Development on massive scale
Despite weak economy, two companies team up to build huge commercial complex
The economy is gasping for air, but a German manufacturer and a Charleston real estate developer will unveil plans today for a huge commercial development near Interstate 26 and U.S. Highway 78.
The Post and Courier
The 1,500 acre Ingleside Tract is bounded by U.S. Highway 78 on the left and Interstate 26. A joint venture plans to develop about 300 acres of the tract. To date, only an apartment complex has been built on the property.
No tenants have been secured for the North Charleston project, and details were scarce Monday. But the basic plans call for a 300-acre complex that blends big-box retail stores, office space, hotels, restaurants and maybe a supermarket and a movie theater.
It's being touted as "the largest commercial development in the history of South Carolina," three times the size of the Centre Pointe complex across from the North Charleston Coliseum, according to a news release touting today's announcement.
"This is very big. This can carry (city revenues) for another 15 years," Mayor Keith Summey said, referring to the amount of time it took to develop Centre Pointe.
The scale of the proposed mixed-use project provoked mixed feelings.
"Wow, that's huge. What do they know that we don't know?" said Frank Hefner, a College of Charleston economist. "It's good that someone is optimistic about the next couple of years."
The complex is proposed for the largely undeveloped Ingleside Plantation/Blue House Swamp area between Ashley Phosphate Road and U.S. 78. The first phase would be about 110 acres on the north end of the site near U.S. 78.
Previous stories
Owner agrees to put restrictions on Weber tract, published 07/17/06
Cabela's fishing for site; Retailer said to be eyeing 1,800-acre N. Charleston tract, published 07/22/06
It will be developed by Summerville-based Weber USA, a major automotive parts manufacturer that owns about 1,500 contiguous acres at Ingleside.
Weber, a privately owned German company, is forming a joint venture with the Charleston-based Weiser Companies, which worked for years on the Centre Pointe project before getting it off the ground. Company officials were unavailable for comment Monday.
The project is a gamble given the state of the economy, but Hefner said other commercial real estate developers across the country are taking the same approach: building during a downturn to position themselves to capitalize on the eventual rebound.
The site has been looked at previously by Cabela's, the hunting and fishing retail giant that stirred a political fire storm last year when the General Assembly approved tax incentives to lure it to the state.
Summey said the Ingleside commercial project won't compete with existing nearby retail centers such as Centre Pointe or Northwoods Mall because it will cater to customers who live and work in the developing Summerville-Goose Creek-Moncks Corner corridor.
It also could diversify the region's retail base by attracting companies that aren't operating in the Charleston area now.
The Post and Courier
Hefner said that while this type of development sometimes draws in new businesses and customers, it also sometimes "cannibalizes" the existing retail market.
"It's going to change the competitive arena," he said. "It's really a question of how much development is going to take place up there. And that's an open question."
The news flabbergasted a regular shopper at Northwoods Mall and a regular Citadel Mall shopper.
"I think it's foolish. I really don't think it's necessary," Karen Hunter of Hanahan said as she headed into the Belk department store at Northwoods. She said she thought it would affect business at the mall, but that she wouldn't shop at the new center because it's too far for her.
"We really don't need anyone competing with the stores we have now. I think we have plenty of shopping in Charleston," said Donna Jarrell of West Ashley, who shops at Citadel Mall.
The news drew mixed reactions from two residents in Colony North, a community just east of the Ingleside tract. Everyone in the community knew something was coming; they just didn't know what, said Melissa Schleich, whose home backs up to the property.
"I'm not super-thrilled about it," she said. But, yes, she probably would shop there; it will be so close. Across the street, Bridney Williams said she'd like a retail outlet that size to open there, saying it would be more convenient.
The proposed development is another large commercial complex in a city with a stated goal of creating urban, mixed-use residential and business areas, helping defuse a "sprawl" trend of development that has people living and traveling long distances from where they work and shop.
The city has been championed for its sustainable living efforts and criticized for an annexation binge that encourages urban sprawl.
Summey said the first phase of the project doesn't include residential building but future phases could. There are residential zones in the overall 1,500-acre Ingleside tract.
"We're slow right now," he said, "but we will continue to grow."
Warren Wise and John McDermott contributed to this report. Reach Bo Petersen at 745-5852 or bpetersen@postandcourier.com.
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Comments
charlestonscman (anonymous) says...
Another nail in the coffin for Citadel Mall
November 11, 2008 at 8:16 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
blah_blah_blah (anonymous) says...
Thats it!
