Family Photographer in West Ashley, SC

A downtown Charleston women’s apparel retailer recently bought an adjacent building that once housed another clothing shop and now has a satellite operation on the upper peninsula as part of its expanded footprint.

An affiliate of Hampden Clothing, owned by Stacy Smallwood, purchased the former Anne’s women’s clothing shop at 312 King St. for $3.25 million in November, according to Charleston County land records.

It serves as an extension to Hampden’s flagship store at 314 King and its counterpart shoe store James next door.

The apparel store has been growing its presence on the peninsula in recent years. It now occupies more than 10,000 square feet of retail space on middle King, including Small by Hampden at 324 King.

The retailer also recently leased the former Barrie Newman Building at 747 Meeting St., according to the commercial real estate firm NAI Charleston.

The retailer will use the 7,200-square-foot rental space as an e-commerce and distribution office to focus on the company’s growing online business. Special events, such as partnerships with brands, also are planned at the site for shoppers.

The newly leased property in the area called NoMo, for North Morrison, backs up to the planned Lowcountry Lowline linear park that will run along the peninsula’s spine. The site also is close to Interstate 26 and offers on-site, off-street parking.

“The iconic building is a perfect fit for the internationally recognized boutique,” said Sarah Shelley, of NAI Charleston, who represented Hampden Clothing LLC as the tenant.

Jack Owens, also of NAI Charleston, represented the building owner, AD Meeting LLC, which paid $2.25 million for the property in December 2020, according to land records.

What’s cooking?

A new dessert-type eatery is in the works for West Ashley.

Big Dough Daddy LLC recently leased 1,581 square feet at 3863 West Ashley Circle, off Bees Ferry Road, according to the commercial real estate firms Avison Young and Bridge Corporate Solutions.

The venture will be called Cookie Dough Bliss & Creamery and will offer cookies, cookie dough, ice cream and other treats, according to owner Jason Keyser of West Ashley.

An opening is tentatively planned for April or May. His partner, Kitty McDowell, will be the general manager. She previously worked at the creamery’s location in North Carolina.

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The Concord, N.C.-based company has 11 locations in eight states. The West Ashley site will be its first in South Carolina.

On the way

A five-building commercial complex is the newest proposal for a developing area in Cainhoy.

The planned Foundation Place at Point Hope on Clements Ferry Road north of the Publix-anchored Point Hope Commons Shopping Center will include 38,000 square feet of retail, restaurant and office space on about 4.5 acres.

Plans call for 22,000 square feet of office, retail and fast-casual restaurant space, including a coffee shop with a drive-thru, as well as a 16,000-square-foot, two-story medical office building, according to site plans.

Three buildings are slated to be 6,000 square feet each while another with the drive-thru window will be 4,000 square feet.

The developer is listed as Vulcan Property Group of Fort Mill, which is building the new 25,000-square-foot Serendipity Labs co-working structure in Nexton in Summerville. The co-working space is expected to open during the summer.

Stretching out

The Charleston franchise owner of a new Chicago-based fitness firm is planning four more locations across the Lowcountry after launching his first operation earlier this month in southern Mount Pleasant.

Franchisee John Youngblood said he plans to open Spenga fitness sites in northern Mount Pleasant, James Island, the Summerville area and West Ashley. Specific locations and opening schedules have not been determined.

Youngblood opened the initial Spenga site in a 4,000-square-foot space at 996 Johnnie Dodds Blvd. in the Publix-anchored Queensborough Shopping Center in Mount Pleasant on Jan. 8. A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held Jan. 18.

Spenga combines spin, strength training and yoga.

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - The Charleston County School Board of Trustees has okayed a plan from staff to replace the current C.E. Williams North campus with a new school.

At a Committee of the Whole meeting on Tuesday, the board voted to continue the current middle school configuration in West Ashley dividing sixth-grade students from seventh and eighth-grade students who currently go to C.E. Williams South, near West Ashley High School.

