Welcome Center for Queens Gap / Seven Falls Opens: Special Autu...

There go more of our mountains for the rich, famous and wannabe's. They come in butcher the mountains, collect fast bucks, provide menial jobs and dissapear. That leaves the mountains scarred, people broke, and higher taxes.

I wouldn't worry about that. This bunch will join the ranks of Wild Ridges and others in the bankruptcy courts. Every week the McDowell News is full of foreclosure notices from those poor fools that flew around in the helicopters and bought lots at Wild Ridges. Now they can't even build on those lots because Duke power won't run lines to the property. Only a fool would but land down there right now at those prices.

These dopes are CHARGING you for the pleasure of a 3 day commercial? Holy Crap! These guys are sliding quickly down the Queens Crack of their own making. Look out for that last step...

Have been by the Queens Gap center in Rutherford County. Run, don't walk to the nearest exit - its an abandoned project in the middle of nowhere. Its a trap catch your money before going bankrupt.

So with Seven Falls going into foreclosure how soon before Queens Gap belongs to the banks? Sell out to the state and preserve whats left!

So, now that the Seven Falls foreclosure went through, how long before Queen's Gap belongs to the banks? Sell to the state now to preserve what's left!

Heard on channel 13 last night Balsam Mountain Preserve in Jackson Co. has filed for bankruptcy too. The homeowners can't even play golf on the Arnold Palmer designed course.Breaks my heart, ROTFL.

I live five miles west of Queen's Gap. Let me tell you, we could do alot worse! The community center and guard house are finished, and are craftsman marvels of construction. The Jack Nicklaus golf course is platted out, and this will be one of the most beautiful settings to live in the mountains. The original developers did things right. They even built a nature center and hiking trials just west of the boundaries in the old "Queen Gap" area just north of Glaxhorn Mountain. They chose a spot in the middle of the famous "Isothermal Belt", where summers are much cooler and winters are milder. Last year when everyone got a foot of snow all over the mountains in March, we got less than 3 inches. I'm very environment conscious, and if I had money to buy something today, I would definitely take advantage of this market and invest at Queen's Gap. Who would expect such a perfect place in the foothills under 1,500 feet?

Didn't Queen's Gap stick the Rutherford county taxpayers with a huge bond. I believe it was in the millions. The money was used for a water shed or something.

I'll explore the "bond" question. A friend of mine has been active with the Rutherford County Board of Commissioners, and he might be able to shed some light on the situation. Everyone was hit hard by the Wall Street shinnanigans, especially developers. SOmeone was trying to bring just a few more taxpayers to an area that has suffered greatly with the exporting of industries and jobs. Our future lies with retirees moving here with fixed incomes immune to these woes. They will all become taxpayers, which will help schools and public services. We can't just slam the door on growth. Right now, there is none. Let's give these people the benefit of the doubt, and see if we can recoup a little of the county's investment in this project. My immediate valley has two developments that have closed down before anything was built except roads. At least Queen's Gap was sincere in their intentions.

Sounds like Mr. Helms works for Queens Gap. I live next to Queens Gap. We get ice storms at this elevation, usually three a year. Lots of down limbs and some trees. I have seen plenty of snow also. None at the bottom of the mountain but plenty on top. The Isothermal thing works until Christmas and then we get slammed. Anyone who buys from Queens Gap now will surely regret it as the current owner is keeping just enough action going to keep the local government off his back. The market cannot support these developments anymore.

These people are doing just enough to keep the EPA, creditors and local politicians off their backs and no more. The run-off from rain is filling the creeks here with mud, the EPA says they have talked with the developers and they are "working on it". Who is going to come in here and clean our creeks, when someone does who will pay the damage caused by this? Stop the developing now before it's to late!