I'm outta here!
enjoy the mess, my beautiful lowcountry.
November 11, 2008 at 8:33 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
exorcist_pencocky4u (anonymous) says...
We need more industries not shops!
November 11, 2008 at 8:52 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
bookworm (anonymous) says...
I hope they preserve all of this historic sites that are located on that property.
November 11, 2008 at 9:02 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
scmariner (anonymous) says...
I hope it doesn't cause an event like Charles town square to evolve.
November 11, 2008 at 9:16 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
wjhamilton3 (anonymous) says...
This seems to be sprawl. We need to be working on building a sustainable, connected urbanized core for the Lowcountry so people can access high paying employment, education, shopping and civic and cultural opportunities while wasting less energy and time. This will cannibalize existing retail West of the Ashley and in N. Charleston, resulting in losses of tax revenue in areas where we've already build infrastructure. Soon people will be screaming for new roads, drainage and schools in this area, all required taxes to pay for them.
Obviously, the Lowcountry needs more retail development like a hole in the head. We need jobs, income and tax base.
We'll end up with dead shopping areas and underutilized commercial property in our urban core, causing property tax revenues and real estate values to drop. We've been doing this for twenty years. We know it doesn't work. It's been conclusively proved in Atlanta.
On the bright side, a major railroad line does run through this area. If the proposed commuter rail service to and from Charleston is implemented, this would be the natural place to end the line and construct major park and ride facilities.
However, the current dip in oil and gasoline prices isn't going to last. If people believe this will work because parking lots will fill with SUVs running on two dollar a gallon gas, they're mistaken. When the economy comes back, oil prices will rise. We had better use our current opportunity to get ready.
We would do far better to continue to work on redeveloping N. Charleston and the neck.
November 11, 2008 at 9:24 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
icbmman (anonymous) says...
Do all of you now see what I'm talking about when I say that Summey is trying to make his city the primary city in the entire region? Do you also see how SUMMEY should be the one to get the blame for many of the growth problems in the region?
Let's think about this guy's dreams of economic conquest and literal idiocy: he places a coliseum, convention center, and outlet mall DIRECTLY in the designated crash zone and runway approach for the international airport AND the Air Force base. He has no added infrastructure to accomodate the thousands of vehicles that travel through the city for work (connector highways to West Ashley and Summerville would make sense). Now, in the face of a definite recession for this quarter, he wants to place ANOTHER shopping center near Trident Hospital and CSU where traffic is on the brink of being congested as it is.
The selfishness and complete lack of foresight is just beyond me. Citadel Mall may not be affected that much; granted, it's already taken some hits with Tanger. However, this proposed shopping center WILL hurt the Northwoods area.
What's even more telling is how the metro area leaders continue to whine about a lack of regional cooperation in development, but then you have asinine plans like this. Folks, if there ever was a need to merge cities together and have better planning for growth, this is another reason.
November 11, 2008 at 9:27 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
onesidedsquare (anonymous) says...
@exorcist_pencocky4u
You're right, we need more industry around here, the dock and paper mill workers can only support so many malls.
This is fairly depressing
November 11, 2008 at 9:27 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
wjhamilton3 (anonymous) says...
A correction, this isn't as far out as I thought. It's on the rail line, which is good, but I can't imagine why we need a major retail center in that location.
All over the nation you see this happen. Residential development spawls out, with younger families generating a lot of sales in towards town. Families get older and sales fall. Spawl pushes further out and a new retail center gets constructed in the urban fringe to intercept the trade, which chokes off the established retail centers, causing decline. That's why you can find a dead mall or supercenter every five miles running out along major highways near big cities. Thats why Charlestowne Square and Ashley Plaza died a decade ago.
I'm told in Chicago, LA and Richmond there can be as many ad five or six of these places along a major road. The dead shopping center built in the 1950s (Pinehaven, Shipwatch Square). The Dead Mall built in the 1970s. Charlestontown Square then the Struggling Mall (Northwoods) and finally the new mall.
It's incredibly wasteful. It generates huge amounts of traffic. It's eating up the countryside to build a landscape that will fail.
We need to build places that last and work.
November 11, 2008 at 9:32 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
dawhetsell (anonymous) says...
All the BIG-BOX stores are declaring Bankruptcy and these people say they don't know of anyone yet. I don't think this bird will fly in the next 20 years.
November 11, 2008 at 9:36 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
flyingopinion (anonymous) says...
I am THRILLED to live in a city that is still experiencing growth! North Charleston has an unfair reputation. I would prefer a mayor that is aggressively moving towards growth and opportunity, then most of these other cities that sit on their hands and would rather preserve an old building versus providing jobs!