The plan that would replace the sixth-grade campus would also allow Pattison’s Academy for Comprehensive Education (PACE) to fund the design and construction of its facilities on the North campus. PACE is a specialty charter school run by a non-profit for students with multiple disabilities. They’re currently operating out of the former St. Andrews Middle School location.

The board committee also approved the expansion of the seventh/eighth grade C.E. Williams South campus by adding eight classrooms.

Despite the new building for sixth-grade students, the district’s plan does not expand capacity. The current building is underutilized with an enrollment of 363 this year. The building capacity is 904 according to data presented at the meeting.

The new building will be built to hold 600 students, with an expansion capacity of 900. This stands in stark contrast to the South campus which is nearing capacity. That building holds 969 students and currently has 835 students.

However, the district contends West Ashley is not growing as fast as it appears. If current projections remain unchanged the North campus is not expected to exceed 431 students in the next six years. The South campus is expected to peak at 848 students over the same time period.

Former West Ashley High School principal Lee Runyon says the district says the district’s plan is not properly taking into account growth in West Ashley.

“I think that the current plan is again short-sighted and smacks of continued use of taxpayer dollars to try and put a Band-Aid on the problem of systemic growth,” Runyon said. “Anytime you’re running an organization, you’re either growing or you’re dying. If the district is projecting flatline growth in a community that is exploding with residential growth, I think that’s poor leadership.”

Parents like Ragan DuBose-Morris say there are plenty of kids in West Ashley, but many parents are opting to send their middle schoolers out of District 10 to seek out more traditional options.

“West Ashley is the only area in Charleston County that does not have a traditional K-12 pipeline so that you can attend at a traditional elementary, middle and high school configuration,” DuBose-Morris said. “That has been a problem.”

The district’s own numbers suggest only 65 percent of students living in West Ashley attend the two campuses. Despite living in West Ashley, DuBose-Morris chooses to take her children to schools in North Charleston. She says whenever a child has to move to a new school there’s a transitional period that disrupts education. She says she wants to eliminate as many of those transitions as possible.

“They [children] have the knowledge of being in an environment for six through 12th grade,” DuBose-Morris said. “So we have stability, they’re not transitioning between schools. The guidance counselors know who they are. Their teachers know who they are. They’re able to progress through a process in which they have support.”

The current configuration was initiated in part to produce more diverse schools. Constituent board chair for District 10 (West Ashley) Rodney Lewis says the schools are now more diverse and the sixth-grade academy model can work. He says the smaller classes away from the influence of older students are helpful for students to enter adolescents.

“Any time there’s a new program it never just jumps off the first two or three years,” Lewis said. “You got to work it. It’s like a business. You start a business you won’t go to the top automatically. You have to grow there. Allow this to grow and you will see how it works.”

The project is part of the Phase Five Capital Buildings Program that is being funded by a one percent sales tax approved by voters in 2020. The project is budgeted for $40 million and is expected to be completed in 2026.

Copyright 2022 WCSC. All rights reserved.

Mama always taught you to share.

And now’s your moment to shine. Thanks to a new bike-share program in Charleston, you can use a bike for a bit, park it somewhere else and then let somebody else use it later. Pat yourself on the back, you just shared!

This is the basic premise of a bike share – stations are placed strategically around the area, and for a small fee, bikes can be taken from or returned there – something Charleston has had in previous years, but now, more people will be able to experience the joys of sharing. That’s because last week, at a launch party for Lime – a bike-share company with roots in hundreds of cities across five continents – the City of Charleston, the Medical University of South Carolina and the mobility company announced a new partnership consisting of more than 200 e-bikes at stations scattered around the city.

But wait, what’s an e-bike? Well, that’s a great question I just asked for you.

