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Downtown Developments (North of Calhoun)


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Slightly late in posting this but the B.A.R. gave final approval at its Jun 27th meeting for exterior renovations to the existing Howard Johnsons Hotel at 250 Spring St. The changes include architectural detailing at the building's base and on floors 7 & 8; new exterior paint colors; and replacement of the porte cochere. I believe the hotel is going to be re-branded to a Holiday Inn Express.

Hotel is closed for renovations (personal observation during my visit last week).

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The Design Review Board will be reviewing this evening plans for a new 4-story mixed-use building at 268 Huger St. (a/k/a 599 Meeting St). The ground level will be parking with small office spaces facing Huger St. and the upper 3 levels will be residential units. This is the first phase of the project that will eventually incorporate a former church building among other buildings.

This property is located across the street from the proposed skate park. It looks like a nice development but from what I'm seeing in the drawings the residential units appear to be very small - almost college-dormish in size.

Site diagram and renderings (PDF):

http://www.charlesto...resentation.pdf

Construction underway per personal obervation during my visit last week.

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Planning is moving forward on the new skatepark that will located near Meeting and Huger St's. Construction is slated to begin sometime next summer and the park will open sometime in 2014. For now it will be the largest skatepark in SC.

Update from the Charleston City Paper:

http://www.charlestoncitypaper.com/TheBattery/archives/2012/09/10/skatepark-design-meeting-to-be-held-wednesday-night

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Horizon project update in today's Post & Courier. The article is a project overview with little new info but states there is a meeting planned for tomorrow (9/12) to review the project with prospective developers, and that proposals are due back this November which I had previously posted above. A city parking garage is scheduled for phase one. This would be logical since the city uses several acres for parking at the city's police/office building that's located in the district.

http://www.postandcourier.com/article/20120911/PC16/120919891/1006/search-on-for-developer-of-1b-horizon-project

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  • 3 weeks later...

The Best Friend of Charleston train returning to Charleston:

The City recently released a RFP for the redevelopment of the City-owned East Shed building that is located next to The Children's Museum on the block bounded by King, Meeting, Ann and John Streets. This is a single-story historic building with approx 6,700 sq feet. The RFP in-part stipulates a 20 year lease of the building with the City contributing $1 million towards reconstruction costs. Reconstruction will also include an addition of a glass enclosed exhibit space at the John St. end of the East Shed to display the Best Friend train (currently on loan to Atlanta). The City wants a family-oriented restaurant developed on the Ann St end of the building. A new coutryard will be developed between the East Shed and The Children's Museum where the City is promoting the placement of Phillip Simons art display. Proposals must also include the construction a conference room that can be utilized by the City and CARTA for public transit related meetings. RFP responses are due back to the City by Feb 27 2012.

Update on the East Shed project in the Post & Courier today:

http://www.postandcourier.com/article/20121001/PC16/121009968/1006/plans-moving-forward-for-best-friend-museum

The lease contract was approved by City Council at last week's meeting with Ecovest. The article mentions that construction could begin early 2013 but I wouldn't put this down quiet yet as done deal. If I read the lease agreement correctly Ecovest could back out of the deal after 45 days of signing the lease for due deligence. This is normal for Ecovest projects and part of their business model. But hopefully things will move forward; it will be good to have the Best Friend back in Charleston in a nice display area. A family-style restaurant is also still planned, and it can not be a chain restaurant with more than a total of 15 locations.

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  • 2 weeks later...

The Design Review Board will be reviewing this evening plans for a new 4-story mixed-use building at 268 Huger St. (a/k/a 599 Meeting St). The ground level will be parking with small office spaces facing Huger St. and the upper 3 levels will be residential units. This is the first phase of the project that will eventually incorporate a former church building among other buildings.

This property is located across the street from the proposed skate park. It looks like a nice development but from what I'm seeing in the drawings the residential units appear to be very small - almost college-dormish in size.

Site diagram and renderings (PDF):

http://www.charlesto...resentation.pdf

Construction has begun on this project. No link but I drove by last weekend and site work was underway and crane was in place.

