URBAN UPSCALE

There's something Cordial about this village, where the mayor is your neighbor and multilevel stucco houses with piazzas and red shutters don't cost a million bucks.

The community, Mixson, is a recent entry in North Charleston's urban renewal crusade. I'On Group ventured into the guts of the city to design a neotraditional neighborhood of three- and four story twin and detached homes, soon to be followed by flats, townhouses and single-family residences.

Mixson eventually will have 950 dwellings amid live oaks, fields and courtyards, and a community building with kitchen and fireplace. There also will be an office and retail district with cafes, shops and small businesses, says Alyssondra Campaigne, marketing and strategy vice president with I'On Group.

Launched this summer, the neighborhood off Mixson and Durant avenues has 18 homes under construction or completed, a handful of houses sold and a few residents moved in. Buyers include North Charleston Mayor Keith Summey, whose pink-sided Charleston single is, appropriately enough, on Summey Street. To enter adjacent Cordial Alley, meanwhile, you pass under an archway with a bedroom built into the span.

A few homes are detached single-family dwellings. Others are attached, typically sharing a wall. But they aren't duplicates: one pairing, for instance is of three-bedroom and a one-bedroom residences. Prices are from $149,000 to $349,900 and include one, two and three bedrooms. Sizes are from 900 to 1,200 square feet. Homes encircle courtyards with fountains, tall trees and landscaped shrubs and flowers or line quaint cobblestone streets.

Homes have no single building style. Most have stucco looking exteriors, a few are fiber-cement or wood sided, and some have brick accents. A number of dwellings are constructed with "aerated autoclaved" concrete block that's extra insulated to produce energy saving and are acoustically structured to limit noise, Campaigne says. It's one of a host of high-tech, environmentally-friendly design cues. Water heaters are tankless, toilets are dual flushing to save on water and floors are Shaw-brand "Green Edge" recyclable hardwood and carpeting.

Houses showcase upscale perks, too. Tall windows give dwellings an open feel. Full bath and laundry have tile floors and structured wiring means Internet, phone, TV, security and home automation run off one fiber cable. Kitchens have maple cabinets and gas range, microwave and dishwasher. Interior ceilings are 9-13 feet depending on the plan. Masonry steps, some with decorative pre-cast stone treads, lead upstairs. Most homes have porches or decks, many come with garages or a second parking space. Fireplaces, granite countertops and upgraded appliances are among the options.

Initial buyers are young to middle-aged professionals and retirees who prefer "a high quality, low maintenance kind of lifestyle," she says. The houses hardly have any yards and don't come with more than three bedrooms. That will change in future construction phases, which will have family-friendly residences from 1,300 square feet and wider lots.

"There is a lot of variety," Campaigne says.

To locate Mixson from downtown Charleston, travel west on Interstate 26 to exit 213, East Montague Avenue. Turn right on East Montague and continue for about a mile to Mixson Avenue. Turn right on Mixson. The neighborhood is ahead on the right. An alternate route is to take I-26 to North Cosgrove,, left on Rivers Avenue and right on Durant Avenue. Mixson is on the left.

Reach Jim Parker at 937-5542 or jparker@postandcourier.com

Neighborhood:

Mixson

Location: Charleston County

Phone: (843) 746-9696

Hours:

Mon.-Fri. 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

Saturday 10 a.m.-3 p.m.

Sunday Noon-4 p.m.

Web site:

www.insidemixson.com