Update Center Hill Lake and Lake Tansi Tennessee
Tennessee continues to be one of the most affordable retirement communities in the South. A lower cost of living and no state income tax help. Folks living on the eastern Seaboard often ask which Eastern Tennessee lakes are the best to build their lakefront home. Up to this point, Tellico Lake, Norris Lake and Old Hickory Lake are the three lakes we focus on and the Fairfield Glade community club in Middle Tennessee. Last month, we also visited Center Hill Lake and Lake Tansi, to see if these two lakes are worthy of sharing with our buyers searching for waterfront retirement communities. The answer is no and here’s why:
CENTER HILL LAKE:
Constructed in the late 1940’s, Center Hill Lake is an 18,220 acre lake located in Smithville Tennessee, about 50 miles west of Crossville and 65 miles southeast of Nashville. In January 2007, the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers placed the Center Hill Lake Damn on a high risk alert for damn failure because of wall water seepage and begin repair work immediately. This repair work was originally scheduled to be complete in September 2013 and has now been delayed into 2014. During the damn repair, lake levels have been dropped between 13 and 18 feet depending on the season, effecting access to boat ramps and boat docks. These lower lake levels make it more difficult to access this Tennessee lake.
There are seven marina’s on Center Hill Lake and from what we observed, they all seem to hanging in there during the damn repair. The marina’s are:
- Center Hill Marina
- Cookeville Boat Dock
- Edgar Evins Marina
- Hidden Harbor Marina
- Hurricane Marina
- Pates Ford Resort
- Marina Sligo Marina
As we drove over the Center Hill Damn and toured the area, we noticed closed down businesses on the side of the lake closest to Interstate 40. Is the damn repair to blame? Although the lake has 415 miles of shoreline, development is restricted on Center Hill Lake by the Army Corp of Engineers so the area is still lush and forested. Is now the time to search for undervalued lakefront property on Center Hill Lake? Maybe, if you don’t mind a rural atmosphere. If you prefer being closer to modern conveniences, Tellico Lake and Norris Lake in Knoxville and Old Hickory Lake in Nashville are the more logical lake choices. We have more than a dozen waterfront retirement communities on lakes worth taking a look and those who have private lakes like Fairfield Glade community club.
LAKE TANSI:
A neighborhood created almost 50 years ago, this 4,700 Tennessee lake community is located just south of Crossville Tennessee. Lake Tansi is a 625 acre lake with a golf course, restaurants, 15 acres of beach-style property, indoor/outdoor swimming pools, fitness center, marina and lakefront vacation cottages. In 1977, the property owner’s association took over management of the neighborhood. According to locals, back 50 years ago, building restrictions were more lenient, if there were any building restrictions at all. Without code enforcement, home owners went ahead and built larger homes than their lots perked for septic and water. This is adding more sewage to Lake Tansi from septic drainfields than anticipated. Now 50 years later, the lake community is in a fierce legal battle over building a community sewer system which would impose a mandatory $4,500 to $7,500 utility tap fee to connect to the sewer system. Looking at the big picture, a community sewer system makes environmental sense but we don’t blame retirees living at Lake Tansi for being upset about this unexpected problem and expense.
We've seen this sewer issue before in Florida and unexpected assessments never go over well with property owners. We caution buyers considering purchasing lakefront property at Lake Tansi to perform due diligence understanding their financial exposure from the POA's litigation and the potential health hazards of Lake Tansi’s water quality. If rumors are true, it makes sense that the water quality may become a more serious health issue going forward, if Lake Tansi’s pioneer home builders did not follow the bedroom and bath restrictions. We will keep our eye on Lake Tansi’s progress and invite you to leave a comment with your thoughts about this issue.
If you are searching for the most affordable retirement communities in Tennessee, why not consider the tried and true Fairfield Glade community club. It has two private lakes along with five championship golf courses and many more ala carte amenities. Ask us to connect you to our trusted colleague who can show you both Fairfield Glade and Lake Tansi in Eastern Tennessee.
