Is upscale development in Santee Cooper’s future?

Utility looking at sites for possible vacation housing

Could a high-rise hotel or vacation destination development be in the future for the Santee Cooper lakes?

Santee Cooper, the state-owned utility, has targeted six areas held by commercial leaseholders around Lake Marion and Lake Moultrie for upscale development.

“The lake system has the least development of any lake system in the U.S. with a (Federal Energy Regulatory Commission) license,” said R.M. Singletary, Santee Cooper’s executive vice president of corporate services.

Singletary said the goal is to attract a quality developer, but Santee Cooper officials said they don’t want the larger developments to compete with existing businesses.

“We need small fish-camp-type operations,” said Lonnie Carter, Santee Cooper’s CEO, adding, “We also need places with better housing.”

Carter said the only place on the lakes now with quality housing for family vacations is the Short Stay Navy Recreation Area on Lake Moultrie near Moncks Corner. Available to military personnel and their families, it provides cabins and villas along with a conference center, swimming area and other recreation.

The utility’s board recently gave its management flexibility to negotiate terms and conditions for large private investors who might be interested in building an upscale waterfront hotel or marina.

The plan has created apprehension among many of the 53 businesses around the lakes that lease property from Santee Cooper. Most of those relatively inexpensive 40-year deals will expire between 2012 and 2019.

Allan Weiss, co-owner of Blacks Camp on Lake Moultrie and chairman of the newly formed Santee Cooper Commercial Leaseholders Group, said the utility’s development plans will affect the association’s members.

“Anything that affects the market on the lakes, any kind of competition, we should be made aware of it. There’s no reason for them not to share that information. That could be a big decision maker in any plans I might have,” Weiss said.

Weiss said he isn’t against upscale development on the lake, but he wants Santee Cooper to allow those with existing leases to do more with their property.