Belmont, NC – January, 2015 – Construction has started on McLean, a major new 670-acre master planned community encompassing 850 homes along five miles of pristine Lake Wylie shoreline.
The development is adjacent to the Daniel Stowe Botanical Gardens on property that was formerly the Daniel B. Stowe estate. It will include homesites in three distinct neighborhoods, a marina, commercial development and a public park. Developer is NW Lake Wylie LLC, an affiliate of Northwood Investors LLC.
“This is a special site with an incredible legacy and breadth of natural amenities including its shoreline, access to the lake, trail system and scenic landscape,” said Steven Hinshaw, principal of NW Lake Wylie LLC. “Our intent is to develop it in a manner respectful of its beauty, creating neighborhoods and homes fitting to this environment.”
McLean will include a variety of home offerings ranging from traditional single-family homes on estate and waterfront homesites to low maintenance courtyard and patio homes. South Shore will be the first of its neighborhoods marketed to the public and will include the majority of the community’s lakefront homesites.
McLean is named for the John D. McLean family that owned the property from the mid 1800’s until the 1930’s and built an historic home on the property formerly known as Seven Oaks. The home is being refurbished and will serve as a sales and information center for the community beginning in Spring 2015.
Hinshaw said McLean will offer many active amenities, including an extensive trail system linking to the Seven Oaks Preserve portion of the Carolina Thread Trail, a neighborhood garden and mountain biking trails.
Each of McLean’s three neighborhoods will have a community center complete with a swimming pool complex and places for community gathering.
Northwood and Hinshaw have worked closely with the City of Belmont and other local agencies since purchasing the property in August 2013. Their efforts include re-zoning and annexation of the property into Belmont and plans to refurbish the historic McLean home, which is listed on the Gaston County Historic Registry. Northwood and Hinshaw also plan to deed ten acres to the City of Belmont for a public park to be developed in the future.
In addition to its natural beauty and history, the property has tremendous potential that the owners recognized from the earliest stages. “Close proximity to metropolitan Charlotte and Charlotte Douglas International Airport is a huge plus. But McLean’s greatest asset is a vast shoreline that offers opportunities for residents to enjoy an incredible trail system near water, fishing, kayaking and boating,” Hinshaw said. An existing marina adjacent to the site and another marina planned at the New Hope Road bridge will provide ready access to the lake, he added.
Custom and neighborhood builders will be announced this winter, and the information center is slated to open early next spring. While home and homesite prices have not been established, Hinshaw expects McLean’s offerings to be well received. “There is demand for a community with these kinds of active amenities, developed in an enduring manner,” he said.
ABOUT NW Lake Wylie LLC : NW Lake Wylie LLC is an affiliate of Northwood Investors LLC, a leading privately-held global real estate investment and management firm with approximately $4.0 billion of assets under management. The firm was founded in 2006 by John Z. Kukral and employs a fundamental, value-driven investment strategy with a longer-term outlook. Northwood has extensive experience investing in a wide range of real estate assets worldwide, including office buildings, shopping centers, hotels and residential investments. For further information on Northwood, visit: www.northwoodinvestors.com.