Deeds recorded in Randolph County on August 24, 2026 moved large tracts of Lake Wedowee land from Alabama Power Company and Alabama Property Company to Laketown Wedowee Development Company LLC, an entity tied to the Birmingham-area developer Daniel Communities. On October 13, the Randolph County Commission voted unanimously to let the first piece move ahead: a subdivision of 40-plus lots, which is double what county rules normally allow.
For anyone pricing a lot on this lake, the sale changes what a view is worth. Much of the wooded shoreline you've been looking across stayed wooded for two reasons: a utility owned it, and county rules kept private projects small. Both of those reasons changed this fall.
What Changed Hands on August 24
Lake Wedowee Life first reported the sale. It found that the recorded documents include several warranty deeds and an easement deed, with sales validation forms listing three purchase prices.
| Recorded detail | What the documents show |
|---|---|
| Sellers | Alabama Power Company and Alabama Property Company |
| Buyer | Laketown Wedowee Development Company LLC, a Delaware LLC with a tax-notice address care of Daniel Communities LLC in Vestavia |
| Listed prices | $35,846,982.53, $11,954,490.49 and $2,198,520.99, nearly $50 million combined |
| Sites named | North, West, South and East |
| Acreage described | About 651 acres at the South Site and 653 at the East Site after listed exceptions, plus tracts of about 218 and 297 acres |
Lake Wedowee Life put the total at "well over 1,000 acres and potentially more than 1,800 acres." The Randolph Leader reports 1,819 acres across four sites.
The magazine also pointed out that Alabama Power has controlled this land since Harris Reservoir was created. For decades, large stretches of shoreline and the acreage behind them stayed undeveloped or in the utility's hands. That history is why the sale matters more than its price tag.
Why the Lake Grew in Small Pieces
Two things held back large-scale development on Lake Wedowee. The first was ownership: Alabama Power kept big blocks of land off the market. The second was a county rule. According to the Randolph Leader, Randolph County's subdivision regulations limit private developments to between 3 and 20 lots.
Together, those limits shaped the lake much of the market knows today. Private land came in modest subdivisions and individual parcels, and the largest undeveloped stretches belonged to an owner that wasn't building.
The utility's role was already shifting before the sale. Daniel Communities says Alabama Power hired it in 2018 to develop a strategy for private development of the utility's lake properties. It describes Laketown as a partnership between the two companies, created to develop lakefront and lake-oriented property. The August deeds took that strategy from planning to recorded ownership, and the October vote showed the county's lot cap can bend.
The Peninsula by the Highway 48 Bridge
The first project to come out of the sale is called Laketown North, Phase 1. The Randolph Leader places it on a peninsula you can see from the Highway 48 bridge, across the bridge from Wedowee Marine South and the boat ramp at that end.
Here is how the pieces line up:
- 2018. Alabama Power hires Daniel Communities to plan private development of its lake land.
- August 24, 2026. Deeds for the North, West, South and East sites are recorded in Randolph County.
- October 13, 2026. Two Daniel Communities representatives attend the County Commission meeting, and the commission unanimously grants the variance for 40-plus lots.
- As soon as January 2027. Troy Lucas, a development manager for Laketown, indicated that plans for Phase 1 are nearly complete and construction could begin in January.
The Randolph Leader called the project one of the largest subdivisions on Lake Wedowee. It also described Phase 1 as the first of multiple similar developments. Neither outlet reported any more land sales, and Lake Wedowee Life wrote that the final plans for the property remain to be seen. Apart from the peninsula project, no plans have been published for the rest of the purchased land.
What Fox Creek Suggests About the Product
Laketown has built on this lake before, which gives a rough sense of what's coming. Fox Creek, on the south end of Lake Wedowee near Flat Rock Park, has nearly 30 lots. Laketown's description of Fox Creek lists paved streets, underground utilities, common areas, and nature trails next to a community boat ramp. The lot map on Laketown's Fox Creek page is now labeled "all sold."
Laketown's other communities include Kennebec, Talisi Cove and Stillwood on Lake Martin, Coosa Run on Lake Mitchell, and Mills Creek on Smith Lake. According to the Randolph Leader, Daniel Communities developments are usually high-end and include public spaces, and some add golf courses, hotels and retail. The same article says there's no indication yet which of those features, if any, will come to Lake Wedowee.
So the likely product is a planned community lot, built out with shared infrastructure. Today's resale market is mostly individual parcels in small subdivisions or on their own, each with its own access, utilities and history. Soon both kinds of lot will compete for the same buyers on the same water.
What This Changes When You Price a Lot Today
A lake lot's price usually reflects more than its own frontage. Part of what you pay for is what you look at from the dock: the far bank, the open cove, how much shoreline near you has no houses on it. For a long time, buyers could reasonably assume that a big wooded stretch owned by Alabama Power would stay that way. That assumption no longer holds by default.
None of this makes a lot near one of the four sites worse or better. It means the quiet view is no longer a given, so you have to check it before you pay for it. Before you write an offer on a Lake Wedowee lot this fall or winter, the questions worth answering are:
- Who owns the land you look at? If your view depends on a wooded bank or peninsula across the water, find out who holds title to that ground. Randolph County property records are where the August deeds were recorded.
- How close are you to the Highway 48 bridge peninsula? That's the one site with an approved variance and a possible January 2027 start. Construction traffic and new docks across the water will be more visible from some coves than others.
- Which product are you actually comparing? If you're weighing a resale lot against a lot in a future Laketown phase, compare covenants, road and utility setup, shared amenities like a community ramp, and any association dues. Laketown hasn't published those terms for its Lake Wedowee projects.
- What's built into the seller's price? A seller who priced a lot partly on "undeveloped views" set that number before the August deeds and the October vote. Ask whether the price reflects what's been approved since.
Covenants and association rules are legal documents. Treat this post as general market information, not legal or financial advice, and have an attorney or other qualified professional review the restrictions on any lot you're seriously considering.
For sellers, the same facts apply in reverse. A lot with frontage, depth and access that hold up regardless of what's across the water has a story buyers can trust. A lot whose appeal depends on a neighboring tract staying empty now needs a more careful pricing conversation.
If you own a lot on Lake Wedowee or are thinking about buying one, and want to know how the Laketown sale affects that piece of shoreline, Bill Coats can go over it with you by boat, from the water. Schedule a free consultation, and bring the parcel you're curious about.
