Shortly before Berkeley County Council voted on Lake Village, homeowners in the Four Seasons section of Lakes of Cane Bay got a notice from their HOA board saying their access to the big lake would be closed. The resident group Four Seasons Community Voices wrote that it emailed Marc Cherry, vice president of construction at Gramling Brothers, the master developer. According to the group, Cherry had the turbidity curtains removed within two hours and started working with the county on an alternative.
That story shows how lake access really works at Lakes of Cane Bay. The lake is the reason many buyers choose this neighborhood. Gramling Brothers markets it as a "300+ acre lake system." But the right to use that water comes from several parties, each promising something different. Now that Lake Village is approved, the lake will be shared with up to 5,500 more homes over the coming decades. For a buyer, the lake's value now depends less on who can reach it and more on what stays undeveloped around it.
Four Sets of Promises Govern One Lake
| Layer | Who it comes from | What it says | What backs it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marketing | Master developer site | Lake and canal system "featuring an eventual 8-mile blueway," plus lakeside walking and biking paths | Advertising copy |
| HOA | Four Seasons board, which Community Voices says K. Hovnanian Homes controls | Rules and closures, such as the recent access notice | Governing documents |
| MOU | Gramling Brothers pledge to Community Voices | Eight commitments, including continued lake access and restoring the Owners' Park | A pledge from the developer, as the group describes it |
| Lake Village plan | Gramling Brothers statements to the press | Boat access and west/south trails shared by Lake Village and Lakes of Cane Bay residents | Pre-approval statements by the developer |
Community Voices calls itself a group of neighbors preparing the community for the "transition from declarant control to self-governance." The group says plainly that it was not elected to represent the community. In the post where it published the MOU, the group describes it as a Gramling Brothers pledge that "does not seek or require approval from the HOA Board of Directors." So in Four Seasons, the body that issues lake rules today is still controlled by the builder, and the most detailed access commitment is a pledge from the developer to a volunteer group.
How Lake Village Divides the Shoreline
Lake Village covers about 2,000 acres off U.S. 17A next to Cane Bay Plantation. Gramling Brothers Real Estate and Development is the developer, and nearly half the land is planned to stay as lakes and green space, according to the Charleston Business Report.
Before the vote, Cherry gave The Post and Courier a detailed account of who could use which parts of the lake:
- North end of the "Big Lake": a town center with waterfront shops, restaurants, a plaza and a linear park, all open to the public
- East side: a 10-acre park, also open to the public
- West and south sides: boat access, trails and other amenities limited to Lake Village and Lakes of Cane Bay residents
Cherry told the paper the limits exist "due to long-held commitments to residents and the homeowners association paying to maintain those amenities." Because he names Lakes of Cane Bay residents alongside Lake Village residents, the plan treats both as sharing the same waterfront amenities. For a current owner, that means the lake will someday connect a residents-only shoreline with a public waterfront district on the same water. It also means the people who pay to maintain the amenities could change as Lake Village builds out.
What the County Secured in Fees, Roads and Land
Council approved the rezoning and development agreement 6–0 on Sept. 28, 2026, The Post and Courier reported. That vote was the last of six approvals held over the summer. The Charleston Business Report summed up the terms:
- $10 million from the developer to the county for road improvements
- Five connections to U.S. 17A built in the earliest phases
- A traffic study of the area updated every five years
- About 30 acres donated for a school and 2.5 acres for a fire and emergency services station
- A $1,850 school impact fee and a $500 emergency services fee on each home
- An emergency services fee of 35 cents per square foot on nonresidential space
County Supervisor Johnny Cribb told ABC News 4 that the agreement replaces a 2006 development agreement that "didn't provide any funds for public safety, any funds for infrastructure, any funds for schools," and that the county gets "all of the above without any increased density with this approval." In July, he told Live 5 that a developer building by right "doesn't owe us anything for roads, anything for fire, anything for schools."
These terms tell a Lakes of Cane Bay buyer two things. First, traffic is designed to reach U.S. 17A. Cherry told The Post and Courier that the "vast majority of the roads will be private and maintained by the Lake Village HOA." Second, Gramling said the school and emergency services fees will be built into the price of each Lake Village home. Those new homes will eventually compete for buyers with resales in Lakes of Cane Bay.
The pace will be slow. Cribb told ABC News 4 the project "is easily going to take 15 to 20 years to pan out." The station reported there is no timetable for construction to start and that completion is expected to take 20 to 25 years. The project still has to go through county permitting.
Protected Woods Are Now Scarcer Than Lake Access
If future Lake Village homes get the same boat access and lakeside trails, lake access no longer sets a Lakes of Cane Bay home apart. What can't be copied is land that will never be built on.
Community Voices identifies a 234-acre nature overlay as the most important result of its negotiations. The group says the overlay sits directly behind roughly 150 homes on Tupelo Lake Road, Seaside Trail, Four Seasons Boulevard and Marina Shores, and that the land "will remain a natural buffer, protected from development forever." The group writes that "the wooded views those homeowners paid a significant premium for are now secure." In the same post, the group says seven neighbors have already seen promised wooded views replaced by new homes. That is why the overlay matters to owners on those streets.
The wider market affects how much that difference is worth. According to the Charleston Trident Association of Realtors' September 2026 Berkeley County report, current as of Oct. 9, the median detached sale price was $430,000. That was up 4.9% from a year earlier, with 48 days on market and 1,176 homes for sale. Sellers received 96.9% of original list price, a figure that does not account for concessions. CTAR's Greater Summerville report for the same month showed a $396,150 median, 49 days on market, and inventory up 8.7% from a year earlier, at 686 homes.
A lakeside resale in Lakes of Cane Bay is already competing with builders still selling inside the neighborhood, including DRB Elevate, Dream Finders, Meritage and K. Hovnanian. Over the next two decades, it will also compete with Lake Village. Two similar homes on the same lake can be valued very differently if one backs onto protected woods.
Questions to Get Answered in Writing Before You Tour
- Where is the home relative to the 234-acre overlay? Ask whether the woods behind the lot are inside it.
- Which HOA governs the home, and who controls its board today? In Four Seasons, Community Voices describes a board controlled by K. Hovnanian Homes and a coming transition to owner control. Ask for the expected timing.
- What do the dues pay for on the lake? Cherry pointed to HOA-funded maintenance as the reason for the access limits. Ask how that maintenance is funded as Lake Village residents begin to share access.
- How far is the home from the north end of the Big Lake? A public town center with shops and restaurants is planned there.
- What does the MOU actually commit to? Community Voices published it as a Gramling Brothers pledge. Read it alongside the HOA's governing documents.
This is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. HOA documents, development agreements and pledges can be read in different ways, so confirm what applies to a specific home with a real estate attorney or the right professional.
Quick Answers
When will Lake Village construction start? ABC News 4 reported there is no timetable for construction to begin, and the project still must go through county permitting.
Where will Lake Village traffic go? The plan calls for five connections to U.S. 17A in the earliest phases. Live 5 reported that the developer committed to no road, sidewalk or trail connections into the rural Windwood community.
Is the 8-mile blueway finished? The master developer's Lakes of Cane Bay page still describes the lake and canal system as "featuring an eventual 8-mile blueway."
If you own on the lake or are weighing a home near the Big Lake, the Angela Miller Team can help you find where a specific lot sits relative to the overlay and the future town center, and what it may be worth with that in mind. Get a Free Home Valuation & Neighborhood Guide, and we'll go through the Lake Village terms with you street by street.