An e-bike is an electric bike that doesn’t do all the work for you but, rather, gives you a pedal assist. What that means is, when you pedal, the bike goes, “Whoa, take it easy there Lance Armstrong, let me help you.” So whether you’re pedaling on a flat street or up a steep hill (Charlestonians have heard legends of these), it’s as easy as key lime pie.

A big reason why the e-bike announcement is so exciting is because pedal-assist opens up the possibility of biking to people of all sizes and ages. And the partnership with MUSC – where one of the more prominent bike hubs is located – is part of the teaching hospital’s continued commitment to advocating for healthier lifestyles.

“This fits so well with where MUSC wants to go in terms of community, accessibility and most importantly, health and wellness,” said Patrick Cawley, M.D., MUSC Health CEO and vice president for Health Affairs, University.

Charleston Mayor John Tecklenburg also touted the health benefits but couldn’t help getting a little excited about the bikes themselves.

“Wait until you ride one of these bikes,” he said. “Man, you give that thing just one stroke, and you’re off.”

Not only are they easy to ride, they’re hard to miss. Neon green and white with a huge front basket for carrying gear, groceries, a small dog possibly, there were more than 20 bikes available to test ride at the partnership launch near MUSC’s Urban Farm. Faculty members, students and staff took turns testing out the bikes. Riders simply download the Lime app, enter in their personal information – MUSC employees get a 70% discount on all rides – and they’re off.

MUSC Health-Charleston CEO David Zaas, M.D., could not have look more delighted to be on one of the e-bikes, his white lab coat flapping in the wind as he zoomed around the giant oak tree near the Dental Clinic.

“That was great!” he said as he smiled at everyone.

Kimberly Kascak, assistant professor in MUSC’s office of interprofessional initiatives, wanted to see what all the hubbub was about, so she stopped and gave one of the bikes a try – and she was pretty impressed.

“If they’re going to have stations all around town, I could park my car where there isn’t as much traffic, hop on one of these and get where I want to go quickly and without having to worry about parking,” she said. “I could actually see using this.”

To begin, Lime will have 27 e-bike stations spread across the peninsula. How to pay, riding rules as well as where those stations are located are all available within the app. In the coming months and years, Lime also hopes to expand to West Ashley, Mount Pleasant and North Charleston.

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) – City of Charleston officials are moving forward with their next steps in the multi-million dollar Ashley River Crossing project.

The first reading of moving forward with funding was approved during Tuesday’s Charleston City Council Meeting.

The city is now waiting for the federal government to approve the next steps with a one million dollar grant. Bicyclists in the area say they are excited to see connectivity for thousands of residents in the area to enjoy.

“This particular bridge is not only an important gap to address on its own, but it’s propelling all of these other connections to get into place,” says Katie Zimmerman, the Executive Director of Charleston Moves.

City of Charleston officials are moving forward with submitting plans to start designing and building the Ashley River Crossing project. Mayor John Tecklenburg says construction is expected to start early next year to create a greenway and paths linking the Upper Peninsula and West Ashley.

“We are really making incredible progress that’s why we are all excited. an important piece of this with the cost of living is making sure you have all the funding in place,” says Mayor Tecklenburg.

Zimmerman hasn’t owned a car in 16 years and her main mode of transportation is her bike. She crosses the bridge almost every day and says this project is needed to improve safety as sidewalks are very narrow.

“I do not drive I don’t own a car. Bicycling is the most efficient way for me to get across it. I don’t think motorists realize how close they actually are to those of us who are on that side path,” says Zimmerman.

The project is expected to provide pedestrian and bicycle paths that are 21 feet wide. Mayor Tecklenburg says will improve mobility for thousands of people, especially in the highly populated medical district.

“It is a mobility piece for our city and it’s going to take cars off the road. It will also provide a remarkable recreation and quality of life addition,” says Mayor Tecklenburg.

The projects are expected to cost around $41 million in total and city leaders expect the project to be completed by 2026.

Development in West Ashley around Bees Ferry Road has been dominated by multifamily growth — a trend the city of Charleston planning director said the city wasn’t expecting when development of annexed areas began in the late 1990s.

