Lancaster County’s Edgewater area is bracing for a massive growth spurt. On Thursday, county planning commissioners signed off on a preliminary plat for Catawba Ridge, a Contender America project that would drop roughly 1,490 homes across about 841 acres along the lake. The approval knocks out a major procedural hurdle and moves the lakeside master plan into the civil engineering and permitting phase that comes before lot sales and home construction.
As reported by the Charlotte Business Journal, the preliminary plat maps out 1,490 residential lots and folds in a commercial and retail component alongside neighborhood streets, utilities and preserved common areas. The Business Journal notes the developer is operating under the name Catawba Ridge Holdings, an affiliate of Greenville-based Contender America.
What the Plan Includes
The Rock Hill Herald reports the project spans roughly 840 to 841 acres and would preserve about 168 acres as open space while carving out a commercial tract big enough to fit a roughly 75,000-square-foot grocery store. Traffic impact documents filed with the county estimate that full build-out could generate about 21,000 vehicle trips per day, and the Herald adds that the development is expected to roll out in phases over many years, with a projected completion horizon stretching into 2039.
Roads, Access and Nearby Retail
County planning materials show Contender and its partners will be on the hook to extend Catawba Ridge Boulevard south to serve the new phase, with the county mapping out staged road work tied to subdivision approvals, according to Lancaster County planning documents. Those same materials and local listings point to builder True Homes coordinating on adjacent Edgewater phases, while retail at the nearby Catawba Ridge Market is already advancing.
Land Deal and Financing
Public records and reporting show the land was acquired last year by Catawba Ridge Holdings, and a July 2024 financing notice states that Forman Capital provided a land acquisition loan to Contender for the 841-acre site. CityBiz reported the lender’s $9.06 million loan, while county records indicate the parcels changed hands for roughly $17 million.
Next Steps
With preliminary plat approval in hand, the project now moves into civil plan submittals, Technical Review Committee routing and detailed permitting, steps laid out in Lancaster County’s planning checklist that must be completed before lots can be recorded. Developers will have to address county comments on roads, stormwater and utilities and submit stamped construction plans before infrastructure work can begin, under the county’s guidance.