THANK YOU, Mayor Summey, for brining in new business. This provides jobs and tax revenue! I'm glad that North Charleston is the local haven to do business! If Riley doesn't get with the program, his entire city will be bowing at the feet of the employment opportunities in North Charleston!
November 11, 2008 at 9:37 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
justjerry (anonymous) says...
I think that this is great. A large development like this will take many years to develop and create thousands of jobs in construction, property management and retail. Although the dock and papermill do have a large number of employees they are not nearly the major employers they have been in the past. I am glad that Mayor Summey has the foresight and vision to help enable a plan that will insure long term growth of jobs and revenue for the City of North Charleston.
November 11, 2008 at 9:41 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
burton (anonymous) says...
"Build it, and they will come!"
November 11, 2008 at 9:46 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
northeastguy (anonymous) says...
This is great for this city and area. All you anti development people need to get out more and explore the world. Projects like this set the seeds for expansion and further business development.
You can't live off your tabbaacccooo forever. Welcome to the 21 st century, like it or not.
November 11, 2008 at 9:53 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
mkris (anonymous) says...
wjhamilton3, nicely thought-out posts.
It will alawys amaze me how stupid these guys are. I just look at the decisions that were made in other areas and watch as the same decisions are repeated over and over again here. These decisions will destroy the very reason why this area is a great place to live.
November 11, 2008 at 9:54 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
sailaway (anonymous) says...
Sounds like Mayor Summey's excitement is over the jobs and revenue to be generated by the construction project itself. But then what? It's a short-term source of funds, perhaps to be followed by abandoned shops and out-of-business retailers, and they don't employ ANYONE.
November 11, 2008 at 9:56 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
northeastguy (anonymous) says...
Mayor Summey should be governor, I think he is the smartest guy in this state from what I have seen. People are always free to move into the backwoods.
November 11, 2008 at 10:01 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
icbmman (anonymous) says...
I think some of these pro-Summey posts are baits from trolls. They're too stupid and extreme to really take them seriously.
Here's a question for you pro-Summey people to consider: how do like the fact that Summey continues to preside over a city that is the 5th most dangerous city in the nation? How do you like him when he makes comments about the crime level as no big deal?
November 11, 2008 at 10:07 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
northeastguy (anonymous) says...
I'm not afraid to walk on any street in North Charleston. If you think this place is dangerous, let me drop you off in parts of Phili, Balt, DC, Detriot, or NY.
And those that say there is plenty of shopping or stores, in this town; you have got to be kidding. Unless, Walmart and Target are your idea of plenty of shops, lol.
November 11, 2008 at 10:17 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
northeastguy (anonymous) says...
MACY's and Ikea sure would be nice, I'll also take one more Costco and some real stores inside the Mall. Those other two so called malls could be shut down imo. I know i'd never miss them. There are basically no stores in those places. Of course Summey is right. I can't believe there are so many people that fail to understand how economic development works.
November 11, 2008 at 10:33 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
justjerry (anonymous) says...
I, for one, am in no way a troll. I do know and see on a daily basis the positive work that Mayor Summey has done for the City of North Charleston. I fail to see how you equate a desire for more economic growth as a bad thing, I would see lack of understanding of how that would benefit a community as being the stupid opinion. But, I do not consider anyone's opinions stupid. If I disagree I tend to write them off to the ignorance of the person spewing them.
As far as your comment about crime, I feel much safer in North Charleston now than I did 5, 10 or 15 years ago. I see the hard work that Mayor Summey and Chief Zumalt do on a daily basis and it's results. I see where the criminals are getting forced into smaller and smaller geographic areas of the city and getting arrested more often. I see that despite a increasing population that the crime rates in some categories have dropped and stayed flat in many others. I feel much more at risk walking around downtown Charleston or West Ashley than I do walking around my neighborhood in North Chuck.
November 11, 2008 at 10:33 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
icbmman (anonymous) says...
I've been to those cities as well as Compton in LA. Take a walk around half of the north area at night, and you could easily mistake it for ghettos and high-crime neighborhoods in the bigger cities.
The issue is not the amount of stores or shopping in the Charleston area; it's a matter of where they are being located. Redevelopment of old shopping centers and infusing energy in the current ones should be able to accomodate any demand for additional shops, restaurants, and hotels. As indicated by the first poster on this article, the Citadel Mall continues to be neglected and forgotten, yet it serves a demographic that has a higher average income than in the north area. There is also plenty of land around the mall that could accomodate what Weber is proposing here.
