Have you ever driven by Percy Priest Lake and noticed there are no houses along its shoreline? This might come as a surprise to many, as lakefront property is highly sought after. So why is there a lack of development on Percy Priest Lake? In this blog post, we will explore the history of the lake and the reasons why there are no houses on it.
The Army Corps of Engineers owns the land
The United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is responsible for the management of Percy Priest Lake in Tennessee. The lake was created as part of the Cumberland River Project, an initiative to control flooding along the Cumberland River and to provide hydropower and recreation. The USACE owns the majority of the land surrounding the lake, which means that no private homes can be built on it.
The USACE also enforces a no-wake policy on the lake, meaning that motorized boats must move at slow speeds in order to protect the shoreline from erosion. This helps to preserve the lake’s natural beauty, which draws in visitors from all over the country.
By owning the land around Percy Priest Lake, the USACE ensures that it remains a pristine recreational area for everyone to enjoy.
The lake was created for recreation, not housing
Percy Priest Lake is a man-made reservoir located in Nashville, Tennessee. It was created in 1968 by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for recreation and flood control. The primary purpose of the lake was not to create a residential development but rather to provide an area where people could enjoy water activities such as swimming, boating, fishing, and skiing. As such, the land surrounding the lake is owned by the Army Corps of Engineers and there are no houses on it. In addition, the land is subject to restrictions that limit its use for anything other than recreational purposes. The restrictions include limited access and a prohibition on permanent structures such as homes or businesses. This helps ensure that Percy Priest Lake will remain a beautiful, tranquil recreational area for generations to come.
The land is unsuitable for development
When Percy Priest Lake was created by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 1968, it was designed specifically as a recreational lake and not for housing or development. The lake’s terrain is rugged and highly irregular, with many steep slopes and narrow coves that would be difficult to build on. The lack of access to roads and utilities also makes it difficult to develop the land around the lake, making it an unsuitable environment for residential housing.
The cost of development would be too high
Building houses on Percy Priest Lake would be an expensive endeavor. The cost of land in the area is very high, and the Army Corps of Engineers is unlikely to sell any of it for development. Even if they did, the cost of installing utilities, constructing roads, and other infrastructure necessary for a development would be very high. Additionally, there are many environmental regulations that must be followed when constructing homes in this area, and these regulations can add significantly to the costs. Ultimately, these costs are too high for developers to make a profit, so they have decided against developing houses on Percy Priest Lake.