Sports Bar in West Ashley, SC

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) – Charleston city leaders want to bring new life to a longtime mall in the West Ashley community. Plans are in the works to turn Citadel Mall into a mixed-use development called the “Citadel Mall Epic Center.”

It was a popular mall for many years, but its charm has faded. Now, the city is looking to create a new shopping experience for West Ashley residents.

“For the people who live in West Ashley, this is a huge step forward- this is the right direction we need to head to make those buildings come, make the redesign happen, and make this more bike and pedestrian-friendly,” said Ashley Jackrel, a Design Review Board Member.

The City of Charleston wants to rework the entire property into an outdoor shopping center with restaurants, entertainment, shops, and events. The project put an emphasis on providing shading, and outdoor space and making it pedestrian-friendly so residents can spend more time at the center.

“In terms of making it a healthy environment, it takes a complete overhaul to make this a community that is a destination that people want to go and enjoy their time and be outside,” said Jackrel.

During a Monday night meeting, the city’s design review board approved the final draft with an amendment to add more visuals to keep Charleston’s character in the design. They will also clarify sections referencing the city’s zoning ordinances.

“Oftentimes projects come to us with some sort of downtown influence of the peninsula or Charleston but that might not actually be a point of reference for the project location […] one of the things we often hear oftentimes in West Ashley is it’s not the peninsula, so maybe there can be a little more creativity in the project,” said Jackrel.

Belk, Dillard’s, Target, and the Medical University of South Carolina, which currently call the mall home, will be included in the redevelopment plan.

Plans for the project also include making it resistant to stormwater issues.

The project will now go back to the development team to make a plan to be submitted to the city.

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CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - Two flood drainage projects are one step closer to the finish line for historically flooded areas in West Ashley.

The City of Charleston is accepting $2 million toward two West Ashley stormwater management projects.

The state funding will pay $1 million each into the budgets of construction projects for the DuPont Wappoo Drainage Improvement Project and the Windermere Drainage and Outfall Improvement Project.

Officials say the problem for both communities is historically flooded areas because of undersized drainage pipes.

The Windermere project covers over 130 acres of studied areas in Windermere East and South Windermere. The area covers the Old Windermere neighborhood, Folly Road and near Highway 17.

The $1 million in state funding will help add a new drainage outfall through the back of the St. Andrew’s School of Math and Science along Chadwick Drive. Officials say the Windermere area has a 24-inch diameter pipe carrying all the stormwater. The addition of four 48-inch diameter pipes will better carry all the water out of the neighborhood and into the marsh system.

The Director of Stormwater Management, Matt Fountain, says the improvements will greatly reduce flooding for residents.

He says the typical flooding that happens after up to three-inch afternoon rainstorms will be no more. He says the occasional extreme tides may still produce flooding in the area, but it will drain quickly thanks to the new pipe system.

Another $1 million is going toward the Dupont-Wappoo construction project budget. This project covers about 1,700 acres of land, including neighborhoods around Citadel Mall.

Officials say the long drainage system currently sees a lot of constriction because of the high rate of development in the area.

City and County officials are designing phased improvement plans for larger drainage pipes. The state funding helps to begin the final design of the first phase. This phase covers the neighborhoods surrounding East Orleans Road that connect to the mall. This phase includes finalizing permitting and construction next year.

“You’ll see a regional improvement within that basin, like part of the stormwater basin for Dupont-Wappoo will get improved from the first project,” Fountain says. “Then we’ll keep adding more improvement areas in as we keep building those subsequent phases.”

Fountain says correcting the issues for Dupont-Wappoo residents is a huge priority for the city, as residents, roads and buildings see major flooding. He says it is a complex fix for this large basin.

Fountain says both projects will take some time to fit the new pipes with the area’s high development.

“You’re trying to figure out ways to do the improvements without too many negative impacts to adjacent property owners or finding that real estate to be able to acquire,” Fountain says. “Even on Windermere here, we’re having to acquire right of drain appeasement from some of the residential properties to bury some of the pipes like at the front of the yard right at the front of the road.”

Fountain says officials planned community meetings in the past to discuss the projects. He says public meetings will continue to share final designs with the community.

City council members are expected to approve the grant funds in Tuesday’s meeting at 5 p.m.

Copyright 2024 WCSC. All rights reserved.

Eric Fore and his wife didn’t anticipate that becoming homeowners would be one of the most stressful experiences of their lives.

When they bought a home in West Ashley on Boone Hall Drive in 2021, they'd heard the house was prone to flooding — it was swamped during the Great Flood of 2015. But they didn’t realize just how bad it was until they moved in.

"I was in the military for eight years, deployed and everything, and I’ve never been as stressed as I was about this house," Fore told The Post and Courier.

