An I-85 peninsula in Oconee County is a step closer to changing forever, the result of a State Budget and Control Board vote this morning in Columbia. All but one member of the five-member board approved a long-term sublease by the State Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism to Sanctuary Pointe LLC, a group of developers who envision a resort project midway between Charlotte and Atlanta. The state leases the property from the Army Corps of Engineers. The pro-Sanctuary Pointe side overcame the objections and concerns of State Comptroller General Richard Eckstrom, who said he felt squeamish over the potential for the project to fail financially. Eckstrom also raised questions about the environmental impact, specifically the potential for erosion. The vote to approve was taken after an area lawmaker, Anderson Representative and Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, Brian White, “I think it’s good for our area and Lake Hartwell to have something like this between Atlanta and Charlotte.”