Noisette area wins praise
Cottage Living magazine honors neighborhood as a top 10 reuse community
By Warren Wise
The Post and Courier
The editor of Cottage Living magazine said he was so impressed with the Noisette area of North Charleston that the magazine is considering building a show house in I'On's Mixson Avenue project in 2009.
The Post and Courier
The 10 best
Cottage Living magazine's top 10 reuse neighborhoods:
1. Serenbe, Palmetto, Ga.
2. Baldwin's Run, Camden, N.J.
3. Northwest Crossing, Bend, Ore.
4. Parkview, Redding, Calif.
5. Agritopia, Gilbert, Ariz.
6. Arbolera de Vida, Albuquerque, N.M.
7. Holiday, Boulder, Colo.
8. Westside, Kansas City, Mo.
9. Noisette, North Charleston.
10. Prairie Crossing, Grays- lake, Ill.
The 3,000-acre area around the old Navy base in North Charleston has been named a top 10 cottage community in the nation by Cottage Living magazine for its adaptive reuse of existing buildings and in-fill development.
"At North Charleston's historic core ... is a critical 3,000-acre zone that by the 1990s had mounting problems, including deteriorating prefab-home neighborhoods, rundown public housing projects, outdated utilities and a decommissioned Navy yard," Cottage Living magazine said.
"Today, those 3,000 acres — dubbed Noisette, after an 18th-century botanist — are being reshaped in a massive effort that may indeed result in a model new city, where sustainability and quality of life are the top priorities," the magazine said of the community's No. 9 ranking.
Cottage Living's criteria include styles of homes with unifying design elements and walkable streets, the people who live there and worked to change the area, the concepts behind the changes and the uniqueness of the homes.
"We look at quality of space rather than quantity of space," said Lindsay Bierman, executive editor of Cottage Living. He said the magazine was so impressed that it might build a show house in 2009 in I'On's Mixson Avenue project.
"It puts us in a category North Charleston is not accustomed to being in," Mayor Keith Summey said. "While we are still a leading industrial and business community, what we are doing for development and redevelopment is being recognized as being a good place to live. It's come a long way from where we have been."
It started seven years ago when the city targeted five severely blighted areas: the old war-era houses at Century Oaks and John C. Calhoun Homes near Park Circle; the state's largest public housing project at North Park Village between Rivers and Spruill avenues; the rundown Garco mill village north of Olde North Charleston's then-struggling business district; and the mothballed Charleston Naval Base.
"These were cancers to the community in that they were not only detrimental to themselves in property values, but they were also affecting surrounding properties," Summey said. "Nothing worked, so we went to radical surgery and tore them all down."
Oak Terrace Preserve, formerly Century Oaks, is now home to the first phase of 374 new environmentally friendly homes. Mixson Avenue, formerly John C. Calhoun Homes, is starting to sprout in the initial phase of 950 housing units. Horizon Village, formerly North Park Village, has nearly finished its 484 housing units.
The old Garco plant near Olde North Charleston is scheduled to be transformed into shops, residences and offices, and the Noisette Co. plans to redevelop 350 acres of the old Navy base into water basins, businesses and thousands of housing units.
Also, Clemson University's planned Restoration Institute around the Confederate submarine H.L. Hunley promises to bring thousands of jobs to the former Navy base, further transforming the area that extends from Filbin Creek to Reynolds Avenue.
North Charleston will officially announce the magazine's ranking at 10:30 a.m. today at City Hall at 4900 LaCross Road.
Reach Warren Wise at 745-5850 or wwise@ postandcourier.com.
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karmann (anonymous) says...
What is North Charleston's plan to put pressure on CCSD about the lack of quality of schools in North Charleston?
July 2, 2008 at 8:06 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
theronce (anonymous) says...
How much money has this praise cost the taxpayers. Over 10 years and millions of dollars with next to nothing to show for it...except for the Noisette crowd laughing all the way to the bank. Looks like they can fool enough of the crowd enough of the time.
July 2, 2008 at 8:11 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
shoelaces (anonymous) says...
It isn't the "lack of quality schools" in N. Charleston..it's the lack of quality families. I taught in North Charleston for a short time. I substitute taught at Brentwood...one time...bad stuff.
If Joe Riley was the mayor of North Charleston he would have already cleaned up this area. Look at how he runs all of his voters off the penninsula....and they just keep voting for him.
I do applaud N.Charleston for its efforts to clean up the area. It has a lot of promise in the future. Way in the future. Both my parents grew up in that area looooonnggg ago and it was quite different then. Good luck to them.
July 2, 2008 at 8:24 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Ayarkay (anonymous) says...
You guys will still be calling North Charleston the ghetto when my Park Circle house is worth 3 times what I paid for it, and your suburban slab house is falling down. Enjoy your name-calling, I'll just be walking up to EVO for dinner.
July 2, 2008 at 9:49 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
MissPriss (anonymous) says...
Park Circle has some nice houses and I love EVO!
July 2, 2008 at 9:52 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
cary (anonymous) says...
Wow, talk about pomposity...I'll gladly live around the "real folks" in North Chuck/Park Circle. Diverse population (can you handle that???), artists, free thinkers, musicians, professionals - the list goes on and on. Enjoy your taxes MTP and Chucktown! I'll stick with the simple and good life surrounded by some very cool people of all races and preferences (none of whom wear croakies).
July 2, 2008 at 10:03 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
wjhamilton3 (anonymous) says...
