Lake Village Approved: A Win for Four Seasons and a Lesson for the Road Ahead
Last night, Berkeley County Council unanimously approved Lake Village, the Grambling Brothers' development of more than 2,000 acres. It took years of design work and negotiations with the various contributing departments led by that outstanding staff at Planning and Zoning as well as the State of South Carolina and the Federal government. Now this planned development has the approval, it needs to become a reality.
Homeowners from Four Seasons at Lakes of Cane Bay were well represented from start to finish, and many of them came to hear the final vote. Members of Community Voices, in particular, worked directly with Planning Staff and the master developer to secure specific commitments for everyone affected by this extraordinary development. More than one hundred county residents were in the room for the vote. Many of them had followed the process for months and given direct input and raise real concerns along the way, including:
- Traffic
- Buffer zones and drainage
- A second point of entry and exit
- Wildlife protection
- Construction vehicle access, now and in the future
- Reliable construction inspections and enforcement
- Continued lake access and the reestablishment of the Owners' Park
- Project phasing timelines
Community Voices members and other engaged residents kept at it, and the developer addressed each of these concerns to the satisfaction of those who asked for answers and relief resulting in the previously published Memorandum of Understanding.
I believe the most important result lies in the proposed 234-acre nature overlay. It sits directly behind roughly 150 homes on Tupelo Lake Road, Seaside Trail, Four Seasons Boulevard and Marina Shores. Through tireless efforts of the Community Voices IAT team that land will remain a natural buffer, protected from development forever. The wooded views those homeowners paid a significant premium for are now secure.
That matters. Seven of our neighbors already know what it feels like to lose those views. They watched the loggers and wood chippers arrive, and the pastoral views they were promised were replaced by duplexes, single-family homes and the activity that comes with them. Because of this approval, that will not happen to the homes along the overlay, not now and not in the future.
Hundreds of Four Seasons homeowners came together these past months to protectt heir little piece of heaven. They did it without help from K. Hovnanian. At last year's annual meeting, Mr. Jack McSweeney said he "would buy all of the land I possibly could." On these 234 acres, that will not happen. Community Voices put its considerable influence and skill toward this outcome, and it made a difference.
This effort also produced something that will last beyond the vote: a real working relationship with Mr. Ben Grambling, the visionary behind Lake Village, and with the Grambling Brothers companies. That relationship gives residents a direct voice in matters that affect us, without having to depend on K. Hovnanian to speak for us.
We saw it work recently. A notice went out through Associa on behalf of the HOA Board announcing that our access to the big lake would be closed. It warned that "any interference will result in violations & the Sheriff will be called." It gave no explanation and made no mention of any effort to square the closure with Mr. Grambling's pledge to keep lake access open.
So, we contacted the Grambling's team directly. One short email to Mr. Marc Cherry, Vice President of Construction, settled the matter within two hours. He ordered the turbidity curtains removed right away and began working with the County on an acceptable alternative.
The contrast is hard to miss. Over the years, communication and transparency from K. Hovnanian and its management have ranged from difficult to nonexistent. That is exactly why these direct relationships are essential. They are how homeowner concerns get resolved fairly and respectfully.
One example says a lot. Before we had direct contact with the Grambling Brothers companies, I asked Mr. McSweeney to step in and help restore our lake access. He answered with a question: why would he? I reminded him that K. Hovnanian has advertised from the beginning that homeowners would enjoy "a 300-acre lake system with an 8-mile waterway." He dismissed the point, and nothing was done on our behalf.
We are now facing another unplanned expansion of our community: 84 condominiums in what has been called Phase 11. Community Voices, led by the IA Team, will work with Planning Staff on how best to respond. Certain facts suggest this expansion may be premature, and we are encouraged by them.
We will pursue this with full and determined effort. At stake are our quality of life and our amenities, which are limited and were originally promised to serve 840 homes.
Tim Traynor
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