Proper application of developments will make things better. I have serious doubts in Northwoods Mall's future if this proposal becomes a reality.
November 11, 2008 at 10:41 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
justjerry (anonymous) says...
I believe the coffin has been shut on Citadel Mall for along time already. It was already in decline when I was working in retail 12 years ago. If they had redeveloped Northwoods into Tanger you would not have what you have today, two large and prosperous shopping centers.
November 11, 2008 at 10:49 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
icbmman (anonymous) says...
The primary reason why the malls are not doing well is because of management. They're owned and managed by CBL & Associates Properties, a company that owns mostly declining malls in the Southeast. Other malls, such as Columbia Place have declined far worse than Citadel, but Citadel could eventually achieve a similar situation if the company continues to do nothing.
The north city proposing another retail center only exacerbates the situation.
November 11, 2008 at 11:08 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
exorcist_pencocky4u (anonymous) says...
I will agree with Mayor Summey on one thing, this development is being placed at the "Heart" of the Tri-County Metro Area.
Perhaps the city of Charleston can buy out the Citadel Mall shopping center and redevelop it, with the new president "0"s help, into a new housing project. Affordable blocks of apartments for rent for the victims of "0"s new policys.
I have already heard rumors of the failing City of Charleston seeking info about becoming part of the Greater City of North Charleston, instead of just a meaningless suburb. I hope that never happens, I say let them fail, that way the City of North Charleston can pick them up for alot cheaper.
November 11, 2008 at 11:14 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
justjerry (anonymous) says...
With the prospect of more competition coming in and potentially damaging Northwoods Mall beyond hope I would think that would provide an incentive for CBL to improve their management plan to survive. If they do not, they will go the way of Charlestown Square Mall and fail and lead the way for someone else to invest in their valuable piece of property and do well with it.
November 11, 2008 at 11:19 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
flyingopinion (anonymous) says...
I'm certain that most of the negative comments are coming from people that don't even live in North Charleston. I relocated to North Charleston in January and after looking at all of the surrounding cities, I chose N Charleston because of the potential the city is providing. If you don't want congestion and traffic, move to Holly Hill! If you want to start and business and find a job, come to North Charleston!
North Charleston has taken some big blows, such as the closer of the Navy Base, but it is rebounding, finally! Thanks to Keith Summey and capitalism! My wife was held up in an Armed Robbery, in Goose Creek of all places (not North Charleston)! I would walk any street in North Charleston, before I hit some areas of downtown Charleston.
November 11, 2008 at 11:21 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
anon (anonymous) says...
Yes northeastguy, that is the problem around here. People think that places like Ross, Marshalls and TJMaxx are considered decent shopping because they don't know any better. To me they are one step above a thrift shop with their second hand rejects. The article states the center will cater to the residents of Summerville, Goose Creek and Moncks Corner. Being a resident I can tell you firsthand that there is basically no decent shopping to choose from without having to travel all the way to Mt. Pleasant or King Street which is a PITA if you just want to run out for something. With the future growth in the Cane Bay area coming this will be a much needed addition and a boost to the area. Progress is just what this area needs.
November 11, 2008 at 11:24 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
PalmettoDP (anonymous) says...
From a business standpoint, I don't think this is a smart decistion - but like the CofC economist said - maybe they know something we don't.
November 11, 2008 at 11:27 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
northeastguy (anonymous) says...
anon, good post ! yes my wife and i relocated from a larger city and all she does is complain about all the stores that are not here. I guess it's true for the locals that never lived anywhere else, "you don't miss what you never had", but with that being said, I think the metro area of Charleston can handle one decent shopping mall. It won't be the end of the world and in fact if they build it right and have the good stores people may travel here from Orangeburg, Columbia and Myrtle Beach to shop. And guess what, if those people come here and spend their cash here that will benefit N. Charleston. Thank You Mayor, and please give these people some real stores. By the way, the Super Walmart is not a Mall !
November 11, 2008 at 11:35 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
KidYendor (anonymous) says...
I would much rather have the trees than more unneeded retail space. There are plenty of vacant or soon to be vacant places to open stores already.
November 11, 2008 at 1:10 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
flyingopinion (anonymous) says...
The wonderful thing about the Free Market is that if you wanted the trees, you should have bought the land and you can do with it what you want. If the owner of the land wants to develop it, then so be it! South Carolina is so far behind in development, because the residents complain about anything new happening!
