A prime, almost waterfront piece of Lake Wylie property is finally ready to complete a years-long revitalization near Buster Boyd Bridge. It’ll be childcare with a view.

The Learning Experience announced expansion into the Charlotte area with three locations. One will open early next year at 429 Blucher Circle. Another will open by mid-2025 at 8474 Charlotte Hwy. in Indian Land. The national daycare franchise based in Florida has more than 370 centers in 29 states.

New sites will be 10,000-square-foot standalone buildings with 5,000-square-foot playgrounds. Each center employs up to 30 people and serves 180 children from age 6 weeks to 6 years. Facilities cost up to $3.5 million each to build.

The Lake Wylie location is a prominent one. It’s straight across Blucher from Papa Doc’s Shore Club and Buster Boyd Access Area. Blucher is the first traffic signal on S.C. 49, coming into the community from Charlotte on Buster Boyd Bridge. The site overlooks coves at Papa Doc’s and Lake Wylie Marina. Beyond them is the main channel of the lake.

On the opposite side, the site connects to the QuikTrip gas station and Lake Wylie Bowl N’ Bounce-anchored Lakeside West shopping center along S.C. 49.

A Food Lion shopping center built in the early 1980s sat almost entirely vacant for a decade before a company affiliated with York Development Group bought it.

Five properties that fill the entire inner area of Blucher Circle combine for about 20 acres. All were bought for about $2.5 million in late 2010 or early 2011 by Waterside Partners.

Waterside sold about half the property, farthest back from S.C. 49, to a Fort Mill company in 2018. The area closest to the highway sold to QuikTrip in 2011. York Development focused on the middle piece, a dilapidated shopping center and the former Wher-rena Boatland building.

Lake Wylie Bowl N’ Bounce came in to anchor the remodeled center. Restaurants, shops and fitness followed it there. From the beginning of redevelopment the nearby Wher-rena site was planned for later phase of growth. By 2015 the marina building had been demolished.

Once empty, the lot allowed for overflow parking for large community events like the July 4 fireworks or holiday boat parade on the lake. Now it will have a new building, with Learning Experience. The new building will be about half the square footage of the old one.

In Indian Land, it’s another property primed for new business that will bring in Learning Center.

The Arches on Charlotte Highway has seven buildings including a planned 30,000-square-foot medical office, according to online sales advertisements. York Development Group remains involved in that property, too. The Arches has a Publix shopping center and a YMCA beside it. It’s near planned Target and Costco developments.