Plumbers in West Ashley, SC

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - One of the oldest and most highly trafficked roads in West Ashley will finally be receiving an improvement project that has been long needed.

Sponsored by Rep. Gary Brewer, the project has received $2 million in state funding to improve a section of Highway 61, more specifically Ashley River Road in West Ashley.

A whopping 51,200 cars travel along the two-lane roadway daily based on 2022 traffic data from the South Carolina Department of Transportation.

SCDOT, the county and state say that number far exceeds the capacity of the roadway, leading to congestion, delays, and numerous accidents.

“It’s a very dangerous road, a very well-used road with a lot of traffic on Ashley River Road,” Charleston City Councilmember Kevin Shealy said. “As development has happened and more and more traffic comes on that road, we really need to keep up with the maintenance; it just hasn’t been kept up.”

The project is intended to construct capacity enhancements along the 1.10-mile road to reduce congestion and improve safety. Eventually, the goal is for the Ashley River Road Improvement Project to go from Bees Ferry Road to Paul Cantrell Boulevard.

The specific points of improvement include Railroad Bridge, at the intersection of Glendale and Church Creek Bridge, with the project to lengthen the bridge to improve drainage.

“Right now, we want to focus on getting these bridges redone,” Brewer said. “This bridge (Railroad Bridge), being built in 1936, is probably the most difficult bridge to drive over and see. Then we’ll work on what we need to do on the other side, once we work with residents and everybody to see what they want done.”

The intersection of Glendale and Ashley River Road is near two elementary schools, which brings major congestion to the intersection during school and peak hour traffic.

“I’m hopeful that with this money, the intersection can be improved somewhat and make it safer for these young children who are being taken to and from school,” Shealy said.

The Ashley River Road Improvement Project also includes adding bicycle and pedestrian accommodations and improved access to transit.

“I believe SCDOT telling us this is the busiest two-lane road in South Carolina right now,” Brewer said. “We’ve got to find a way for our citizens to get on the road safely.”

The approved funding is just the initial kick-start for the project as it needs over $100 million in funding for it to be completed.

The first part of the funding, which the approved $2 million goes into, is for preliminary engineering. Just the engineering phase alone is expected to take four years, but Charleston County is now able to begin design work immediately.

“There is no such thing as a quick project,” Brewer said. “We’re gonna do everything on our end, the county’s end and the city’s end, to make sure we move as quickly as possible, but we have those federal mandates.”

Going forward, the project will be a group effort among SCDOT, the county, city and state as it is expected to take a total of nine years to finish all these improvements to Ashley River Road.

“I want to thank Rep. Brewer for securing $2 million in state funding to help us kickstart critical improvements along the Ashley River Road corridor,” Charleston County Councilman Brantley Moody said. “As a West Ashley native, I’ve seen firsthand how this area has struggled to keep up with growing traffic and pedestrian demands. This funding brings us closer than ever to delivering the upgrades needed to enhance public safety, reduce congestion, and make the corridor more accessible to all.”

Copyright 2024 WCSC. All rights reserved.

WEST ASHLEY, S.C. (WCBD) – A drainage project, five years in the making, is now in operation at a flood-prone West Ashley neighborhood.

This month, Charleston County completed the installation of a pipe officials said is designed to reduce the depth of flooding for the homes and apartments on Boone Hall Drive and William Kennerty Drive.

According to Chris Wannamaker, the $500,000 project stemmed from a 2019 study and was made possible by FEMA grants.

“We want to get the water out in the first hour when it starts to rain, not 12 hours into the rain when usually the peak happens. We have had a lot of rain bombs lately. The first drop of water that hits this pipe can now run out to the canal in the back,” said Wannamaker, who serves as the Stormwater Utility Manager for Charleston County Public Works.

Wannamaker explained there is a nearly 800-acre basin in the area known to cause flooding during heavy rain and hightide events.

“I have actually moved my car to the school around the corner. And then had to tread back through four feet of water to get back to my apartment where there was still water sitting in front of my door,” said Tamora Bailey, a resident of over 10 years.

