City to develop up to 36 homes

A small block of St. Philip Street in Charleston, cradled by the King Street exit from southbound U.S. Highway 17, has been an eyesore for several years.

The houses that line one side of the short block below Carolina Street, and part of Fishburne Street behind a bar called The Recovery Room, are boarded up, and some have been damaged by arson fires.

On the other side of the St. Philip block is a crescent of vacant land, bordered by a highway off-ramp.

It is there, along both sides of St. Philip and part of Fishburne, that the city plans to develop up to 36 homes for rent or for sale to first-time buyers.

The houses there now weren't always vacant, but the state Department of Transportation purchased them in 2003 for the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge construction project. The state initially planned to tear the houses down, but preservationists complained, and the state ended up boarding them up instead.

Later they were turned over to the city as part of the state's bridge mitigation program, after the previous owners declined to repurchase the properties.

"A couple of them have been set on fire," said City Councilman James Lewis, who lives nearby. "It's an eyesore in the community."

The city acquired the rest of the vacant land adjacent to the highway off-ramp last month. The city agreed to pay Prime South Realty $175,000 for the 6,601 square feet of land, which an appraiser said was worth $225,000.

Prime South bought the land for $162,000 in 2006. Councilman Aubry Alexander voted against the purchase June 16, saying he thought the price was too high.

Now that the city controls all the land on both sides of St. Philip from Carolina Street to Fishburne Street, as well as part of Fishburne, the city plans to finish the details of a plan for redevelopment.

Geona Shaw Johnson, Charleston's director of the Department of Housing and Community Development, said the city had previously sought proposals to develop the land it already owned there, but had received no responses.

"Now, when redevelopment does happen, it can happen all in one blush," she said. "There is a concept. We have looked at 25 to 36 opportunities for home ownership and rental."

"Basically, it's just on paper right now."

Johnson said the city has not decided whether to redevelop the properties using city staff, as the city has sometimes done in the past at other sites, or bring in private sector partners.

In some cases, such as with the Concord Park redevelopment plan near the South Carolina Aquarium, the city has set out a vision for redevelopment, then solicited bids from developers willing to buy the land and develop it in accordance with the city's plans. With plans for affordable housing, the city often works with non-profit groups.

"I would say in the next 60 to 90 days there will be some movement, and we'll present our final strategy to the West Side community," Johnson said.

Reach David Slade at937-5552 or dslade@postandcourier.com.