November 11, 2008 at 1:16 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
justjerry (anonymous) says...
flyingopinion - Here Here!
Or, as in the case with Mr Weber, worked hard to build a multinational company starting in your parents garage, created thousands upon thousands of jobs around the world and then decided to take some of the extra land that you own around one of your facilities and use it for something different that you believe will benefit the community and make you a profit.
November 11, 2008 at 2:07 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
KidYendor (anonymous) says...
I just like green forests and trees instead of new big parking lots and stores while old, big, empty parking lots and closed stores are already there for the taking for new store wannabees. If you want urban sprawl go to Charlotte and Atlanta. Lets fill the glut of vacant properties first before we end up with a mess sort of like the housing market glut. Vacant commercial properties are not good for owners trying to pay property taxes.
November 11, 2008 at 2:52 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
wegwam (anonymous) says...
gee what yall thinkin? dont you know that all politicians (including summey) are always looking out for us regular folks. dadgum why dont us locals know nothin. northeast guy is so right. he is so smart. he wants to build, build, build. maybe we could even try and model the lowcountry into a boston or philly. the lowcounty would be perfect if 2 million people lived here. wouldnt that be great. then northeast guy might leave. that would be cool if north chas looked like newark. hell im not smart enough to figure it out.
i gotta good idea. in 20 years we build a brand new, bigger than ever commercial center at mile 190. thats the goal right? fill every swamp with run off between the atlantic ocean and orangeburg.
some people are like locusts.
i like the part where the guy says we need more high end stores. then the part about it attracting people from o'burg, m-b, etc. newsflash bubba: not many people from those areas are shopping in high end stores.
November 11, 2008 at 3:53 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
SpongeMunkie (anonymous) says...
What historical sites are in that area?
November 11, 2008 at 4:16 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
justjerry (anonymous) says...
Like it or not we have created a very attractive community that a lot of people want to move to. I would make a pretty educated guess that in twenty years we will have a large commercial center a little North of Jedburg and we will probably have another 125K people living in the area. In fifty years we will probably be about the size of Charlotte. Charleston is a boomtown which may be annoying to some but will benefit many others from the top of the economic scale to the bottom over the long haul.
Mayor Summey in his time in office has done many things to make our area, and specifically North Charleston, more attractive to live in and move to. He has brought numerous new investments into the area which have created jobs and places to live for many, many people. He has further added to the area by putting in a convention center and has restricted many areas from growth by declaring them green space.
Mayor Summey has done a tremendous job in looking out for the interests of North Charleston in the face of sometimes hostile surrounding neighbors and a city that was incorporated with little planning at all. If you are not happy with his work either don't live in North Charleston, move out of North Charleston or run against him in the next election.
November 11, 2008 at 4:28 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
2cents (anonymous) says...
Thanks Wegwam!
Why take up precious land building a massive retail complex when there are SO MANY empty ones that could be refurbished? Don't they know that if death has come to nearby stores, it will come to them as well?? Summey needs to go. As for those of you who think he's on the up and up...just ask one of North Charleston's finest...they'll tell you he's not.
November 11, 2008 at 4:43 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
yird (anonymous) says...
Where are all these people going to work,in the stores that they are spending their money in?
Seems like an unsustainable situation.
November 11, 2008 at 5:14 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
justjerry (anonymous) says...
After all of the construction is completed (lots of jobs) the people will work in the businesses that are there which will be retail, hospitality and whatever small and large businesses move into the 1.1 million sqft of commercial space that has been brought up as the size of the development.
November 11, 2008 at 5:23 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
northeastguy (anonymous) says...
refurbished retail is a no go, for the same reason pro sports don't refurish their stadiums, it could be done there is no point, the two midget malls would have to knocked over like Yankee Statium with a new one built across the parking lot. But the mayor clearly has it right you want mega space to grow for the future and attract new business. The mayor has the plan for the future and I back him 100%, it takes a little vision. Maybe in 20 years, you'll look back and say, wow the mayor was right, we did need that development. By the way for you guys missing the trees, just drive west down 26 to columbia, thats all their is, so i think you'll still have plently.
November 11, 2008 at 5:37 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
NativeSC (anonymous) says...
Of course the yankees love it, they don't know how to appreciate un-developed space. Northeast guy, this isn't going to be Lenox Square in Atlanta, this is going to be the 2nd coming of Citadel Mall, Northwoods Mall, etc. Low end shopping, a food court where the thugs will congregate, etc, etc. You would think that in a beautiful area with so much to do outside that Wal Mart wouldn't be such an attraction, but God forbid you have to go to Towne Center or Target on a weekend. I was in North Charleston for work a couple of weeks ago on a Saturday afternoon and the area around Target, Northwoods, etc looked like the day after Thanksgiving. It was pathetic. So sure, build another shopping area so the obese masses have some weekend enteratainment.
