ICYMI: Heritage Update

Road and home construction on rapid pace

By Steve Arnberg, VP of Real Estate

If you need a piece of big yellow construction equipment, we know where you can find some. Go south on Alabama Highway 63 about 7.5 miles from U.S. 280 and turn left on Wicker Point Road. Then, head west, slowly, because bulldozers, off-road dump trucks, excavators, and backhoes are in constant motion.

For those who have been following our development of The Heritage and Wicker Point Golf Club, we wanted to give you an update on our progress for the residential lots and homes on the Wicker Point peninsula. Development is brisk, and, for those who have been hibernating this winter, you will be surprised at our progress.

Our construction accomplishments to date include the rebuilding of Wicker Point Road and construction of the first residential road onto the Wicker Point peninsula, the main entry road with bridge into the Wicker Point Golf Club area, a nearly complete golf course, and substantial progress by Brasfield-Gorrie on the Wicker Point Clubhouse.

As a quick review, we began planning for this 1,500-acre development on 12 miles of Lake Martin shoreline in 2019. Actual construction of the golf course and road system began in 2021. We were able to release the first collection of 52 waterfront lots in June of 2022. Within just two weeks, 46 of the properties made available were sold.

To date, dozens of custom lake home designs have been submitted and approved for construction. Roughly ten of the approved plans are already underway with several likely to be complete this winter—well in advance of the 2024 lake season. Many more custom lake homes are due to break ground soon.

The Wicker Point peninsula is an incredibly special piece of waterfront property, and we have planned to develop this property in three phases. Construction of Phase 2 is well underway with a release planned, if the road builders can maintain this pace, for early summer.

Like Phase 1, homesites in Phase 2 will be large and beautiful. Current design criteria have created a collection of homesites that average 1.35 acres with 290 feet of pristine shoreline. Since this is a peninsula, with the main road dividing the land, the homesites have a variety of orientation with views to the north, south, east, and west. Topography varies, with some sites relatively level and some enjoying commanding elevated views.

The Heritage is a very ambitious waterfront development by Russell Lands, one of the South’s premier recreational developers. The 1,500-acre parcel will consist of a collection of waterfront, water-access and golf-view properties.

Amenities will include a private road network behind a gated entry, a resident-owned lake club (The Benjamin) which will consist of a clubhouse with fitness, gathering spaces, a resort-style pool with snack bar, lakefront beach, community docks, event lawns, tennis courts, a tennis pro shop, and pickleball courts. As more homes are completed, a new marina is planned to be adjacent to the gated entry.

The central feature of the development, in addition to fabulous views of the lake, is the private Wicker Point Golf Club. The golf course was designed by Coore & Crenshaw and is their only course in Alabama. The clubhouse facility was designed by Hank Long of Henry Sprott Long & Associates, a well-respected Birmingham architect. Construction has been moving briskly here as well, with the opening of the club planned for early fall.

The Heritage promises to be the premier lakefront development in the South. Given our early success, we are sure we are on the right trajectory to make our dreams become a reality. If you are interested in details about the community or its amenities, reach out to one of our agents today.