RICHARDSON COLUMN: Carnes Crossroads development moving forward in Goose Creek

The Lowcountry's dwindling inventory and uptick in home prices are compelling builders to fast-forward projects once-frozen by the nation's housing meltdown.

Last week's column cited Mount Pleasant's newly resurrected Carolina Park subdivision opening three model homes for viewing and six homes under construction.

The highly touted development is buzzing after weeding through some issues stemming from the housing crash.

Now, one of the region's latest developments moving forward is Carnes Crossroads, the mixed-use development on a 4,300-acre site at U.S. highways 176 and 17A in Goose Creek.

The massive project is showing progress with streetscaping and construction of the first single-story homes, starting at $230,000, in St. Thomas Park, the community's first neighborhood, officials said.

Construction crews also are building a residential home that will be completed in January and serve as the information center for the development.

The Berkeley County development has been in the works since 2006. Plans have included as many as 6,000 homes and several million square feet of commercial space to set up shop over a two-decade span.

In 2008, the development made headlines when high-end grocer Harris Teeter unveiled plans to build a store to anchor The Market at Carnes Crossroads' retail hub. The grocer later stalled that development, as well as some other Lowcountry expansion plans.

In other news:

The S.C. Department of Consumer Affairs has extended the deadline for the Independent Foreclosure Review program to Dec. 31.

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and the Federal Reserve issued the extension as an attempt to encourage more consumer participation.

Borrowers are eligible for a review if their primary residence was in the foreclosure process in 2009 or 2010. If the reviewer finds that the mortgage company's errors, misrepresentations or deficiencies during the foreclosure process caused the consumer harm, an appropriate remedy will be given, officials said.

Information can be found at https://independent foreclosurereview.com or 888-952-9105.

Tyrone Richardson can be reached at 937-5550 or twitter.com/tyrichardson PC.