Well it is official, Tiger Woods will design his first American Golf Course right here in the mountains of Western North Carolina. Announced several days ago, Tiger Woods Golf Course, at a press conference concerning the Cliff Developments. This is sure to be a wild success when you consider the popularity of the 31 year old golfing icon. I guess that golf course developments have not run out of steam in the mountains, they just keep reaching for bigger names and bigger price tags. I would venture to guess that the real estate values in the Cliffs at High Carolina will be unmatched any where in WNC, I guess Bobby Gin and his Laurelmore Development in Boone, NC are cringing right now. Here is what are local paper had to say Tiger Woods Golf Course, Citizen-Times. What are your thoughts?
Brian
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August 22nd, 2007 at 9:06 pm
[...] Well it is official, Tiger Woods will design his first American Golf Course right here in the mountains of Western North Carolina. Announced several days ago, Tiger Woods Golf Course, at a press conference concerning the Cliff … by admin at 12:07 AM [...]
March 29th, 2008 at 7:55 pm
The Cliffs at High Carolina…Are Safe Slopes a Concern?
The Cliffs’ eighth master planned community, The Cliffs at High Carolina has been controversial since the project was announced in June of 2006. In John Boyle’s article for the Asheville Citizen Times “Builders rush to beat stricter slope rules,” Cliffs President Jim Anthony acknowledged that his company submitted the application to beat the deadline. The Cliffs at High Carolina is a 2500+ acre residential/resort enclave located on steep mountain slopes in Buncombe County.
In December 2007, The Cliffs Communities won a lawsuit they had filed against Buncombe County. At issue was the county regulation restricting the density of condominium or apartment complexes on steep mountain slopes. Buncombe County Superior Court Judge Ronald Payne ruled that The Cliffs Communities did not have to comply with the county rules. For more information please see “Cliffs can dodge building limits” by Mark Barrett in the Asheville Citizen-Times January 12, 2008.
The real estate web-site for The Cliffs Communities provides the following description:The Cliffs at High Carolina is nestled in the high mountain meadows of the Blue Ride Mountains at an elevation of nearly 4,000 feet and with views reaching 50 miles.
In 1998 the North Carolina Department of Emergency Management found that the mountain slopes of Buncombe County were at high risk for landslides.
The Buncombe County Hazard Mitigation Plan (August 23, 2004) stated that the steep slopes and fragile soils of Western North Carolina place Buncombe County at a high risk of landslides. This report was issued just weeks before the 15 county catastrophic slope failures of September 2004.
What are the plans for The Cliffs at High Carolina?
According to Mr. Anthony, “The final decision has not been made, as to how many homes and what kind will be built on the land.” Mr. Anthony said his company hopes to make an announcement related to the golf course being designed by Tiger Woods, in the coming months. Later in the year it will announce details of of the first offering for sale of lots in the development. Please see Mr. Barrett’s article.
Should prospective buyers of property in The Cliffs at High Carolina be apprised of the identified landslide risks with a Natural Hazards Disclosure Statement?
Please be advised that you are buying property in a high risk hazard area and this will affect your ability to obtain insurance. Buncombe County, location of The Cliffs at High Carolina, is in a state designated landslide district. The slope stability information provided by the federally mandated landslide mapping program was not available at the time this residential project was approved. The Cliffs at High Carolina is being developed under regulations that do not require site specific stability investigation.
It is unknown whether Mr. Anthony will provide due diligence for The Cliffs at High Carolina. Safety concerns for this project should dictate soil analyses and site specific studies for all roads and building sites.
If The Cliffs at High Carolina were being developed in California, state law would require site specific investigation and disclosure of landslide risks. For
more information about Western North Carolina landslides
please visit wncsos.blogspot.com
August 31st, 2008 at 6:26 pm
Read The Cliffs at High Carolina Property Report Before Signing Anything.
In November 2008 The Cliffs Communities, Inc. will begin showing land in their latest planned community, The Cliffs at High Carolina. This mountain slope development is located near Asheville, North Carolina.
During the private sales presentation, participants will have the opportunity to view the layout for the 3,200 acre mountain property that define High Carolina. Guests will be shown a map for the centerpiece Tiger Woods golf course and selected homesites. They will almost certainly be told that the High Carolina lots which are priced from about $500,000 to more than $2 million are desirable real estate. While this information may be true there are two factors that may undermine the future value and saleability of land in this development.
Geologic Hazards
Mountain land in the 21 county region known as Western North Carolina is inherently unstable. Professionals and lawmakers warn that the permitting of residential construction on unmapped and untested mountain slopes has caused and will continue to result in costly uninsurable property loss. In October 2006 Governor Mike Easley stressed the importance of the Western North Carolina landslide mapping program with this comment,
“These maps will show which areas are prone to landslides and that will help developers, county officials, and residents decide where to safely build homes, roads, and other structures.”
The Cliffs Communities, Inc. knew when they purchased the Buncombe County tract that many of High Carolina’s building sites were likely hazardous. In August 2004 Buncombe County officials issued a report which stated that the county’s land was highly susceptible to slope failures. Preliminary Buncombe County geologic hazard maps support these findings. (In September 2004 landslides devastated fifteen counties in the region).
Considering the risks, this hazard information should be disclosed on The Cliffs at High Carolina website.
It is unknown whether the Cliffs’ staff will advise their prospective clients that High Carolina land sales are subject to federal law under the Interstate Land Sales Full Disclosure Act. This law demands that all interested buyers receive a comprehensive Property Report regarding the land for sale. The developer must provide a description of the land and disclose all known geologic hazards. Experts define a geologic hazard as a natural geologic event that can endanger human lives and threaten human property.
Encumbrances, Mortgages, and Liens
HUD requires the following warnings in all Property Reports:
“A person with legal title to property generally has the right to own, use and enjoy the property. A contract to buy a lot may give you possession but doesn’t give you legal title to the lot. You won’t have a legal title to your lot until you receive a valid deed. A restriction or an encumbrance on your lot, or on the Subdivision, could adversely affect title to your lot.”
The Cliffs at High Carolina Property Report must disclose all encumbrances and restrictive covenants.
The Cliffs Communities, Inc. is a privately held company but because their sales activities are regulated under provisions of the Interstate Land Sales Full Disclosure Act, the company must provide HUD with a copy of their Corporate Charter and financial statements. These documents are available to the public.
The United State Department of Housing and Urban Development advises all purchasers to carefully read their Property Reports before signing anything. The most important question that the government asks purchasers to consider is “If the developer defaults on the mortgage or goes bankrupt, could you lose your lot and investment to date to satisfy a claim against the development?”