Skyecroft holds 130 plus estate homes on 400 gated acres. Millbridge is planned for roughly 2,243 homesites on about 900 acres. Both are Waxhaw, North Carolina, both are 28173, and both sit within about ten minutes of the same downtown. Do the arithmetic on those two sourced figures and one community is running around one home per three acres while the other is running around two and a half homes per acre. That density gap, not the houses, is what actually separates Waxhaw’s named neighborhoods from each other. Figures checked September 6, 2026.
Quick answer
Waxhaw’s named neighborhoods fall into three groups: large amenity communities on small lots, established swim and tennis neighborhoods from the 1990s and 2000s, and gated estate communities on half acre to one acre lots. Lot size and HOA scale track that grouping almost perfectly.
- Millbridge: developed by Landeavor, planned for about 2,243 homesites across roughly 900 acres
- Lawson: more than 765 homes on 558 acres, with over a third of the acreage held as common land
- Hunter Oaks: about 1,000 homes built roughly 1994 to 2008, two clubhouses and two pool complexes
- Skyecroft: 130 plus estate homes on 400 gated acres, lots roughly 0.53 to 1.1 acres
- Hollister: about 116 Shea Homes houses on roughly 0.4 to 0.5 acre lots
The big amenity communities: Millbridge and Lawson
Millbridge is the largest planned community in Waxhaw and the one most buyers have already heard of before they call. It was developed by Landeavor across roughly 900 acres and is planned for about 2,243 single family homesites, with new construction over the years from builders including Essex Homes, Pulte Homes, Bonterra Builders and Lennar. The amenity package is the draw: a clubhouse of roughly 12,000 square feet, two pools with a lazy river, a separate zero entry pool area for small children, a fitness center and walking trails. The Home Builders Association of Greater Charlotte named it 2022 Community of the Year and 2022 Lifestyle Program of the Year. Community figures checked September 6, 2026.
Lawson is the same idea at a slightly older vintage. It runs to more than 765 homes on 558 acres off Cuthbertson Road, and more than a third of that acreage is held as common land, including a preserved heritage oak. Builders over its history have included Mattamy, Lennar, Shea Homes, Orleans, Ryland, St. Lawrence and Pulte, which is why elevations vary noticeably from street to street. Amenities center on the mill themed clubhouse, a swim complex, tennis courts, a fitness center and a playground.
Both sit in the Cuthbertson attendance area within Union County Public Schools. Both are dense by Waxhaw standards, which is the price of that amenity scale. More homes paying dues is what buys a lazy river.
We have a longer piece on Millbridge specifically if that is the one you are circling.
The established swim and tennis neighborhoods: Hunter Oaks
Hunter Oaks is the neighborhood people mean when they say they want mature trees rather than new sod. It is roughly 1,000 single family homes built over about 1994 to 2008 in the Waxhaw and Marvin area, close to two miles from the Ballantyne side of south Charlotte. Amenities are unusually deep for a neighborhood of its age: two clubhouses, two swimming pool complexes, three lighted tennis courts, walking trails and a playground.
Hunter Oaks sits in the Marvin Ridge attendance area. That, plus the tree canopy and the proximity to I-485, is why it holds value against newer product a few miles south. The tradeoff is age: these are 20 to 30 year old houses, and roof, HVAC and kitchen updates are part of the math. Details checked September 6, 2026. Our fuller writeup is at Hunter Oaks.
The gated estate end: Skyecroft and Providence Downs South
Skyecroft is 130 plus estate homes on 400 gated acres between Waxhaw and Weddington off Providence Road, built from the mid 2000s through the early 2020s. Typical single family lots run roughly 0.53 to 1.1 acres with a median near 0.64. The center of it is a clubhouse of roughly 5,000 square feet with indoor and outdoor fireplaces, a junior Olympic pool, lighted tennis and pickleball, plus a lake and ponds, walking trails, six pocket parks and over 40 acres of green space. Builders have included Simonini, Arcadia Homes and Conger Builders. Note the spelling: it is Skyecroft, with an e, which matters when you are searching listings.
Providence Downs South is the other gated option, a master planned community of roughly 300 custom homes across more than 300 acres, built mostly between the mid 2000s and early 2010s. It runs a 24 hour gated entrance and an amenity set that includes a main clubhouse, fitness center, multiple pools, sport courts and a playground.
Both carry mandatory HOAs with dues well above the Millbridge and Lawson tier, because a gate, a guard and 40 acres of maintained common ground are expensive per household when there are only a few hundred households. Current dues change annually and are set per community, so read the association’s current budget rather than trusting a figure on a listing page.
The small ones: Hollister
Hollister is about 116 homes built by Shea Homes, on lots of roughly 0.4 to 0.5 acres, constructed over roughly 2006 to 2015. It has a pool, tennis and a playground, which is a strong amenity package for a community that small. Hollister sits in the Weddington attendance area, which is the main reason it trades where it does.
