LAUREL FORK, Va. — Known locally and regionally for its golf, restaurant, scenic views and 54-acre lake, Olde Mill will soon more reasons for recognition.

On Nov. 13 at an open house, Olde Mill officials announced the resort is renovating its course and developing its 800-acre property with plans of becoming a golf community with several types of homes available and plenty of activities offered at the club.

“It’s going to be centered around an exciting and interesting club,” said Olde Mill General Manager Hagen Giles. “It’s not just a golf club, it’s going to have a lot of different activities. It’s going to have a fitness club, a swim club, a social club and we’ve got arrangements made to have an outfitters club, along with a great golf course.”

Giles said there will be something for everyone in the community at some point during the Laurel Fork-based club’s planned schedule of events.

“We have memberships we can offer, but this club we’re doing, it not just a golf club,” he said. “On Nov. 15, we had a casino night with dealers and tables. People came and played and had a buffet dinner. At the end of the night, they took the chips they won and bid on prizes. On Dec. 6, we had a little breakfast with Santa for kids. There’s going to be a lot of programming activities for people in the area to take advantage of, too. Property owners will be members, but we’re going to have local members, too.”

Giles said rafting and bird watching excursions are possible, as are golf lessons for adults and children by club pro Bo Goins. Giles said the renovation of the golf course is being done by Dan Maples, the son of course architect Ellis Maples, to make it more inviting to golfers of all skill levels and abilities.

“It’s not just about the man golfer,” Giles said. “That’s one of the things we’ve done with the renovation of the golf course, making it more user friendly for women, children and retired people. We want it to be a golf course that fits everybody.”

The properties include villas, cottages, manors and custom estate mountain homes in a variety of prices. Giles said the home selections fit into Olde Mill’s planned vision of the community.

“The appeal is a community that is master planned to the point that when you drive into our communities, it’s going to feel good,” Giles said. “The land planner has designed every street, every walk, every light, every bush and every tree. Nothing’s left to chance. It’s a quality community.”

Giles said that degree of planning differs from the area’s subdivisions.

“It’s a little different than what you see when somebody’s developing a subdivision,” Giles said. “We’re picking the way the houses are going to look, the way the streets are going to look. We’ve got an awesome golf course that is going to be the backyard for these people. It’s a master planned community. You can’t walk in and say ‘I want to do this.’ We’re going to say ‘We need you to do this, this or this.’”

Giles said while he expects to see numerous buyers from out of the region, he believes several from Carroll County will call Olde Mill home.

“With the beauty of Carroll County and this property and this lake, there’s a huge retirement and second home market for us,” Giles said. “We’ll be attracting buyers from other places and there will be local buyers too because some people who already live here will want to live in our community. It’s going to be a beautiful place.”

With the economy lagging, Giles said he would like to have the community developed within the next 10 to 12 years. He said although times aren’t exactly ideal right now, Olde Mill can wait it out.

“The economy now is not going to be in our favor so it’s probably going to take a little longer to get started than we would like, but we’re comfortable with that,” he said. “We would like to see our communities develop in the next 10 to 12 years.

“As the economy picks back up, we’re going to build 200 condos and we’re going to employ a lot of people, craftsmen, plumbers, carpenters, roofers, landscaping. We’re going to have the opportunity to give a lot of people in this county work.”

Laurel Fork Supervisor Andy Jackson said projects like Olde Mill’s development could help Carroll County offset job losses, such as the announced closing of the Gildan sock manufacturing plant in Hillsville. Jackson said while often times bad news seems to follow more bad news, good news can have the opposite effect and bring more positive changes to an area.

“It’s a domino effect,” Jackson said. “It’s like when you have the closings, when one plant closes, it’s surprising how many other plants get cut, too. By the same token, when you’ve got building and positive things, it spreads out too, throughout the community.”

Giles said Olde Mill’s plan for development has the potential to bring overwhelmingly positive and lasting effects to the county.

“Think about what it’s going to do for the county,” Giles said. “If we can sell several hundred homes in the price range of $200,000 to $1 million, think of the tax base ramifications for the county. Multiply 600 by an average of $500,000. That’s a substantial increase in the tax base. Not only that, but over at Nester’s Store, how many more gallons of gas are they going to sell? How many more calls are the plumbers and electricians going to get in this area? Landscapers, lawn mowers. If we can attract several hundred people to Carroll County to live here on a part time or full time basis, it’s good for everybody.”