Sanctuary Pointe still a development in the works

On the eve of a commitment by Oconee County Council for Sewer South funding, a large commercial development has re-surfaced.  It is the plan for Sanctuary Pointe on 325 acres on a Lake Hartwell peninsula at I-85 exit 1.  Little has been said publicly or reported since the 2013 splashy project announcement about the ambitious plans of a development group.  El Henry, Sanctuary Pointe co-manager, told 101.7/WGOG NEWS this morning that his group still has a lease on the 325 acres and has been quietly keeping a certain number of key local officials updated as to his group’s progress.  They include Oconee County Council, State Senator Alexander, Director Duane Parish of the South Carolina PRT, and Oconee’s first-year economic development director James Gilbert. Sewer is believed to have been the holdup, but it appears now Oconee County is ready to sewer parts of I-85, including the first exit in from Georgia.  The Sanctuary Pointe development group has dropped a golf course from its plans but a hotel, with 225 rooms, remains the centerpiece.  Henry says his group is not yet ready to announce the chain that will build the hotel.  Other features of Sanctuary Point include a spa, an amphitheater, cabins, and villas.