A once quiet lakefront town in South Carolina is facing such bad infrastructure problems that the county council put a 16-month moratorium on growth projects.

The residents of Lake Wylie, South Carolina, know what growing pains feel like. The town’s population has tripled since 2000, largely because of the area’s good schools, low taxes, and close proximity to Charlotte, North Carolina, where there’s a strong financial and tech job market.

But word about the good living in Lake Wylie seems to have gotten out too quickly, because the town’s infrastructure is now cracking under the pressure.

So much so, that the York County Council recently put a 16-month moratorium on commercial and residential rezoning requests, as well as consideration of any new apartment complexes or subdivisions in the town of 12,000 people, the Wall Street Journal recently reported.

Kelly Trites | Lake Wylie Realty

“We’re kind of running out of room and we don’t have the infrastructure really to carry it,” Kelly Trites, a real estate agent for Lake Wylie Realty, told Inman. “What we need is more commercial [development] and less residential [development] in the area.”

Classes in schools have been steadily pushing classroom capacity over the years, while a 20-mile commute to Charlotte has grown to an hour-long drive on the interstate. A drive of three miles across town can take 40 minutes.

One of the more frustrating side effects of the town’s growth is the intense stress it’s placed on the water system. Over the past two years, Lake Wylie residents have been under boil-water advisories 12 times. For five months in 2019, residents were also blocked from watering lawns, washing cars and filling pools.

Blue Granite Water Co., which operates the town’s water system, stated to the Wall Street Journal that there was a 40 percent increase in water demand from 2014 to 2019 and the company is seeking a rate increase — raising the already high $115 per month rate to $177 per month (the state median is $57) — in order to cover increased costs from municipal suppliers and help pay for investments in new infrastructure.

Although it’s still early into the ban, Trites told Inman that it hasn’t made much of an impact yet because so many projects were already in progress: “There’s so much in process right now that you wouldn’t even know there’s a ban. We’ve just been overrun.”

“We still have about six housing projects going up right now,” she added.

In years past, Lake Wylie was seen as a quiet summer oasis, a small town with a summer camp and cabins close to good fishing. A steep cut to South Carolina’s residential property tax in the mid-2000s caused a significant migration to the state, however, and tax breaks issued to the state by former Governor Nikki Haley also drew businesses from Charlotte and neighboring areas around the same time. The resulting influx of people and businesses put perhaps too much pressure on the town.

In general, individuals who live and work in Lake Wylie seem pleased with the county council’s decision, and a little irked by the phrase “ban on growth” that’s been employed by the media.

“I believe it’s long overdue,” Brian Wade, broker and Realtor at Lake Wylie Property, told Inman in an email.

Brian Wade | LinkedIn

“And I believe ‘ban on growth’ is not the phrase we should be using. ‘Pause on growth’ is more accurate … Most area residents, myself included, support conscious, concerted growth. This temporary moratorium allows community leaders the opportunity to reassess Lake Wylie development and its direct effect on local infrastructure, services and school. The unincorporated Lake Wylie, South Carolina area is a census designated place (CDP). If Lake Wylie were a town or city, it would rank as third largest in the county, yet we have lacked the general oversight and control of a municipality.”

Drew Choate, Realtor and president of the Lake Wylie Man Team/Choate Team at Keller Williams Realty, also didn’t agree with the term “ban.”

Drew Choate | LinkedIn

“To me, ‘ban’ has a very negative connotation,” Choate said. “It seems to me a little stronger of a word than what I perceive as going on … it’s only 16 months, and it’s only on certain types of projects … it’s not like we’re not going to see any building for a while.”

“Out of most [residents] I’ve spoken to, they’re in favor of it,” Choate added. “Everyone wants to know that the county is taking the time it needs to make sure they’re properly planning out for the future because we’ve seen so much growth, not only in Lake Wylie, but bordering towns.”

“[The] majority of residents welcome the pause on growth,” Wade said. “Many have been asking for this for years.”

Email Lillian Dickerson

Show Comments Hide Comments
Sign up for Inman’s Morning Headlines
What you need to know to start your day with all the latest industry developments
By submitting your email address, you agree to receive marketing emails from Inman.
Success!
Thank you for subscribing to Morning Headlines.
Back to top
Only 3 days left to register for Inman Connect Las Vegas before prices go up! Don't miss the premier event for real estate pros.Register Now ×
Limited Time Offer: Get 1 year of Inman Select for $199SUBSCRIBE×
Log in
If you created your account with Google or Facebook
Don't have an account?
Forgot your password?
No Problem

Simply enter the email address you used to create your account and click "Reset Password". You will receive additional instructions via email.

Forgot your username? If so please contact customer support at (510) 658-9252

Password Reset Confirmation

Password Reset Instructions have been sent to

Subscribe to The Weekender
Get the week's leading headlines delivered straight to your inbox.
Top headlines from around the real estate industry. Breaking news as it happens.
15 stories covering tech, special reports, video and opinion.
Unique features from hacker profiles to portal watch and video interviews.
Unique features from hacker profiles to portal watch and video interviews.
It looks like you’re already a Select Member!
To subscribe to exclusive newsletters, visit your email preferences in the account settings.
Up-to-the-minute news and interviews in your inbox, ticket discounts for Inman events and more
1-Step CheckoutPay with a credit card
By continuing, you agree to Inman’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

You will be charged . Your subscription will automatically renew for on . For more details on our payment terms and how to cancel, click here.

Interested in a group subscription?
Finish setting up your subscription
×