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From the News & Courier:

Six companies have submitted proposals for how to redevelop 20 acres on the west side of the Charleston peninsula. What those proposals are, the city won’t say.

Gary Cooper, the city’s director of procurement, released the list of companies Monday but said their exact ideas for the so-called Horizon Project will not be revealed during the review process.

The companies are:

Childress Klein Properties of Charlotte

Gateway Development of Atlanta

Azimuth Horizon Development Partners LLC of Greensboro, N.C.

Pizzuti Companies of Columbus, Ohio

Hughes Development Corp. of Greenville

The Furman Co. of Greenville

Horizon, a collaboration between the city, the Medical University of South Carolina and the South Carolina Research Authority, has been more than seven years in the making, in part stalled by the recession.

In September, Horizon officials announced the request for proposals — at the top of the Marriott hotel on Lockwood Boulevard overlooking the site bounded by Lockwood Boulevard, Hagood Avenue and Fishburne and Spring streets. Proposals were due at 4 p.m. Friday.

Now mostly open land or surface parking lots, the vision for Horizon is some 2 million square feet of apartments, offices and research space. The hope is for more than $1 billion in investment over the next couple of decades.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Horizon Project update today from Post & Courier:

 

The list of finalists to develop the Horizon Project has been narrowed down to 2 firms:

 

Gateway Development of Atlanta

Hughes Development of Greenville

 

No timetable given on when the finalist firm will be chosen.

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Horizon Project update today from Post & Courier:

 

The list of finalists to develop the Horizon Project has been narrowed down to 2 firms:

 

Gateway Development of Atlanta

Hughes Development of Greenville

 

No timetable given on when the finalist firm will be chosen.

 

Wow, Hughes is really trying to grow their footprint. I wonder how this would affect their other projects across the state.

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  • 2 weeks later...

 

I normally wouldn't post about the construction of a fire station but I will for this one:

Charleston City Council approved the contract at this past Tuesday's council meeting for the contruction of what will be the city's new main fire station to be built at 1451 King St. (far upper King). It will be a $5.7 million facility that when completed will become the home for fire companies 2 & 3, in addition to housing CFD's administration offices and emergency command center.

It's is disappointing though that the new station will be replacing the historic fire station at Meeting & Wentworth Sts., which currently the main fire station. From what I understand, it will become a museum of sorts for old fire apparatus.

The city just released a RFP to purchase a new fire truck for fire company 3. The significance is the historic fire station will remain a working fire station, though perhaps scaled down from 2 fire companies to one. Maybe the area of the station that houses company 2 will become a fire museum as I mentioned in my previous post above. Either the city had a change of heart about re-purposing this station or the Post & Courier did not report the story correctly last summer.

Fire trucks for this station have to be "downsized" to fit into the bays due to the low arched doorways.

And yes this station is south of Calhoun St.

The new main fire station is under construction on far Upper King St. and is slated to open within the next couple months.

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  • 3 weeks later...

The Best Friend of Charleston train returning to Charleston:

The City recently released a RFP for the redevelopment of the City-owned East Shed building that is located next to The Children's Museum on the block bounded by King, Meeting, Ann and John Streets. This is a single-story historic building with approx 6,700 sq feet. The RFP in-part stipulates a 20 year lease of the building with the City contributing $1 million towards reconstruction costs. Reconstruction will also include an addition of a glass enclosed exhibit space at the John St. end of the East Shed to display the Best Friend train (currently on loan to Atlanta). The City wants a family-oriented restaurant developed on the Ann St end of the building. A new coutryard will be developed between the East Shed and The Children's Museum where the City is promoting the placement of Phillip Simons art display. Proposals must also include the construction a conference room that can be utilized by the City and CARTA for public transit related meetings. RFP responses are due back to the City by Feb 27 2012.

 

Update in today's P&C concerning the return to Charleston of the Best Friend train and renovation of the East Shed where the train will be displayed:

 

http://www.postandcourier.com/article/20130327/PC16/130329360/1165/-x2018-best-friend-x2019-locomotive-to-return-to-charleston-in-september

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Another new hotel being planned for 415 Meeting St where Burris Liquors is currently located.

