Greater Charleston Projects & Developments

[SimCity]

There are two articles in the Post & Courier that speak to the amount of money spent in Charleston hotels and the ever-growing international reputation of King Street which is causing even some deep-pocketed national retailers to be pushed out due to astronomical property rentals. Charleston by the way was recently ranked along with Atlanta as the south's premier shopping and tourist desination.

[SimCity]

Actually it's the only one in either of the Carolinas. Interesting note on the money thing, I read a market research article that stated on average tourists to Charleston spend about 3 times as long and 5 to 7 times as much money as visitors stopping by our neighbor Savannah.

I daresay that the greater amount of money spent in Charleston results from the fact that there is more to do here. Charleston is blessed with several resort islands and beaches along with numerous golf courses including nationally known Kiawah. There are the many shopping destinations and even North Charleston gets in the act and has been the leading city for retail in South Carolina for around a decade now. The are the many cultural offferings around Charleston, mainly the historic plantations and of course all the parents who come to attend to their children in the four major colleges here and decide to play tourist while in town. Savannah is a beautiful and intriguing city but it is not in the same league as Charleston which was described by John Rutledge, the president and chief executive of Oxford Capital Group LLC which recently purchased two Marriott hotels near downtown for 70 million in this manner: "We're big believers in Charleston and what's happening in Charleston," Rutledge said Friday. "There's a number of engines in its economy, and we've been impressed with the growth of its tourism."

[Spartan]

Most of the stores that are leaving King St are the same ones that are found in the region's malls. There are a few others that are heavily tourist-oriented. I want King Street to succeed, but I think its future is heavily dependant on Upper King to maintian the lower rents. King St has the potential to become the 5th Ave of Charleston, but that unfortunate;y comes with high rent stores.

Whats interesting to watch, at least to me, is how all of this effects Charleston as a whole. Usually when rents get too high, people build up so that there are more tennants and more income in high demand areas. You can't do that in Charleston at all. 3-5 floors is max for downtown (for the most part), and most are not fortunate enough to find an empty lot to build on. So Charleston is stuck with its 2-3 floor average. I wonder how long it will be before you see a major change in downtown that is forced because of high rents.

[SimCity]

Most of the stores that are leaving King St are the same ones that are found in the region's malls. There are a few others that are heavily tourist-oriented. I want King Street to succeed, but I think its future is heavily dependant on Upper King to maintian the lower rents. King St has the potential to become the 5th Ave of Charleston, but that unfortunate;y comes with high rent stores.

Whats interesting to watch, at least to me, is how all of this effects Charleston as a whole. Usually when rents get too high, people build up so that there are more tennants and more income in high demand areas. You can't do that in Charleston at all. 3-5 floors is max for downtown (for the most part), and most are not fortunate enough to find an empty lot to build on. So Charleston is stuck with its 2-3 floor average. I wonder how long it will be before you see a major change in downtown that is forced because of high rents.

You have a very valid point there concerning the usual effects of high rents upon the heights of buildings. In a normal city with the amount of demand that Charleston has for hotel, retail, college and hospital space, we would have already seen much taller structures and more of them. Alas, Charleston is not normal in this respect so we are left to wonder if there is any force, market or otherwise, sufficient enough to raise the profile of the city. Interesting enough, even NYC has issues with skyscrapers although at first glance it would seem highly unlikely.

[MikesLogic]

Two companies receive competitive Marine contract

The company or companies whose vehicles are selected could ultimately be asked to build as many as 4,100 vehicles by December of this year.

Hopefully one of these local companies lands the big project. I have toured both of these facilities and they are very neat.

Force Protection Inc of Ladson and Protected Vehicles Inc of North Charleston are both in the running. Force Protection currently employees over 750 people while Protected Vehicles is a smaller operation with 110 employees.

Force Protection

Protected Vehicles

[SimCity]

Two companies receive competitive Marine contract

Hopefully one of these local companies lands the big project. I have toured both of these facilities and they are very neat.

Force Protection Inc of Ladson and Protected Vehicles Inc of North Charleston are both in the running. Force Protection currently employees over 750 people while Protected Vehicles is a smaller operation with 110 employees.

Force Protection

Protected Vehicles

This is excellent news for these two local manufacturers. Hopefully at least one of them will be awarded a contract. At first glance it looks like Force Protection with its much larger workforce is better suited to turn out the 4,100 vehicles needed by December. That's quite a tall order considering the sturdiness of the vehicles. I'm pleased that Protected Vehicles has developed a relationship with Trident to provide a well-trained welding workforce. Trident has proven to be exceptionally adept in cooperating with local industries in need of an improved workforce.

