Life on the Lake Summit teases new master plan
The future seems bright on Lake Greenwood.
Those living on its shores came out Thursday night to celebrate and hear updates on their water-centered communities at the sixth Life on the Lake Summit, hosted by Connect Lake Greenwood.
The fundraising event featured silent auctions, door prizes and nearly 30 vendors with tables set up highlighting lake-area businesses. It’s become the lake’s social event of the year, even if the 2020 summit was canceled because of COVID-19, CLG Chairman Jimmy Peden said.
Tony Curreri with Lakelands Realty said business and leisure on the lake felt like it came to a standstill for a few weeks during the early days of the pandemic in 2020. Then the floodgates opened; people sheltering at home took to the lake’s waters for recreation, and city-dwellers started looking to relocate to the area as shutdowns and the virus spread.
“Buyer demand went way up, and supply-side went way down,” Curreri said. “Part of what makes Lake Greenwood special is we’re far enough from the interstate that we’re not subject to the same overcrowding other areas are.”
The lake is also a big attractor for talent and industry, said Barbara Ann Heegan, Greenwood SC Chamber of Commerce president and CEO.
“People want to live and work in communities that have a great outdoors,” she said. “The lake is an anchor keeping people in our community and economy.”
She spoke with area businesses and said many cited the lake as a great value-add for locating their businesses in Greenwood.
In 2015 the county formulated the Lake Greenwood Master Plan, and now most of the items on that to-do list have been checked off. The county passed an erosion ordinance requiring lakeside property owners to notify the county before moving earth along the shore, and a septic tank policy requires tanks to be inspected every time a building permit is requested.
County Engineer Rhett Templeton said the county is working with state park officials to create a public park space near Lake Greenwood State Park, and upcoming Capital Project Sales Tax funds are dedicated to building a new boat ramp with on-site facilities near the Highway 72/221 bridge. CPST Coordinator Josh Skinner said the county is working with the state Department of Natural Resources in hopes of securing a $650,000 grant that could improve the new boat ramp and docks.
Craig Stuckey with Preserving Lake Greenwood said he hopes county engineers will continue to pay close attention to protecting the lake’s natural beauty with any additional development by its waters. He also said PLG is concerned about the Lake Conestee dam in Greenville, which holds back toxic sediment that could flow into Lake Greenwood should the dam ever fail.
But Peden said he has hope for the future of Lake Greenwood. With much of the existing master plan complete, he said a new master plan is on the horizon. The projects for it are still up in the air, but he said discussions have already started over the new community park near the state park.
“Lake Greenwood isn’t exactly a hidden gem anymore, but it’s a jewel enjoyed by everyone,” Curreri said.
Originally Published by Index-Journal on:Aug 27, 2021
By DAMIAN DOMINGUEZ ddominguez@indexjournal.com