Attitudes have since thawed. Now, people are starting to see the Greenwood acquisition as a positive event for the lake and county, not only as an addition to the tax base and character of the population but as a possible springboard for more responsible development elsewhere.

The Singleton Creek tract Greenwood purchased consists of 3,576 acres straddling the Kershaw/Lancaster county line and contains, among other amenities, some five miles of shoreline. Detractors of the deal had said the tract was not only the last major tract on Lake Wateree, it was the last tract of its type in the state.

However, Greenwood has made a name for itself, drawing praise from such groups as the S.C. Coastal Conservation League, for its commitment to building environmentally sensitive developments. And the company's plans for a low-density development featuring 15- to 50-acre mini-estates and preserving more than 1,000 acres of the tract is welcome news for people and organizations concerned about the detrimental effects of over-development.

"There's generally pleasure and appreciation of the effort that they are expending to do a quality development," said Thad Andreski, chairman of the Lake Wateree Association (LWA). "For example, it looks like they're going to exceed the buffer requirements Crescent put into place. My preliminary thought is that it will be a quality development and pretty good for the lake."

Andreski added that he personally and LWA as an organization would still like to see a public park for the county come to fruition.

Gary Faulkenberry, LWA vice chair for external affairs, was one member of the relicensing group that walked out of the March 2005 Crescent meeting.

"Given the fact that we were not able to preserve that land, I'm becoming convinced that Greenwood is the best firm that could have bought the land in terms of accomplishing a development in a way that minimizes impact on the lake," Faulkenberry said. "They seem to be very conscious of the natural beauty of the lake and the surrounding land and want to be good stewards of the environment. They are more stringent than what Crescent would do -- and that's encouraging."

Rick Noble, chairman of the Fairfield County Wateree Homeowners Association (WHOA), agreed. Like LWA, WHOA Fairfield is interested in and supportive of a balanced approach to development, one that preserves and protects water quality, shorelines and the overall environmental character of the lake, he said.

"Greenwood's description of their intentions is very encouraging," Noble said. "As our Riverkeeper, Donna Lisenby, reminds us often, 'If the river could speak what would it say?' I think the river would be OK with Greenwood's plans."

Faulkenberry said he hoped Greenwood's approach to this development, especially with regard to best practices in stormwater runoff engineering, environmental and shoreline preservation and buffers, could be a role model for Kershaw County with regard to all development, especially on the lake.

"I hope that what Greenwood shows us in terms of responsible development practices will be a springboard in getting the county to enact ordinances to reflect that on all property on the lake," Faulkenberry said. Perhaps they can set the example.

"Those of us who have been involved in the shoreline preservation pursuit feel pretty good about Greenwood," he added.