“Years ago, the assumption was that there was going to be a huge amount of retail demand,” said Christopher Morgan, planning director for Charleston. “There are a couple of new multifamily developments right near West Ashley High School on the Glen McConnell Parkway that are on properties that are zoned general business.”

Morgan said that general business in the city allows for 26 units per acre for residential, and the market has responded. Developers who might have invested time and money into office buildings 20 years ago are often choosing multifamily construction.

Early major multifamily developments included Grand Oaks Plantation, built in the late 1990s that added more than 1,400 homes with an entrance from Bees Ferry Road; Hunt Club, built in the early 2000s with approximately 500 homes also off Bees Ferry Road and Carolina Bay, an 1,800-home multifamily development five minutes from Bees Ferry Road.

Smaller multifamily developments currently in the works, according to Morgan, include 38 single-family lots at Verbena Lane and Apiary Lane at the end of U.S. Highway 17 and Bees Ferry Road. Developers recently announced 55 single-family homes off of U.S. 17 on Hughes Lane near the 17 and Bees Ferry Road intersection.

Multifamily development is occurring on both sides of U.S. Highway 17 in the area. Palisades of Charleston apartments, with several hundred units, is nearing completion near the intersection of Main Road and U.S. 17.

Support retail has followed the rooftops and includes a number of grocery stores, including Publix, Harris Teeter and Lowe’s Food stores.

With demand from multifamily developments comes with the need for improved road infrastructure. Major road widening projects are in the works to keep up with the number of cars on U.S. 17, Main Road and Bees Ferry Road thoroughfares.

In 2016, road improvement projects were identified by Charleston County to be paid for with the transportation half-cent sales tax. Considered “a project of regional significance,” per county documents, the $195 million road improvements could include a flyover at U.S. Highway 17 at Main Road and widening Main Road from Bees Ferry Road to Betsy Kerrison Parkway.

The first improvement will be for U.S. 17 and Main Road intersection improvements and Main Road improvements from Bees Ferry Road to River Road. Right of way plans for the first segment were expected to be complete at the end of 2020.

Bob Nuttall, managing principal and founder of Lee & Associates Charleston, said road improvement projects move at a considerably slower pace than private development. Nuttall, who specializes in office, retail, industrial, land and investment products, said a better solution to keep road congestion down would be to build denser multifamily developments with neighborhood retail.

“Any private development could go from zero to done in under 24 months, but any government project is going to be three times that long, if not longer,” Nuttall said. “The office, the retail, the warehouse, the multifamily — all that’s being built faster than any roads can ever keep up with, but I think that higher density is one way to help solve that problem.”

Nuttall said there’s no stopping the influx of people moving to the Lowcountry, but higher-density multifamily development, where units are built taller above a ground-floor level of retail and commercial spaces or neighborhood commercial spaces where residents can walk to without getting in their cars is a way to curb road congestion.

“There’s only two directions that you can grow in an area like Charleston — up or out. So, you either have to do the higher density stuff, like what’s happening on Morrison Drive, which I think is the right move, or build out wider,” Nuttall said. “The Glen McConnell Parkway expansion opened the opportunity for easy ingress and egress. And now it’s this kind of gangbusters. People are talking about how Bees Ferry Road already has so much traffic on it at peak times.”

Nuttall said is encouraged by the Medical University of South Carolina moving a clinic into the Citadel Mall in West Ashley and Roper St. Francis opening an Express Care in the area. He said that keeps needed services nearby, which reduces commute times.

He said West Ashley could benefit from beautifying its roads, similar to road beautification surrounding Park Circle in North Charleston.

“There really doesn’t seem to be a comprehensive plan (for West Ashley),” Nuttall said. “If there was more density, people wouldn’t have to drive so far to get places and do things. The city of Charleston really wants to grow, and I think it’s a great spot for them to embrace it.”