Small is the whole story here, and it cuts both directions. Comparable sales are thin, so pricing is less predictable at both ends. Our separate piece on Hollister goes further.
| Neighborhood | Approximate homes | Acreage | Lot character | Attendance area |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Millbridge | Planned for about 2,243 homesites | About 900 acres | Small, amenity driven | Cuthbertson |
| Lawson | 765 plus | 558 acres, over a third common land | Small to moderate | Cuthbertson |
| Hunter Oaks | About 1,000 | Not published | Moderate, mature trees | Marvin Ridge |
| Skyecroft | 130 plus | 400 gated acres | About 0.53 to 1.1 acres | Verify per address |
| Providence Downs South | About 300 | More than 300 acres | Estate, gated | Marvin Ridge |
| Hollister | About 116 | Not published | About 0.4 to 0.5 acres | Weddington |
Sources: Landeavor and Millbridge community materials, the Lawson community and HOA pages, the Skyecroft community site, and Waxhaw broker community pages for Hunter Oaks, Providence Downs South and Hollister, all checked September 6, 2026. Home counts and acreage are the developers’ own figures and are approximate. Attendance areas are general and must be confirmed per address.
School assignment does not follow the neighborhood name
This is where people get hurt in Waxhaw. Neighborhoods here are large, some of them straddle roads that boundaries follow, and Union County Public Schools adjusts attendance areas as the county builds out. A neighborhood the internet describes as a Marvin Ridge community can contain streets that are not.
The attendance areas listed above are the general case as of September 2026 and nothing more. Before you write an offer, run the exact street address against the Union County Public Schools attendance boundary maps, then confirm with the district Office of Student Assignment on 704-296-1005 extension 4090 and confirm elementary, middle and high school separately. Do not rely on a listing site, an HOA page, a builder brochure, or this page.
The tradeoff you are actually choosing between
Stated plainly: in Waxhaw you can have the lot or you can have the amenities, and paying for both is what the gated communities cost. Millbridge and Lawson give you a lazy river, an activity calendar and neighbors close enough to borrow from, on lots that will feel small if you came from an acre. Skyecroft and Providence Downs South give you the acre and the gate, at a dues level and a price point that is a different conversation entirely. Hunter Oaks splits the difference and charges you in deferred maintenance instead.
There is one more thing worth saying about the big communities. When a neighborhood has two thousand homes, resale means competing against your own neighbors, sometimes against the builder still selling new phases nearby. That is a real headwind on the way out that nobody mentions on the way in.
If you have narrowed it down and you are working out what each of these actually costs to buy into, the Waxhaw community guide at The Longleaf Group covers price bands and taxes in more depth than we do.
For the rest of our coverage of this area, see Waxhaw and Marvin.
Frequently asked questions
How many homes are in Millbridge?
Millbridge is planned for roughly 2,243 single family homesites across about 900 acres, per the developer Landeavor’s community materials checked September 6, 2026. That is a planned total, not a built total, and phases have continued to deliver. Confirm the current built count and remaining phases with the community before you assume the build out is finished.
Is it Skycroft or Skyecroft?
Skyecroft, with an e after the Sky. It is spelled wrong constantly, including in earlier coverage on this site, and the misspelling will cost you results when you search listings. The community is 130 plus estate homes on 400 gated acres between Waxhaw and Weddington, confirmed September 2026.
Which Waxhaw neighborhood has the biggest lots?
Of the communities covered here, Skyecroft, where typical single family lots run roughly 0.53 to 1.1 acres with a median near 0.64 acres, per community materials checked September 6, 2026. Providence Downs South is also an estate scale community. Hollister runs about 0.4 to 0.5 acres, and the large amenity communities like Millbridge and Lawson run smaller than all of them.
Who built Hollister in Waxhaw?
Shea Homes, across roughly 116 homes built over about 2006 to 2015 on lots of roughly 0.4 to 0.5 acres, confirmed September 2026. It sits in the Weddington attendance area, which should still be verified for the specific address through Union County Public Schools.
Which Waxhaw neighborhoods are gated?
Skyecroft and Providence Downs South are the two gated communities covered here. Skyecroft is 400 gated acres; Providence Downs South runs a 24 hour gated entrance across more than 300 acres with roughly 300 custom homes. Both carry substantially higher HOA dues than the non gated communities, because the gate and the common ground are paid for by a few hundred households rather than a few thousand. Checked September 6, 2026.
Do Waxhaw HOA dues include the amenities?
In these communities, yes, mandatory dues fund the pools, clubhouses, courts and common ground, and in gated communities the gate as well. Dues are set annually by each association and vary by section and by product type within the same community, so the number on a listing page can be stale. Ask for the association’s current budget and dues schedule during due diligence rather than relying on a published figure.
Updated September 2026. Millbridge figures from Landeavor and Millbridge community materials; Lawson figures from the Lawson community and HOA pages; Skyecroft figures from the Skyecroft community site, which notes its own figures are approximate and subject to change; Hunter Oaks, Providence Downs South and Hollister figures from Waxhaw broker community pages. All pulled September 6, 2026. Attendance areas are general as of September 2026 and must be confirmed per address against the Union County Public Schools attendance boundary maps, then confirm with the district Office of Student Assignment on 704-296-1005 extension 4090. HOA dues change annually and are not published here for that reason.