The long-awaited reboot of Putnam’s Landing expects to open its gates in September after facing years of delays from inclement weather, the new owner told the Chronicle.

The landing, located on Putnam Drive on the Chapin side of Lake Murray, was bought by Brandon Crutchfield in 2020 following what he called extensive work with engineers to ensure his vision for the property was possible. 

“It's exactly what our vision is,” Crutchfield said. “We worked with engineers for a year before we closed on the property, and then for another year afterwards. It's a very in-depth project just because of the excavating, the size of the building and the weight of the forklift that has to run up and down the hill to accommodate the boats.”

The revival of the marina, located close to the center of Lake Murray, has been watched with great anticipation by many local residents, with members of lake-centered Facebook groups posting frequently with photos of construction progress and questions about when the landing will reopen and what it will include.

Lexington County Council Member Charlene "Charli" Wessinger, whose district includes the Chapin area and Putnam's Landing, told the Chronicle she doesn't know enough about the new owner’s plans to comment on how the development might impact the area.

The marina is set to feature 225 spots for dry docking and 115 spots for wet docking. Prices vary for each spot but Crutchfield expects the rent to be about $400 per month.

The property will be gated, but Crutchfield expects to have the gates open during business hours. 

It won’t have a public ramp, but there will be a limited number of temporary docking spots available for visitors to visit the shops and food trucks that will be on the property. 

Crutchfield said he bought this property not only for its great location on the lake but also because of the memories it holds. 

“As a child, that's where I went,” Crutchfield said. “You can go get a cheeseburger, you can get french fries. I could go there in a Jon boat or on a jet ski before I could drive It’s just always been in need of repair, the opportunity was just right and it just made sense.”

Crutchfield has also prioritized security. 

“We're putting in a state-of-the-art, knocking-on $200,000, security system that will have pictures of every single boat live video and customers will have access to that,” he said. “Some of it has felony facial recognition software also, it's about as state-of-the-art as it gets.”

The property had been in despair for years prior to Crutchfield acquiring it. 

“What was there before was an ecological mess,” he said. 

Before the landing, the site had been home to what was once a campground for travelers and employees of the V.C. Summer Nuclear Station. The area was left for ruins in 2017 after the plant closed. 

“It was a campground where people could bring in their trailers. They had probably 50% or 60% of permanent residences in camper and motorhomes,” Crutchfield said. “The best time period for them was during the nuclear plant but since V.C. Summer closed down it had just kind of gotten more dilapidated and rundown.”

Not only was there sewage running off and flowing into the lake, he described, but people had been living in buildings the new owner described as being condemned. 

“The entire shoreline was completely gone, and we had to put a seawall in to protect from erosion for everyone on the lake,” Crutchfield said. 

He said his revival of the site will bring new structures and a state-of-the-art septic system.

“It's a high-tech septic system that has been coordinated with DHEC and a sewage engineer,” Crutchfield detailed. “It's so much better than what was there. It's like night and day.”

There isn’t a set date for the landing’s reopening, but Crutchfield said he and his team are determined to be open for business in September, adding that they hope the location helps more people to enjoy the lake.

“I really think that 90% of the customers that are gonna occupy this place are already here and already have boats, just don't have anywhere to put them,” Crutchfield said. “I'm hoping that we can help those people make it more convenient to be out on Lake Murray.”