 

http://www.postandcourier.com/article/20130402/PC05/130409862/1177/another-new-hotel-planned-for-downtown-charleston

 

BAR will be reviewing the plans for the 165-room, five-story hotel at its April 10 meeting.

 

Burris Liquor plans to locate to a new two-story building at the corner of Meeting and Reid streets.

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It appears that construction work is underway at the old Rivers Federal Bldg on Meeting St., but I haven't seen any recent updates in the Chas media concerning the project. I just checked Dewberry Capital's (developer) website but the site is being re-done and there's nothing but a banner page.

 

 

I'm not sure what is going on with the renovation of the old Rivers Federal Bldg on Meeting St.  I don't see any progress being made but then I haven't seen any updates in the Chas media that the project has stopped or has been suspended.  I'm starting to wonder if the developer ran into some unforeseen problems with the building and/or wants to unload the building to another developer.  I checked Dewberry Captial's website today and they state the project would be open for business in the fall of 2013.  I don't see this happening, not with idle construction site.

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Another new hotel being planned for 415 Meeting St where Burris Liquors is currently located.

 

http://www.postandcourier.com/article/20130402/PC05/130409862/1177/another-new-hotel-planned-for-downtown-charleston

 

BAR will be reviewing the plans for the 165-room, five-story hotel at its April 10 meeting.

 

Burris Liquor plans to locate to a new two-story building at the corner of Meeting and Reid streets.

 

The BAR nixed the submitted architectural plans at last week's meeting. Maybe they didn't like the fact that proposed building looks too much like the new Holiday Inn that recently opened right next door.

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  • 8 months later...

When I was in Chas during the holidays, I drove by the 5-floor office building at 165 Cannon St., in the MUSC campus area.  This building, built sometime in the mid-to-late 60's, has troubled me for several years for just being plain ugly architectural.  Thus I eas excited to see that the exterior brick had been removed and a new exterior would be going on.  Anything would be an improvement.  But I did some checking and the building is actually being demolished.  The building is currently owned by MUSC but orginally it was privately owned with a bank as the primary tenant.  Not unhappy to see it go but hope a surface parking lot is not being planned for that parcel.

 

Side note - I remember a girl that sat next to me in 10th grade that claimed her dad owned that building.  Who knows.

 

Google map of 165 Cannon St:

 

https://www.google.com/#q=165+cannon+street+charleston+sc

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  • 3 months later...

The circa 1882 cotton mill, later cigar factory that has been boarded up since 2009, has been sold. The property sold for $24mm and a total investment of $55mm is expected.  The space will be offices, restaurants, and retail.  The building was last planned to be condos just before the big R.E. crash. 

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  • 3 weeks later...

 

When I was in Chas during the holidays, I drove by the 5-floor office building at 165 Cannon St., in the MUSC campus area.  This building, built sometime in the mid-to-late 60's, has troubled me for several years for just being plain ugly architectural.  Thus I eas excited to see that the exterior brick had been removed and a new exterior would be going on.  Anything would be an improvement.  But I did some checking and the building is actually being demolished.  The building is currently owned by MUSC but orginally it was privately owned with a bank as the primary tenant.  Not unhappy to see it go but hope a surface parking lot is not being planned for that parcel.

 

Side note - I remember a girl that sat next to me in 10th grade that claimed her dad owned that building.  Who knows.

 

Google map of 165 Cannon St:

 

https://www.google.com/#q=165+cannon+street+charleston+sc

This building has been demolished now. Still not sure if there are any plans for the site but still hoping it's not going to be a surface parking lot.

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Update on the Horizon Project in today's Post & Courier:

http://www.postandcourier.com/article/20140514/PC16/140519611/1177/horizon-redevelopment-project-could-begin-this-fall

First phase is to construct a parking garage clearing the path for subsequent phases.

Article in the Charleston Business Journal today discussing the Horizon Project master plan. Exciting to see this project getting underway later this year with Phase Zero (parking garage)and Phase 1 scheduled to begin summer of 2015.

http://www.charlestonbusiness.com/news/51450-horizon-district-preliminary-master-plans-revealed

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