November 11, 2008 at 5:42 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
justjerry (anonymous) says...
NativeSC - so going by your logic there should be no new shopping centers built because the current ones are already too busy.....?
November 11, 2008 at 5:46 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
KidYendor (anonymous) says...
What we are saying is that it would be more impressive for this wooded area, if it has to be cut down, to be used for manufacturing jobs to sell things to China than to provide minimum wage jobs to sell things from China. Lets enhance the Remount, Rivers and Aviation area first and proceed from there. It is sad when our area income relies on mall sales instead of high paying manufacturing and technology jobs.
It is sad when our already shuttered stores and plazas beg for rentals with their big real estate billboards and the mayor instead leads the way to this unneeded and unwanted project which takes away our small town feel and character.
November 11, 2008 at 6:09 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
justjerry (anonymous) says...
There are plenty of high paying jobs coming to Charleston. Google, Dupont, SPAWAR and all of their offshoots have been building brand new facilities here over the last year to name few. According to published reports, Dupont and Google are investing over a BILLION dollars here combined, and there is more coming from at least one of them. And all retail jobs are not minimum wage, just as all restaurant jobs are not $2.13 per hour. There are many folks who work in both of those sectors making much higher incomes than that.
As to not attracting manufacturing or technical (or professional) jobs you might want to look around. Remount Road has a brand new 450Ksqft office complex and another 65K sqft one around the corner on North Rhett, signs during construction said both were half full even before completion. There have been many, many offers for the old Sam's space put out there but for whatever reason the folks who own it would rather have it empty. Aviation Ave has a huge new frontage office complex that has been completed and is filling up, and there is a possibility that the Plex will be redeveloped into a mixed use facility. Rivers at Aviation recently opened a large Northern Tool store. The old Circuit City is being rebuilt as a financial center for SCFCU.
These "already shuttered stores and plazas" are empty for a reason. Either they want to much for the space as is or they are not doing enough to improve the space to attract the (obviously) too high rents that they wish to charge.
Our commercial areas have not had a small town feel or character in the 22 years I have lived here. As I pointed out to another poster who was complaining about the overcrowding and the heavy traffic in the existing shopping areas, it seems to me that there is more retail space being built because there is a demand for it.
November 11, 2008 at 6:38 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
KidYendor (anonymous) says...
Then it is interesting at the recent job fair at North Charleston that you could get a job if you wanted to sell insurance, work at Detyens Shipyard, be a Waffle House manager, or be a bank teller. I guess those offshoots have not arrived in North Charleston.
November 11, 2008 at 7:12 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
yird (anonymous) says...
justjerry; Remount Road has a brand new 450Ksqft office complex
=======================================================
Are you sure about that?
10 acres+ is pretty massive.
November 11, 2008 at 7:33 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
bookworm (anonymous) says...
Posted by SpongeMunkie on November 11, 2008 at 4:16 p.m. (Suggest removal)
What historical sites are in that area?
Hi SpongeMunkie - the ruins of the old Ingleside Plantation House (formerly known as the Hayes Plantation), old phosphate mining works, inland rice fields...The old plantation house was where Francis S. Holmes lived in the late 1800's. He was the first curator of the Charleston Museum, discovered phosphate on the banks of the Ashley River and on the Ingleside property, and helped develop the phosphate mining industry here in Charleston.
I'm sure there are more, but that is all I can think of off the top of my head.
November 12, 2008 at 8:41 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
yird (anonymous) says...
GetSerious; "i saw your recent post on another thread and it was inappropriate."
=====================================
And pray tell what is it that you, who call everyone who disagrees with you a jerk or dummy or some other lame label, deem inappropriate?
You are inappropriate just by virtue of the fact you exist.
Your truly pathetic but amusing at the same time. you are truly like the gift that keeps on giving.
Why don't you try again to have me banned like you have the others who offended your childish sensitivities.
To the issue at hand; being a long time resident of the area I am disgusted with the uncontrolled destruction of what was once a beautiful place to live.
Those who come here to get away from what they left it would seem, ought to have the good sense to fight this ridiculous morphing of Charleston and the surrounding communities into a clone of Charlotte or Atlanta.
Such apparently is not the case though.
November 12, 2008 at 10:33 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
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