Lake Wylie residents are about to get a new beach, along with boat launches, fishing piers, and picnic areas.
Last Thursday the Gaston County Board of Commissioners voted to unanimously approve an agreement between the County and Duke Energy for the opening and operation of the brand new 68-acre Southpoint Access recreation area, located off Boat Launch Rd. in Belmont, NC:
The new park includes two boat ramps (overseen by the NC Wildlife Resources Commission), 2 substantial fishing piers, a swimming beach, over a dozen picnic spots, public parking, and a variety of other amenities. The agreement also stipulates that Duke Energy will construct a launch area specifically for canoes and kayaks, with Gaston County agreeing to fund a portion of it upon completion.
The site also leaves room for additional recreational developments in the future.
Duke Energy has already invested $7 million in the development of the new beach park. The fees for entry will be decided in the coming months, along with the official grand opening of the new beach and park.
This will be the second new beach added to the Charlotte region so far this year, after the construction of Lake Norman’s Beatty’s Ford Park beach was completed last month.