[gs3]

Two companies receive competitive Marine contract

Hopefully one of these local companies lands the big project. I have toured both of these facilities and they are very neat.

Force Protection Inc of Ladson and Protected Vehicles Inc of North Charleston are both in the running. Force Protection currently employees over 750 people while Protected Vehicles is a smaller operation with 110 employees.

Excellent news! Keeping my fingers crossed!

[krazeeboi]

The Daniel Island Co. and the city of Charleston are rolling out plans to develop a major waterfront recreation area on Daniel Island that would include a large marina, boat ramp, community fishing pier, and five athletic fields. Officials expect to open the new park, which would incorporate the Family Circle Tennis Center, around mid-2009. They expected the permitting process to take a year.

[Charleston native]

Some more subdivisions have been approved by the Chas city planning commission, with one on Johns Island and one on James Island. The former will contain 25 lots for single or two-family homes on a 5.3-acre lot at Maybank Highway and Produce Lane. The other on James Island will be over 3.6 acres at the end of Howle Avenue with 15 lots, where single-family homes are planned.

Planning board OKs 2 subdivisions

[Charleston native]

In the article link below, P & C highlights a new surgical and diagnostics center proposed for the redevelopment of Cross Creek Shopping Center near the intersection of Folly Road and Maybank Highway. Officials at Roper St. Francis Healthcare are planning to build a $5 million facility that will help satisfy demand for health care services in an area that is expected to boom in future years. The 15,000-square-foot surgical center will have two operating rooms, and the diagnostic center, which will measure between 4,000 and 5,000 square feet, will offer basic testing services from scans to X-rays to lab work.

The new center will occupy one of several new buildings expected to replace the shopping center. Plans show that the 500,000-square-foot area eventually will be redeveloped to combine residences, retail stores, offices, and park space. The property is one of 24 sites the city has designated as gathering places under new zoning rules. It will be a mixed-use, pedestrian-friendly urban village for that section of Chas on James Island.

New medical facility planned as first project for urban village on James Island

[MikesLogic]

I'm hopeful to how this area will turn out. The gathering places idea will hopefully stimulate dense urban environments in the surrounding areas that aren't actually downtown.

[Charleston native]

City officials seem to think this gathering places concept will thrive, especially in a suburban section like James Island. Besides, Cross Creek was in serious need of change after its major anchor, Harris Teeter, moved along with Athens restaurant and Eckerds. It was a virtually dead, concrete space. With this completed in conjunction with finishing plans for the Building Arts School across the street, this section of Folly and Maybank will have alot of urban activity.

[Spartan]

Its nice to see this kind of development coming to James Island. They are in desparate need of something like this.

[SimCity]

Mt. Pleasant is set for a sizable gain in employment with GenPhar planning to invest $33 million to expand its manufacturing and research capabilities. Based in Mt. P, the company expects to add at least 120 jobs averaging $40 an hour. That averages out to an $80,000 a year salary. These will be highly specialized positions as the company develops vaccines for infectious diseases. I hope that such a facility in Mt. Pleasant will act as a kernal in the region's biotechnology sector and maybe a partnership can be formed with MUSC for added leverage.

[SimCity]

GenPhar made a definitive announcement Tuesday at the Charleston Regional Development Alliance concerning its commitment to growth in the Charleston-Mt. Pleasant area. Apparently the company is valued enough to have drawn recruiting efforts from cities around the country including San Francisco, the RTP, Seattle, Houston and Pittsburgh,PA. The company cited the area's quality of life and the presence of MUSC which the company called an overlooked school with "Ivy League teaching and research programs" as well as "the undiscovered, untapped pool of talent in the region". This bodes well for the metro's continuing push for biotechnology growth supported by MUSC. The company is seeking further federal funding to complement its Ebola virus vaccine program which is one of only two in the world working on a vaccine for the dreadful disease.

[SimCity]

In a move sure to further boost South Carolina's reputation as a retirement destination, Dominion Partners LLC of Birmingham and Charleston announced plans Tuesday to build approx. 378 assisted living units at the exclusive Park West Village in Mt. Pleasant at a total cost of $75 million. The completed units will rent for $2,500-$4,500 a month and a stand alone home can be had for $500,000 to $600,000 each. The groundbreaking ceremony involved over 60 bankers,developers and construction workers where each unit is expected to cost the company $200,000 to complete. The company is also active outside of Atlanta and Mobile,AL. Park West is a beautiful development that the new retirees are sure to enjoy.

[MikesLogic]

The GenPhar announcement is great news, it's the kind of development I would like to see happening. They are huge fans of MUSC it seems.

A company that develops vaccines for some of the world's deadliest diseases will invest $33 million here and build a corporate office and laboratories, officials said Tuesday.

