BRUCETON MILLS — Construction on homes in the Whitewater Preserve development could start this spring.
Steve Wolford, Mid-Atlantic Sales Director for The Waterfront Group, the parent company, said Friday that 50 of the 64 lots now open were sold earlier this month. Prices ranged from $30,000 to about $190,000. Parcel ranged from two to about 20 acres.
“Some of them are just so special because it stretches from just about where [Interstate] 68 is all the way past Wonder Falls,” Wolford said.
“Our big plan is just to protect that natural, beautiful creek that runs down through there — well really river — and clean it up some. It’s gotten pretty roughed up with people trespassing, camping and partying, things like that,” Wolford said. “All we want to do really is just protect that watershed.”
The Waterfront Group is based in Cornelius, N.C. The firm was founded by brothers Mark and Will Adkins of Huntington.
Wolford said he is a West Virginia native as well. “It’s a neat coming home moment for a lot on the team,” Wolford said.
The development will include parks for property owners where smaller creeks join the Big Sandy. The parks won’t be overbuilt, Wolford said, but have grills, picnic tables and shelters.
Most will be second homes or vacation homes, with some primary residences and retirement homes.
“There’s been a ton of local interest. It’s really great. So many people know the creek,” Wolford said.
“We’re looking to polish it, but we’re not going to do anything to take away from that natural beauty. We cut as few trees in the development a we can, keep our rights-of-way and stuff clear, but we want to keep that natural look,” Wolford said. “Because down along that river there’s just gorgeous hemlock. It’s an impressive place.”
Utilities and roads
The community will have power, phone and fiber optic internet. Whitewater has contracted with Prodigi, a local company.
By the end of November the utilities, including power, should be in place, Wolford said.
Roads to the development “are getting a lot better,” Wolford said.
The company worked with the state to have Laurel Run Road improved for the first phase of development, Wolford said.
“They did that for us. We said ‘Hey, we’re developing back here, we’re going to be bringing a burden-free tax space to the community,’” Wolford said.
The company will be doing some of the work on the road leading to the Rockville Mount Nebo bridge, Wolford said. “We’re trying to work with the state to get that road improved” and hope to see the bridge reopen.
“It’s brand new, freshly paved, until you get to Gary Walls Road. And we have an agreement for Gary Walls Road to chip and seal only that so back until about where the trees line at the end of Dr. Kurth’s farm is that adjoins us. ”
From there on, Whitewater will be “improving portions of the county road to county road specs, the gravel road and then the [state] will keep up the maintenance on them.”
A spokeswoman for the State Division of Highways said that, “Laurel Run was paved as part of the Governor’s Secondary Roads Initiative. There was a section of Russ Lee Road that we paved in partnership with the Division of Tourism; it led to a tourist attraction.
“There is a small side road that was tar and chipped last year, we didn’t enter talks with residents prior to that. If the community wants to upgrade the side road at their cost, they can get a permit to do so and in cases like that we do continue to maintain the roads (as we do before they are upgraded) We don’t have any agreement to upgrade roads for any resident or development,” she said.
Within the community new, 20-foot gravel roads will be built to access properties. Homes will have water wells and septic tanks. Stacked stone entrances will mark entrances to the development.
Homes built in Whitewater Preserve will range from small cabins to “really, really nice mountain homes,” Wolford said. The Waterfront Group does not do construction.
According to records at the Preston County Clerk’s office, in March The Waterfront Group WV, LLC, bought 1,806.5 acres in Pleasant and Grant Districts from Allegheny Wood Products for $5,115,126.25.
The land lies “along the waters of the Big Sandy Creek, Little Sandy Creek, Laurel Run, Joe’s Run, Hazel Run, Parker Run and others, lying south of Interstate 68, on the eastern side of County Route 14/1 and both sides of County Route 14 [Mount Nebo Road].”
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