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EDITORIAL

8 Predictions For Lake Of The Ozarks In 2025

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Lake Of The Ozarks - Beautiful Sunrise

Lake of the Ozarks is not the place it was 50 years ago... or 30 years ago... or even 3 years ago.

Big things are happening here: the Lake is changing, and depending on whom you ask, that's either a good thing or a bad thing. Either way, it's fascinating to watch. At LakeExpo, as we get the opportunity to talk to people behind the scenes, we love telling the evolving story of this community.

Here are 8 things we see on the horizon: trends and big news to watch for, that will get everyone buzzing in 2025...

8 Predictions For 2025 At Lake Of The Ozarks

#1. Oasis At Lakeport Will Open

Yes, the project has hit some snags — what project of this scale doesn't?

But nonetheless, we think folks will be hanging out and enjoying Oasis at Lakeport before the year ends.

Now, will the ferris wheel be open in time for summer? Doubtful.

But everyone crossing the Glaize — whether over the bridge or under it — will see dramatic changes to the the skyline throughout the year.

#2. Real Estate Will Really Perk Up, After A Couple Of Ho-Hum Years

Ask a real estate agent "How's the market?" and you'll usually get some kind of upbeat answer, regardless of how the market's doing (exception: 2008-2010.) Gotta love their optimism!

While the past couple of years haven't been horrific for real estate, they look kind of paltry in comparison with the late 2010s and the raucous years of 2020 – 2022.

In 2025, that changes.

Raising interest rates was the right move to help cool things off the last couple years, and that's coming from somebody who really tries not to say nice things about the Fed. Higher interest rates clearly helped put the brakes on a market that had gone bananas thanks to the Covid effect and historically rock-bottom interest rates.

Prediction: in 2025, interest rates will ease-up a bit, inflation will cool-off a bit, and real estate agents will call 2025 the "best year in the past three years."

(Check out the latest Lake of the Ozarks real estate listings at LakefrontExpo.com. Ready to sell? Contact Lakefront Living Realty at ‭(573) 693-1613‬.)

#3. More Developers Will Work To Solve The Lake's Unique Housing Challenges

Despite prediction #2 and our overall optimism about the Lake's real estate scene, we readily acknowledge our community has a housing problem. Call it "workforce housing" (that term feels so Soviet), call it "affordable housing" (meaningless term; "affordable" for whom?), call it "entry-level housing," whatever it is, there's not enough of it, and most everybody knows it.

The trouble is how to fix it. The ole' government subsidized housing trick will make a small dent in the problem — a 48-unit complex is coming to Camdenton with some "income-based" rates. But the heart of the matter is this: it's hard to find a profitable way to build housing that low-income folks can afford.

Why?

Labor costs are through the roof (strangely, labor quality stayed about the same!); materials costs are up; land prices aren't going down; and the checklist of compliance mandates from EPA rules to city codes to fire district inspections to planning and zoning departments... all of that piles thousands onto building costs.

Even still, we expect to see developers still looking for ways to solve this in 2025. They'll probably seek public-private partnerships and tax abatements. Some will build apartments, others will build tiny-home clusters.

Here's a controversial take: even the somewhat pricier, "middle-class" apartments like The Preserve at Sycamore Creek are helpful here, since some residents who can afford higher rent (in exchange for better amenities) will move out of their less-expensive places and into the newer, higher-rate ones. More housing inventory is good; it doesn't all need to be low-rent.

Rates at The Preserve start at $1,350, by the way. You can see the rest here.

#4. We’ll Learn More About The Master-Plan For The Strip

Reese Development has bought up a fair bit of The Strip and has spent the last couple of years clearing the way for... something.

So far, the company has held its cards close to its chest, with President Nick Reese last year saying, "We’re still formulating long-term plans." 

With two big news stories already in 2025 about changes on The Strip (the purchase of Dogpatch and Summer USA), we're watching for more exciting announcements this year.

#5. We’ll See A Concrete Plan From The Developers Who Bought The Outlet Mall

It's probably safe to say we speak for everyone when we say we can't wait to see what the developers who bought the outlet mall have got in store.

Our guess: some kind of mixed-use complex with...

• Some shopping, still (but without the "outlet mall" vibe)

• Dining and open-air outdoor gathering spaces

• Upper-level apartment and/or condo living

They'll probably ask for a TIF, and they'll probably get it. And in this case, there's a reasonable case to be made for blight.

PHOTOS: "Blight" At The Osage Beach Outlet Mall

The Osage Beach Mall has been on the decline for the last few years but a blight study done by developers in 2023 shows just how troubled areas of the mall have become. 

Photos courtesy of City Of Osage Beach Commission Meeting Packet 

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#6. More Big-Screen Interest In The Lake

Producers love pointing their camera at Lake of the Ozarks! And that trend shows no signs of stopping in 2025.

The 'Ozark Law' show currently airing on A&E will do well enough that crews will come back for another season, we'd bet. And it'd surprise us if there’s not another camera crew here capturing content for some other show.

#7. Osage Beach Will Sort-Out The Lee C. Fine Airport Deal

Osage Beach and the Missouri DNR have struck a deal... they just need the Missouri legislature to approve it. This really shouldn't be hard, yet MoLeg couldn't get that bill passed in 2024.

Despite its history of dysfunction, we think the legislature will pass the bill to approve the sale of the ground underneath and around Lee C. Fine airport in 2025, and the City will be freed-up to start making some big moves. It’ll take years, but as the Lake's longest airstrip, Lee C. Fine holds massive potential for the long-term development of the region.

Meanwhile, the City is already moving forward with a major, $4.3 million runway overhaul, 90% of which will be covered by the Federal Aviation Administration.

#8. More National Brands Will Start Showing Interest In The Lake

The Lake of the Ozarks is an odd duck: it doesn't fit neatly into the framework large companies use when they assess whether they want to expand into a new location. There's lots of money to be made here... but the vast majority of it is clustered into less than 6 months of the year.

Yet, as large, visible projects like Oasis at Lakeport materialize, we think they will be like the first penguins in the water: other national brands will begin to follow. A strengthened year-round economy will help in all sorts of ways, including the "affordable housing" challenge.

In all, we predict things will continue looking up for the Lake: it's a great time to live here, work here, or move here!

**Browse for your new home at Lake of the Ozarks, at LakefrontExpo.com. Ready to sell? Contact Lakefront Living Realty at ‭(573) 693-1613‬.**

What do you think? Love these predictions? Hate them? Let us know, at editor@lakeexpo.com.

Related Articles

PHOTOS: "Blight" At The Osage Beach Outlet Mall

The Osage Beach Mall has been on the decline for the last few years but a blight study done by developers in 2023 shows just how troubled areas of the mall have become. 

Photos courtesy of City Of Osage Beach Commission Meeting Packet 

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