Leave a Comment

The steadily improving US economy, sustained job growth and rising confidence that now is a good time to buy a Home should pave the way for an increase in existing Homes sales in 2018 according to forecasts by the National Association of Realtors.

Nationally existing Home sales will finish at a pace of 5.47 million the best since 2006 but still about 1.1 million less than that all-time best mark.

The lack of inventory has pushed prices up 48% from the low point of 2011, locally the Steele Creek area remains one of the hottest markets in the Country, the population is expected to jump 20-25% over the next 5 years, and for most of us originally from the area this is both a blessing and a curse.

Closings in the past 6 months are at 834 with 211 under contract and currently 221 listed for sale.

Prices on Waterfront Homes have steadily gone up and finding anything under $600,000 is tough sailing. Homes for sale are at an all-time low at this writing of only 78. Median price is over $750,000 all record breakers.

Enough of the boring stats, if you’re planning to buy a Home or Condo now should be it, sitting on the fence so to speak is going to price you out of that dream Home. Quarterly prices have been increasing in some areas by 8% in the Charlotte area.

Buyers in the region are flocking to areas closer to Uptown Charlotte and prices are skyrocketing. Commute times and just being closer to the action seem to be the driving force. As traffic worsens that trend will surely continue and speaking of traffic it seems that it increases daily.

As a former member of the York County Planning Commission I always said the reason people left their former Cities and Towns and moved to this area will be the same reason they leave this area, Taxes, traffic, crime and poor planning.

David has been a Real Estate Broker, Developer and Contractor in the Charlotte area for 40 years and is currently Principle Broker and Partner of Lake Wylie Realty, David and his wife Karen live on Lake Wylie and are both Charlotte natives.

Plan to Raise Water Levels in Catabwa River

October 23, 2017 by lkw_df Leave a Comment

Duke Energy has a plan in place that will raise summer water levels in three lakes on the Catabwa River by six inches. In recent years, municipal water providers and the company have been meeting to discuss extending the time line of how long the river can continue to support business and residential growth in the area and raising water levels would be vital to this plan.

However, the company does not want to increase water levels without first fully examining all impacts it could have. The major concern here is whether raising levels could create a higher risk in high water situations. Lake James would have the highest risk flooding according to their research, but that risk is minuscule compared to potential benefits. The FERC also issued Duke a 40 year license in late 2015, but the company has appealed for an extension to a 50 year license with millions of dollars in improvements contingent on the extension.

The current plan is to raise summer target elevations by the end of 2025 or when the Watertree spillway is complete, whichever one is later. This is not just an issue of water quantity, it becomes an issue for boats to as it could affect whether boats remain afloat or sit on land in the dry summer weather. The goal is to have enough storage to withstand droughts but enough room to be able to withstand major rain events. According to the company, drought is a more pressing issue than potential flooding and thus the benefits of raising water levels outweigh the flood risk. In fact, it was a major drought in the late 1990s and early 2000s that began the conversation in Catabwa about possible solutions.

Current research shows that by 2048 the demand for water use will outweigh the amount the river is able to supply so this will be an important issue in the near future. To read more about potential benefits to Duke’s plans, be sure to check out the full article at heraldonline.com

LAKE WYLIE/CLOVER MAYDAY PROJECT FUNDRAISER

September 18, 2017 by David McCorkle Leave a Comment

SIGN UP TO PLAY IN THE 7 th ANNUAL CHARITY GOLF TOURNAMENT TO BE HELD AT THE RIVER HILLS COUNTRY CLUB MONDAY, OCTOBER THE 9th:

For information log onto maydayproject.org and for those not wishing to play you can donate to the 501 (c) (3) Project through the website and see all the great things where the money will go : Help our local underprivileged kids, local teachers, counselors and school nurses to by supply’s for the Homeless kids

Push for One Fishing License on Lake Wylie

August 20, 2017 by lkw_df Leave a Comment

The Lake Wylie Marine Commission is now contemplating whether anglers should be able to get just one license to fish in Lake Wylie. Not only would this make things easier and less expensive for the fishers themselves, but it would make things easier for the patrol officers on the lake itself.

Currently, with the a state line bisecting the lake, fishers need a license for both sides of the lake but there has long been a discussion over whether it would be possible or practical to get fishers a reciprocal license that would work on both sides. Reasons throughout the years supporting a single license include convenience and cost and more simplicity for officers on the lake. Reasons against it involve money and how the two states would split proceeds based on where the angler was caught and where the license was purchased.

The last time the issue was brought up in 2014, S.C. Senator Hayes admitted that South Carolina could lose money. This would be because North Carolina has two counties on the lake as opposed to South Carolina’s one and Charlotte has a larger population.

There are multiple agreements regarding bi-state waters between states like North Carolina, Georgia, and South Carolina so there is a precedent for this kind of law. But getting legislation passed between two states is very challenging and that may be why the issue has been in discussion for years without major progress. S.C. Senator Climer has stated that he is unsure that there is enough political interest to get a solution but thinks the issue is definitely worth looking into and that the discussion will continue.

To continue reading possible solutions and the benefits this dual license could offer, be sure the check out the full article at www.heraldonline.com

Lake Wylie Home Project May Have To Be Put On Hold

August 13, 2017 by lkw_df Leave a Comment

There have been recent plans by a developer for a 178 home project at a new subdivision called The Vista at lake Wylie. This subdivision would be located at 457 Highway 274 near Pole Branch Road. Although the plans fit land-use criteria, some county staff is recommending the request be denied when the planning commission meets August 14th.

The reason for this recommendation is traffic. A traffic analysis cannot be completed until two major road improvements are completed, both of which have yet to happen. The first is a signal and road relocation of S.C. 24 and Pole Branch Road and the second involves intersection changes at three points.

The first is estimated to be completed in a reasonable amount of time because the entire plan has already been funded and approved by a Pennies for Progress campaign. The second part is up for another Pennies for Progress referendum in November. The $7.4 million project would have no other funding and there are no guarantees at this time that it would be approved.

According to current traffic reports, levels of service on nearby roads are receiving failing grades. With the new neighborhood, developers would pay for new access points to S.C. 274 and Pole Branch Road

York City Councilwoman Allison Love has said she wouldn’t support this new development in the area no matter what the outcome of a traffic study is. She has said that Pennies projects currently being finished will fix traffic problems and adding new neighborhoods would increase traffic again, negating and progress or improvement. She also supports recommending denial for now in this matter.

To read more about this development and what the possible outcomes will be, be sure to check out the full article at www.heraldonline.com