GenPhar Inc., which currently employs about 20 people here, plans to add about 120 jobs after it builds a 50,000-square-foot facility, expected to be completed in May 2008. The new jobs are expected to pay around $40 an hour.

GenPhar is one of two organizations developing a vaccine for the Ebola virus. The vaccine is expected to begin the Food and Drug Administration's review process next year.

"The fresh technology developed at MUSC is the best kept secret in the nation."

[Charleston native]

GenPhar is indeed great news. It might even just be the tip of the iceberg in growing and developing the biotech industry cluster the Chas area wants to attract. MUSC's presence is going to gain more significance as more companies like this one come here.

[krazeeboi]

This is definitely great to hear. I hope we hear something about the Google deal soon.

[SimCity]

This annoucement seems to have been overlooked so I'll post it here. The development of Clements Ferry Rd. is continuing to advance and today Housing 2000 will present it plans to Charleston's Commercial Corridor Design Review Board for "314 condominium units above parking and shopping." The plans have an estimated retail space of 27,000 square feet while across the road a 38,000 square foot Sportman's Island is already under construction. On te other side of the interchange two developers are eying the available land including Beazer Homes with plans for a 192 unit residential development to be called Governors Cay. These developments are a result of "Charleston's new 'gathering place' zoning, which was created in 2005 to encourage densely packed, mixed-use developments at intersections that are best equipped to handle traffic." This is excellent news for Clements Ferry Rd. and a very good place to encourage denser development.

[Charleston native]

Looks like the city's West Ashley area is undergoing a hotel building boom, according to the article link below. Three hotels with a combined 330 rooms are being proposed for a 16-acre site on Ashley Town Center Drive. This is near the intersection of Savannah Highway and I-526. The properties basically sit across I-526 from Citadel Mall, in between Costco and St. Francis Hospital. The city's planning commission agreed to rezone the industrial land to allow hotels, and they will be upper scale than ones on US 17: Hilton Garden Inn, Hyatt Summerfield and Suites, and Hyatt Place!

I would think that these hotels will also bring with them higher money-spending guests, which may finally increase Citadel Mall's market base and bring some needed restaurants and retail there.

I'm dreaming big here: I think Dave and Buster's would make a great addition to the area.

Hotels on table for W. Ashley

[SimCity]

Looks like the city's West Ashley area is undergoing a hotel building boom, according to the article link below. Three hotels with a combined 330 rooms are being proposed for a 16-acre site on Ashley Town Center Drive. This is near the intersection of Savannah Highway and I-526. The properties basically sit across I-526 from Citadel Mall, in between Costco and St. Francis Hospital. The city's planning commission agreed to rezone the industrial land to allow hotels, and they will be upper scale than ones on US 17: Hilton Garden Inn, Hyatt Summerfield and Suites, and Hyatt Place!

I would think that these hotels will also bring with them higher money-spending guests, which may finally increase Citadel Mall's market base and bring some needed restaurants and retail there.

I'm dreaming big here: I think Dave and Buster's would make a great addition to the area.

Hotels on table for W. Ashley

Indeed, this will be a definite plus for the Citadel Mall and the restaurants located in West Ashley, especially along the southern portions of Sam Rittenburg and Savannah Hwy. Who knows? Perhaps this will even prompt the renovation of the nearby theatre into a more modern facility with stadium seating and more screens or the building of an entirely new theatre.

[Charleston native]

^ I sincerely hope for that!! What an improvement that would be!

[digital_sandlapper]

Mt. Pleasant has just announced this new park near the new bridge:

http://www.townofmountpleasant.com/downloa...2006%200921.pdf

What a nice design! I especially like the pier with a tackle/snack shop, separate kayak and sailboat docks, and fishing area. Can't quite tell by the rendering, but I hope it has room at the end of the pier for a special event pavilion that could be used for dances (beach music, etc.) and special events both for kids, and the kind with cold beer served!

Also, a Visitor's Center and Memorial Park will be included.

This is a great new amenity for Mount Pleasant and the region!

[ohioaninSC]

Mt. Pleasant has just announced this new park near the new bridge:

http://www.townofmountpleasant.com/downloa...2006%200921.pdf

What a nice design! I especially like the pier with a tackle/snack shop, separate kayak and sailboat docks, and fishing area. Can't quite tell by the rendering, but I hope it has room at the end of the pier for a special event pavilion that could be used for dances (beach music, etc.) and special events both for kids, and the kind with cold beer served!

Also, a Visitor's Center and Memorial Park will be included.

This is a great new amenity for Mount Pleasant and the region!

It looks like it would be a nice addition to the waterfront. I assume from looking at the map of its location, it is near the Tides luxury condo development.