The CCSD School or the Arts and Academic Magnet High School are already in this area. Over the long haul, as transportation costs increase, this area should do well. In twenty years, we'll find our slums on the fringe of the urban area and people will be fighting to live near transit lines. McManions will be chopped up into cheap apartments with junker cars in the front yards and the overgrown remains of a golf course out back. Stranger things have happened in history.
July 2, 2008 at 10:39 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
halfsheli (anonymous) says...
I would take the culture and homes and people and character of Park Circle over any other area of Charleston. I know that most people feel that way about their communities. People surely have lots of reasons for living in Mt. P., West Ashley, Summerville, etc. And most of these people have never spent any real quality time in North Charleston. Just drive through it during the daily commute. So, they have no idea how nice parts of Morth CHarleston are.
But I suppose if people stopped to think, they might have to curtail their ignorant negativity. Any why would they do that. It's much more fun (I'm sure) to name call and put down.
Personally, I am excited about Noisette. I think that these new neighborhoods are lovely. I look forward to July 4th on the riverfront. I love riding my bicycle down to the Olde Village and having coffee at Richard's or a cold beer at the pub or yummy pizza at EVO.
See a positive outlook's not so hard. I hardly broke a sweat typing this up!
July 2, 2008 at 11:48 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
AlanC (anonymous) says...
The secret is finally getting out about how great the Park Circle community is. Those who work, live or visit there have known this for years. There are many negative posters on this site that paint North Charleston with a broad brush. There is crime everywhere and we have our share in certain pockets of North Charleston. But so does "south" Charleston, West Ashley, Mt. P and Berkeley county. North Charleston (especially the Park Circle area) is a progressive, forward thinking community with lots of character. Congrats to Park Circle on this national recognition.
July 2, 2008 at 12:05 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
shoelaces (anonymous) says...
Yep, Park Circle (and some others)is running the trash out of the area and trying to bring it back to what it once was.
That's a good thing!!! This area would be a great place to buy an investment property before some of the prices go too high.
I don't live on a slab in a cookie cutter neighborhood. What is EVO?
July 2, 2008 at 2:13 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
jat (anonymous) says...
I am not from Charleston originally but my husband and I have lived in Mt. Pleasant, Isle of Palms, Summerville, and now Park Circle. Park Circle is our favorite so far. The rest of you can keep your overpriced, high traffic, poorly developed neighborhoods. Why can't everyone leave North Charleston alone? Give them credit that they are actually trying to make changes for the good! Noisette is one of the most beautiful areas of Charleston. I am glad that I can say I live in a neighborhood and area that is doing its part to protect the environment and grow in a positive way.
July 2, 2008 at 3:52 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
lowcountrygirl711 (anonymous) says...
I moved to North Charleston in the Park Circle area 3 years ago with my husband and have absolutely no regrets. I have lived in Charleston about 8 years and have lived in all areas of the city. For the first time I feel like part of a community in Charleston. We have wonderful neighbors, feel extremely safe, and love all the diversity that surrounds us. I love inviting my friends and family to visit us and usually take them up to the town to eat at some of the amazing little restaurants such as Sesame, EVO or Park Circle Creamery or just to walk around the beautiful green spaces.
I am also excited that we have such amazing schools, regionally and nationally ranked, such as School of the Arts, Academic Magnetic, and Garret Academy just a few minutes way. Some of our friends drive 30+ minutes away to bring their kids to these schools.
If you have never visited, please come see what you think in person before generalizing North Charleston as just another dangerous city or believing everything you read.
July 2, 2008 at 9:56 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
david27 (anonymous) says...
I am a proud resident of North Charleston, and thus I can certainly understand the strong reactions and responses towards those who posted defamatory comments towards our community. However, I would offer two suggestions or perspectives regarding this matter to my fellow citizens of our fine city. First, no one attacks that which they do not perceive as a threat. Second, many of use moved to this area or remained in this area because it is one where barriers (social, economic, racial) are being removed and diversity flourishes. Many of us who moved to this area will also remember that there was likely a time when we did not hold this area in high esteem. But, we are now enlightened and can see all that this area has to offer. While I do believe in standing up for what you believe, there is nothing that needs to be defended. We have a thriving community, great schools, and commitment to preserve the assets that we have in this area both in terms of people and the environment. I am glad we are finally getting the recognition that is rightly deserved.
July 2, 2008 at 10:15 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
SCVOTER (anonymous) says...
Rock on Park Circle. You have to love a place that has 7 locations to get a drink in a 1/2 mile of each other. Don't forget about Charleston Farms. If you can ignore drug dealers killing each other it has a lot of potential.
Early: you are just jealous that your property will be going down in value as these infill urban areas prosper. I bet you have an SUV and a 30 min drive to work....good luck with $5/gallon gas.
July 3, 2008 at 8:14 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
a_set_love (anonymous) says...
Posted by theronce on July 2, 2008 at 8:11 a.m.
How much money has this praise cost the taxpayers.
All the lavash praise that the City of Charleston receives from Liberals costs millions. Then of course, the City of Charleston taxpayers have loads of money to waste on the platitudes heaped upon them.
July 3, 2008 at 8:22 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
disco (anonymous) says...
"And most of these people have never spent any real quality time in North Charleston. Just drive through it during the daily commute. So, they have no idea how nice parts of Morth CHarleston are."
I use to live in Park Circle and got out of there after several car break ins and one car was actually stolen and used for a drug deal and left in an abandoned parking lot. You guys can have the crime. I moved to Summerville and won't be turning back.
July 3, 2008 at 1:37 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
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