But Charleston County will be taking the house off the Fores' hands — alleviating their stress. On Aug. 13, County Council voted to approve a federal grant of over $414,000, allowing the county to acquire the house and demolish it.

The county is buying the property by using the flood mitigation assistance program under Federal Emergency Management Agency. Sean Dove, county floodplain management coordinator, said most of the grant money — around $343,000 — will be used to purchase the property at just around market value, according to estimates on the real estate website Zillow. The rest will go toward inspections, demolition and site work. He added there's also contingency funding for any unforeseen events.

Fore said the purchase would be enough to cover what's left of their mortgage, and put a little away for their next home.

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Dove said while this buyout is a special circumstance, the county is looking into acquisition and buyout programs for anyone whose house is prone to flooding. It's not something widely available to residents, but Dove said if more people want the county to buy out their flood-vulnerable house the county will look into it.

Initially, the county's plan in 2019 was to elevate this house, along with one on James Island using the grant funds. The house on James Island was successfully elevated.

But Dove said the county couldn't find any contractors confident they could elevate the house on Boone Hall Drive.

As a result, the county was left with a house that floods severely, and a homeowner who inherited the grant and the danger of living in an area prone to flooding. While the county wasn't able to elevate the house, they were able to work with the state to change the scope of the grant, Dove said. Now, they'll be able to demolish the house and use the property to help with maintenance to a drainage canal behind it.

It won't be the first flood mitigation project the county has done on Boone Hall Drive. Chris Wannamaker, county stormwater and utility manager, said the county finished installing a pipe from the street to the canal in August to help with drainage. He said Fore had reached out to him after Tropical Storm Debby to let him know that the project was a success and his yard didn't flood.

Building a fortress

Fore said he spent four days preparing for flooding from Hurricane Ian in 2022. He had around 60 sandbags around the house — barricading all doors, and even the inside of the garage door. He described the house as a fortress after he prepped it for the hurricane.

During the storm, floodwater rose up to around 1.5 feet around the house, Fore said.

"The only thing that kept water from coming in was the fact that I had Flex-Sealed the front door shut," Fore said.

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD)- The 2024 general election is quickly approaching, but South Carolina voters will not have to wait until Election Day to cast a ballot.

Governor Henry McMaster signed a law in May 2022 that replaces in-person absentee voting with an early in-person voting period for the two weeks leading up to election days.

Any registered voter, including those who will be 18 years old by the Nov. 5 general election, can cast a ballot during the early voting period without an excuse.

“Early voting provides a convenient and secure way for you to cast your ballot,” said Howie Knapp, the executive director of the South Carolina Election Commission. “Find an early voting center in your county, vote just like you would at your polling place on Election Day, and have your voice heard.”

Early voting for the 2024 election begins on Monday, October 21, and ends on Saturday, Nov. 2.

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Here’s what voters need to know:

The ballot will include seven candidates for president, according to officials:

An eighth candidate — Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — was initially nominated by the South Carolina Alliance Party. However, party leaders withdrew him from the ballot in August after he suspended his presidential campaign.

Additionally, each of South Carolina’s seven U.S. House of Representatives seats is up for election.

All 170 seats in the South Carolina state legislature — 124 in the House and 46 in the Senate — are also up for grabs this year. Some are uncontested, however.

Some ballots will also include races for county sheriff, circuit solicitor, probate judge, coroner, school board, and other countywide and local races.

Voters can find out who is on the ballot where they live by obtaining a sample ballot from the South Carolina Election Commission.

South Carolina adopted new state legislative district maps in December 2021 following the 2020 U.S. Census. Some district lines were redrawn, new districts were created, and some districts were eliminated.

Voters can find out which district they live in on the South Carolina legislature’s website.

Each county in South Carolina is required to have at least one polling location open for early voting. Some larger counties may have multiple open locations while smaller counties may have just one early voting site.

Early voting centers are open Monday through Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. during the early voting period. Early voting is not available on Sunday, Oct. 27.

Here are the early voting locations* in the Lowcountry, by county:

Beaufort County

Berkeley County

Charleston County

Colleton County

Dorchester County

Georgetown County

Orangeburg County

Williamsburg County

You can find the complete list of early voting locations in every South Carolina county here.

Editor’s Note: The list of early voting centers may be updated as additional information becomes available.

A valid photo ID is required to vote in South Carolina elections, including during the early voting period. Acceptable forms of identification include:

State law requires an individual to register to vote at least 30 days before an election.

The deadline to register for the 2024 election is Monday, Oct. 14.

There are several ways you can register to vote in South Carolina:

1 – South Carolinians can register online by visiting scvotes.gov before midnight on Oct. 14. You will need your South Carolina Driver’s License or DMV ID card.