Eric Fore, another resident, also experienced the flooding firsthand when Hurricane Ian blew through the Lowcountry in 2022. Fore lives next to where the new pipe was constructed and said he has seen some improvements so far, but apparently some of his neighbors have not.

“According to my neighbors that live a little farther down the street, now it just floods worse in their area. So, its just moved the water from one area to another,” Fore told News 2.

While the pipe may be finished, county officials said there is still more work to be done.

“We will actually continue to work in this basin to make improvements. We have several recommendations from the study. This was the best benefit cost analysis outcome, and it will hopefully show the best results for the short period of time that until we go on to the next project,” Wannamaker said.

Wannamaker added that the county will work with their community partners to perform maintenance on the canal where the water is flowing to improve drainage.

He encouraged residents to call Charleston County Public Works to notify them of any flooding issues they’re experiencing. The number is (843)-202-7600.

Two new tenants have opened their doors in the Whole Foods-anchored shopping center in suburban Charleston.

West Ashley Station on U.S. Highway 17 has gone through a major renovation since locally owned Doscher's closed its grocery store in May 2022 and was subsequently torn down.

Hand & Stone Massage and Facial Spa, which has locations in Mount Pleasant and Summerville, and Dentists of West Ashley are the first tenants to open after the upgrades.

Business

Other businesses in the shopping center at 1133 Savannah Highway are Chase Bank, Allure Nails and Hollywood Feed, which has moved from the streetside outparcels to a larger space in the back.

Other tenants on the way include Mediterranean restaurant Cava, which also has a location in Mount Pleasant, Good Vets pet-care clinic, Sunshine Liquors, Jersey Mike's, Nikita hair salon and eatery Another Broken Egg.

West Ashley resident Erika Greco expressed her disappointment in Doscher's closing and said her neighbors will also miss it.

"But I'm excited to at least see some movement toward getting businesses in there, instead of it just being a construction zone," she said. "I also like that these are businesses that will add to what our community has to offer, instead of office space or storage units."

Commercial Real Estate Experts represented the landlord in each lease.

Jump around

An indoor adventure park will replace the Staples office supply store at Tanger Outlets in North Charleston this summer.

Adrenaline Monkey, which has slides, "Ninja Warrior" courses, vertical climbing, an arcade and more, is wrapping up renovations at 4950 Centre Point Drive.

The franchise currently operates locations in Illinois and Ohio, with potential new parks in Texas, Florida and Michigan.

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Closet picks

A Charlotte women’s clothing and accessories store has introduced a second location in Mount Pleasant.

K|LA carries denim, dresses and casual apparel with curated collections like “Office Chic” and “I’m a Cool Mom.”

The store is now open at 426 W. Coleman Blvd.

A day at the spa

A hygiene and wellness dog groomer's 100th franchise location is in northern Mount Pleasant.

Scenthound, founded in Jupiter, Fla., recently opened at 405 Faison Road.

Tara Reddy operates the chain's second East Cooper location, offering monthly dog care and hygienic services. For $35, trial visits include a bath with towel dry, ear cleaning, nail trim, teeth cleaning and a six-point wellness check.

The first Scenthound in the town opened in the south end near Queensborough Shopping Center. The chain also operates a location in Merchant's Village Shopping Center on James Island.

Then there were 2

A downtown Charleston antique store is expanding to Mount Pleasant.

Wynsum Antiques, which has operated on King Street since 2017, opened a store at 855 Houston Northcutt Blvd. in the Whole Foods- and Staples-anchored Patriots Plaza shopping center.

Both stores feature a collective of antiques and home goods dealers.

The Peninsula Co. represented the tenant while The Shopping Center Group represented the landlord.

WEST ASHLEY, S.C. (WCSC) - A new affordable townhome development is coming to the Ardmore-Sherwood Forest neighborhood in West Ashley.

The City of Charleston approved 10 new townhomes on 1555 Juniper St. The lot will include five buildings with two townhomes attached in each for a total of 10 homes. Each townhome will be about 1,100 square feet.

City officials say the estimated sale price for one of the townhomes will be $278,000.

