Project Status & Planning Context
Current position as of October 31, 2026
May 2026 Open Letter to Neighbors
A letter from Blake Hodits about the Lake and the community we want to build, paired with our current plan for more than 500 homes in Phase 1.
Our objective is to build a community. We moved forward with the purchase of the land with a clear understanding that a data center was not possible, and we are not requesting approval for one. The May 2026 letter below describes an earlier concept.
More than 500 homes are planned in Phase 1 alongside open woods, creek trails, and local shops. Trail routes, open-space boundaries and any recorded protections will be defined through later planning.
Any future public meeting will be shared with a confirmed date, time, and place. See Project Status for dated milestones and the Questions page for our latest answers.
Read the original May 4, 2026 note
Original note · Shared for openness
An open letter to my neighbors at the Lake.
Why we started this project and what we are building. Shared with local Lake media in May 2026.
This note came from an earlier stage in 2026 before our website launched. Please read it together with today's update above.
October 29, 2026 update: This letter describes an earlier concept. We moved forward with the purchase of the land with a clear understanding that a data center was not possible, and we are not requesting approval for one. Our objective is to build a community. Read our latest answers.
Shared on May 4, 2026 with Lake of the Ozarks media, including Lake TV. We keep the full letter here so neighbors can see how the plan started and how it improved.
To my neighbors at the Lake:
I grew up here. I left for school, built a career, and came home because there is no other place I would rather build a future. The problem that keeps me up at night is one most of us already see: too many of our kids grow up at the Lake, leave for jobs in St. Louis, Kansas City, or Springfield, and never come back. That is what this project is meant to solve.
I want the Lake to be a place where our kids can build a full life, not just visit in the summer. That means steady jobs that do not end in October. It means hands-on training in trades, technology, health care, and local business. And it means homes young families can afford.
Our early concept for the roughly 2,400-acre property keeps large areas of open woods and trails. In that early spring study, we also looked at a data center at the south end of the property.
Nothing has been built or given final permits yet. The talks we have with neighbors right now will shape what gets built. I want to hear what would make your kids stay and what would make the Lake strong all year long.
The Lake community has done big things together before. We can do this one too.
To ask a question or share an idea, use the contact form or email info@molakedev.com.
Best regards,
Blake Hodits Founder, MO Lake Development, LLC