2 – Download a voter registration form from scvotes.gov. Complete and return the form to your county voter registration office either by fax or email before midnight on Oct. 14, or by mail – but it must be postmarked by Oct. 14.

3 – Register in person at your county voter registration office. Remember: most offices close at 5 p.m. for in-office registration.

Voters can check their registration status by visiting scvotes.gov.

As Election Day nears, you can count on News 2 as your Local Election Headquarters to keep you up-to-date on the latest from the campaign trail.

Two months after Dollar Tree closed its Sam Rittenberg Boulevard location, the discount retailer has found a new home not far away.

The chain will open a new 23,683-square-foot store at West Ashley Shoppes, taking over the former Bed Bath & Beyond that has been vacant for the better part of a year.

The retailer will join World Market, Party City, Once Upon a Child, Monster Music & Movies and the West Ashley DMV in the 140,000-square-foot Orleans Road shopping center, across the street from Citadel Mall.

Dollar Tree, which currently operates more than 8,000 stores throughout the U.S., signed a lease with Continental Realty Corp., a Baltimore real estate investment firm that also owns Mount Pleasant Towne Centre .

The chain's Sam Rittenberg store was closed as part of a renovation project.

Business

Home at last

After 26 years, sisters Carlene Browner and Cassandra B. Richardson have a permanent storefront.

The owners of BR Design Co., a clay jewelry company, have sold their wares in the temporary tables of Charleston's historic City Market for more than two decades.

That's two decades of boxing up their handmade jewelry and bringing them home every night, just to begin again the next morning.

"It feels great to be in such a good place, not having to pack up every single day," Richardson said.

On Oct. 5, she and her sister will celebrate the grand opening of their new indoor space at the downtown market, just through the doors past Callie's Hot Little Biscuit.

BR Design replaced a jewelry store that had been situated inside the City Market for 39 years and recently left.

"You just never know when a space will open up in the Market, or where it will be," Richardson said. "But we jumped at the chance."

The sisters will have giveaways, special guests and more to celebrate the opening starting at 9 a.m.

Bargain shopping

Consign Charleston is hosting its fall sale Oct. 5 in its West Ashley parking lot at 1610 Sam Rittenberg Blvd.

The secondhand store, established in 2007, will offer discounts from 20 percent to 50 percent off all items. Shoppers can also enjoy bottomless mimosas.

Consign Charleston offers a curated selection of men's and women's clothing, home décor, jewelry, brand-name accessories, kitchenware, art, furniture and more from upwards of 17,000 consignors.

Lunch time!

Savi Cucina + Wine Bar is now serving lunch seven days a week.

The restaurant in Mount Pleasant Towne Centre offers a variety of fresh dishes, including soups, salads, sandwiches, pizzas and pastas daily from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Walk-ins are welcome, but reservations are available for those who need to plan ahead.

Savi also offers happy hour specials from 3 to 6 p.m. daily, with a full dinner service at 5 p.m.

Starting in October, the restaurant will introduce weekend brunch to its offerings.

Block party

The Hayes Park community on Johns Island is having a blowout of a celebration Oct. 12.

New Leaf Builders will be showcasing the model home it built in the new neighborhood, while also showing off its new design studio in the shopping center. The Charleston-based company relocated from its offices just down the street to the development.

Business

Enjoy local food truck Big Boned BBQ, a wine tastings by Beth Jeffcoat, and sushi and light bites at the staged Atrium Villas model home and New Leaf's studio.

The event from 12 to 3 p.m. will celebrate all the businesses in the community, including Emily Daws textiles, which opened in September at at 505 Hayes Park Blvd., Somm Wine Bar, High Steaks butcher shop and Opal Aesthetics, Modern Chiropractic and Simple Tree picture framing.

Business

All that glitters

Freshfields Village on Kiawah Island has gained a new tenant.

Hanebrink Jewelers opened its doors at 140 Gardeners Circle on Oct. 1. The veteran- and family-owned jeweler also has a location in Summerville on S. Main Street.

The full-service jewelry store offers ready-to-wear and custom-designed jewelry. Staff can also perform appraisals and change watch batteries.

Owner Frances Hanebrink is a graduate gemologist from the Gemological Institute of America and a member of the National Association of Jewelry Appraisers. She has been in the business for more than 25 years and is joined by her bench jeweler who has more than 30 years experience in the industry and is an expert on all things metal.

Business

Another locally owned jeweler, the century-old Croghan's Jewel Box, is having a trunk sale Oct. 5. The owners of the King Street store are celebrating a decadelong relationship with Los Angeles-based family-owned jeweler Single Stone from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Husband and wife duo, Ari and Corina Madilian of Single Stone, will showcase their heirloom and fine jewelry collections of bands, bracelets, charms and pendants, and earrings. They'll also consult on custom one-of-a-kind designs.