The Director of Housing and Community Development for the City of Charleston Geona Shaw Johnson says this development is a part of their homeownership initiative for first-time home buyers.

Shaw Johnson says these individuals would have to earn what they call 120% of the area median income meaning that a one-person household couldn’t make more than $88,000 a year to qualify.

This program requires an application to be considered, which can be found here.

The development is costing the city $3,385,715 to build.

“The City of Charleston annually sets aside funding for affordable housing. In addition to that the city of Charleston secures what we call fee in lieu funding from private sector developers when they’re building on mixed-use properties,” Shaw Johnson says. “Those dollars literally are dedicated to the acquisition of land and the building of affordable housing.”

The city’s affordable housing goal in its comprehensive plan states that more than 16,000 units are needed in Charleston.

“The city is working every day to increase the number of units that we have available for our community. We will not achieve sixteen thousand, but we’re at approximately a thousand plus units that are coming online in the next two years,” Shaw Johnson says.

Shaw Johnson says construction is expected to begin in about 45 days and will take 12 to 14 months to complete.

However, current residents say they feel mixed emotions about the new townhomes.

Austin Caldwell lives directly across the street from where the development will be built and he says that this is a very active neighborhood and that residents enjoy using that land for activities like playing with their dogs, but he also sees how bringing in more people could benefit local businesses and shops.

“I could see the appeal to bringing in more people, but traffic as we all know in Charleston is really bad so that could congest the neighborhood. It’s just a double-sided coin that has a lot of advantages and disadvantages,” Caldwell says. “I don’t think it’s the best idea to add apartment complexes or townhomes in this specific neighborhood.”

Caldwell also had concerns about congestion and cleanliness in the neighborhood during the time of construction.

“You’d have eighteen wheelers coming and going, off-loading and loading up equipment. You’d have like construction crews. You know, not all of them are clean, people leave trash laying around that’s just what people do, and you know dirty up the neighborhood. People aren’t going to be responsible after themselves and that leaves people like myself and other of my neighbors to clean up behind them when it comes into our yards,” Caldwell says.

Copyright 2024 WCSC. All rights reserved.

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - A ribbon cutting was held to commemorate the official opening of its food forest in West Ashley, which is the first of its kind in the state.

The Charleston Parks Conservancy celebrated the launch of the Food Forest at Mulberry Park on Tuesday in the Ardmore neighborhood. The area was designed to be a sustainable and inclusive food source for the community providing them with fresh fruits, nuts and berries from the newly planted orchard.

The Charleston Parks Conservancy started this project nearly two years ago. In April, the conservancy started planting the crops and herbs in the food forest, and now they are starting to produce vegetables and berries.

Charleston Parks Conservancy Executive Director and CEO Darlene Heater said there is no limit on what a person can take, but that they ask for people to take responsibly and leave some for others.

She said they expect to see 30,000 pounds of produce come out of the food forest each year and that it equates to about $25,000 worth of food.

Heater said organizers were very strategic in choosing the location by looking at areas where people had limited access to nutritious, affordable food.

“This neighborhood is a community that struggles with access to healthy foods that’s affordable to them,” Heater said. “We worked in partnership with the city and the neighborhood and the South Carolina Forestry Commission to bring this to life in this neighborhood that can very much benefit from it.”

The sponsors for this project included Trident United Way, the City of Charleston, Bank of America and the South Carolina Forestry Commission.

Trident United Way Health Program Manager Madison James said in the Tri-County area there are over 100,000 households that experience food insecurity. She said she is happy to be supporting a project that is helping combat this.

“What’s special about this project for me is the fact that it’s going to have a long-term impact. This isn’t just putting a tomato plant in the ground and getting tomatoes for the summer. You’re getting fruits and vegetables from this area for the next ten years to come,” James said.

Since March, the conservancy has installed a rain garden; created a pollinator habitat; installed 96 mushroom logs and planted seasonal and perennial food crops and herbs.

The community will not only have access to free produce, but the conservancy will also offer programs and training on how to prepare the crops, when to harvest them and how to preserve them.

To learn more about those learning opportunities and the food forest, click here.

Copyright 2024 WCSC. All rights reserved.