No, I don't work for the developers of Queen's Gap. Being a golfer, I've spent time over there, imagining what the course will look like. It's only five miles east of me. Personally, I don't think very many people are really in the market right now for mountain land, especially where thay would have to pay a HOA monthly fee. Three years ago, lots like these were having no problem selling. Today, only people who are looking for a great deal on land will consider buying anywhere in these mountains. Let's work with these people and make it worth their while to pay their EPA fees, and keep up with the county requirements. And as far as the Isothermal Belt is concerned, I have friends in Boone, Brevard, Mars Hill, and Valle Crucis. Their winters are much more severe than here. That's why I bought here, and I've never regretted that decision. Check out the website www.newforestmountain.com It sums it all up. Maybe this is the kind of development that Queen's Gap will become.

All of that makes sense.
That's why most people around here won't understand it. They don't realize that money coming into the area helps everybody. Money builds schools. It builds roads. It builds housing and restaurants. It brings jobs. How many people around here are praying for a job Right Now? This very minute?
To talk trash about this development and wish it ill is like wishing your neighbor didn't have a job or that your daughter didn't have school books.
Why don't we all wake up and pull together for the best for all of us? Let's wish this development the best and promote it however we can. Anything less is just dragging us All down.

Jobs huh. This keeps coming up. I do not believe they are currently using many local contractors from the county. Some of the ones I know will not work for them since the new owner took over as he has a track record of not paying. The previous owner was much better and was smart enough to bail when the economy went south. As for the jobs if the development gets finished they would be low paying jobs serving the rich. I believe my neighbors here deserve better than that but I will leave that decision to them. Since greed has taken over this country and sent our good jobs abroad I do not believe it is right for the ones who lost their good paying jobs to now serve the ones who possible created the mess. I have also had run-ins with the rich second home people and they are ruthless. My good neighbors may not be rich and own fine houses but they for the most part are good honest people who believe in helping their neighbor and in my opinion deserve better than this.

Vann Helms wrote:

I live five miles west of Queen's Gap. Let me tell you, we could do alot worse! The community center and guard house are finished, and are craftsman marvels of construction. The Jack Nicklaus golf course is platted out, and this will be one of the most beautiful settings to live in the mountains. The original developers did things right. They even built a nature center and hiking trials just west of the boundaries in the old "Queen Gap" area just north of Glaxhorn Mountain. They chose a spot in the middle of the famous "Isothermal Belt", where summers are much cooler and winters are milder. Last year when everyone got a foot of snow all over the mountains in March, we got less than 3 inches. I'm very environment conscious, and if I had money to buy something today, I would definitely take advantage of this market and invest at Queen's Gap. Who would expect such a perfect place in the foothills under 1,500 feet?

Sounds like an advertisement, are they paying cash or in property?

If these people were sincere about doing things right and not just meeting what IS required then there would be no EPA fees or should I say fines? As Vann Helms quotes "Let's work with these people and make it worth their while to pay their EPA fees, and keep up with the county requirements.
The developers do not care about this land or the surrounding properties either. These people are here for the fast buck just as the wall street cheats were.

In a previous post, I referred you to a website for another development just west of Queen's Gap. I had an incorrect address. Try www.newforestmt.com and that should connect you. I think they are still selling lots on that mountain, also known as Tom's Mountain. Interesting that so much of this land had belonged to the furniture manufacturers for so many years. I always wondered from where they got all of their hardwoods.

Well we bought in Queens Gap a few years ago, and were looking for a place where we could retire to, and that had a lot of amenities. Queens Gap is different than Seven Falls and Balsam Preserve, in that the development has little, if any debt to service. That is the problem of all these developments, when the bottom dropped out of the real estate development arena. I will be paying by $2,000 + property taxes to Rutherford County...based on most of these posts, these folks would like to see the development go under, which will have a real positive impact on a local economy that is already in the tank. If you have 100 lot owners at $2,000 a piece, you have $200,000 in tax revenue, and the development has barely gotten started. I think the people who would like to see this development tank, are keeping the County in the tank...be careful what you wish for...Jason AKA Lone Wolf

Thank you Jason. I was hoping some Queen's Gap owner might see this and respond. As much as I would like to see the State aquire as much wilderness as possible, the funds just aren't there. You have chosen the most perfect area to live, and I welcome you as a neighbor. And thank you for your contribution to the county's revenues. Imagine the windfall for Rutherford County when all 300 parcels are occupied.