10 Honored for Preservation & A $12m Stormwater Project

For nearly 2 years, I’ve been creating content and writing this newsletter. And I know I say this all the time, but I never expected what would become of it. I never expected the people I would meet, the rooms I would be in, the recognition, the new friends, the community support, and most of all, getting to meet so many of you while out and about around town.

This week, one of those unexpected things happened when I was honored by the Historic Charleston Foundation with an advocacy award. But more importantly, I got to share a stage with 9 other honorees who put their blood, sweat, and tears into their projects and professions…I just talk about things on social media. THEY are the ones to truly celebrate, and that’s exactly what we’re doing this week.

— Bill

CIVIC SNAPSHOTS

Charleston County · County Council
Dill Sanctuary conservation easement approved in close 5-4 vote
The council approved a $3 million Green Belt grant to place a permanent conservation easement on approximately 725 acres of the Dill Sanctuary on James Island, managed by the Lowcountry Open Land Trust and owned by the Charleston Museum. The property is valued at approximately $30 million and the museum is giving up an estimated $15 million in value, with the county's $3 million investment effectively securing the easement at about 27 cents on the dollar. The vote was 5-4, with dissenting members citing lack of a formal public access plan, absence of spending restrictions on the grant funds, and philosophical concerns about using public dollars to place an easement on property that could self-impose one.

Charleston County · County Council
Charleston County Invests Millions to Preserve Rural Greenbelt Lands
In a concerted effort to protect local open spaces, the Charleston County Council approved four major Greenbelt land acquisitions totaling nearly $8.5 million. The investments include a $4 million reimbursement for almost 80 acres of passive recreation land in Awendaw, alongside $3.63 million to purchase the 97.1-acre Humbert Woods, one of Johns Island's largest remaining undeveloped properties. The council also authorized $770,000 to reimburse the Edisto Open Land Trust for 2.5 acres on Store Creek, and $89,300 to expand the Will Oak Tract on Johns Island.

Charleston County School District · Board of Trustees
Board honors students, Harborview Elementary, and 160-plus community partners
The board recognized students for achievements in the inaugural SC Allstate Middle School Jazz Ensemble, a five-state essay contest, a third consecutive 5A wrestling state championship, district and regional spelling bees, and a first-place Skills USA state engineering competition. Harborview Elementary received the Palmetto's Finest Award, CCSD's first in 20 years. Over 160 community partners were recognized for contributing more than $400,000 in in-kind support through the LOCAL initiative during the current school year.

City of Charleston · Committee on Public Works and Utilities
City secures $9.5M Army Corps match for historic peninsula drainage arches
The committee established a construction project budget for brick arch retrofit and repair work on the Charleston peninsula, leveraging a US Army Corps of Engineers Section 219 cost-share arrangement in which the city contributes approximately $3 million and the Corps contributes $9.5 million. Work will proceed sequentially from Limehouse Street to Calhoun Street and then Tradd Street, restoring drainage capacity in aging underground arch systems that run beneath critical roadways. Staff noted the project will significantly speed the drainage of sunny-day and tidal flooding events and reduce the risk of sinkhole and road collapse emergencies.

City of Charleston · Committee on Public Works and Utilities
Dominion Energy cleared to begin electrical installation at Magnolia development
The committee authorized the mayor to execute a license agreement with Dominion Energy allowing the utility to begin installing electrical duct banks within public rights-of-way at the long-awaited Magnolia development. The license agreement is a precursor to permanent easements that will be recorded after installation is complete, giving Dominion assurance to begin work. Committee members noted the project has been in development for roughly ten years, with a bridge already constructed on site, and characterized the electrical work as a significant milestone toward bringing the development online.

City of Charleston · Stormwater Department Neighborhood Meeting
Largest-ever stormwater project for South Windermere launches after 42 years
A $12.6 million stormwater improvement project is underway in the Windermere neighborhood, addressing drainage deficiencies first identified in 1984. The project installs a new marsh outfall behind the neighborhood school, upsizes pipes under William Acriman with dual 48-inch mains, and adds tidal check valves to reduce sunny-day flooding. Funding combines city capital dollars with accumulated state earmarks, and completion is targeted for end of 2027.

THE DEEP DIVE

79th Charter Day Awards - Historic Charleston Foundation
Celebrating Charleston's Preservation Community

The Whitelaw Founders Award recognizes individuals, groups, or government entities engaged in the long-term preservation of important buildings and places.

Bennett Rice Mill at Union Pier SC Ports Authority, Landmark Preservation, GEL Engineering

A surviving masonry wall at Union Pier, dating to the mid-19th century, represents one of the few remaining physical connections to Charleston's once-dominant rice economy. Through a $1.6 million investment, the South Carolina Ports Authority partnered with Landmark Preservation and GEL Engineering to stabilize and restore the deteriorating structure over more than a year of specialized work. As the broader Union Pier redevelopment moves forward, this project ensures that history remains visible on that waterfront.

89 Smith Street Mark & Melissa Maresca, Meadors Inc.

Architect Mark Maresca purchased this c.1840 property in 2022 and spent two years carefully rehabilitating it. The Bennett-Jones House was built in the Greek Revival style by Jefferson Bennett and later owned by noted architect Edward C. Jones. It features a Doric portico and distinctive polygonal bay windows that blend Gothic, Roman, and Egyptian influences. The restoration focused on returning historic finishes and removing alterations that had accumulated over time, allowing the building's original architectural character to come forward again.

26 South Battery Stephanie Finch & Kevin Story, Richard Marks Restoration, Thomas & Denzinger Architecture, Architrave Interior, Wertimer + Cline Landscape

The Col. John Ashe House, a c.1828 Italianate residence, underwent a multi-year full-scale rehabilitation after being acquired in 2021. The work included extensive plaster and stucco repair, piazza restoration, and a new standing seam copper roof. A defining element of the project was returning the exterior to its original limewash finish, verified through historical color analysis. Original interior moldings, mantels, and decorative elements were preserved or recreated using traditional methods, and the landscape was designed to echo the geometry of the house itself. Two children were born to the owners during the course of the project.

60 Meeting Street Jon Mazzoli, Meadors Inc.

Originally built in 1771 and later transformed into a high-Victorian residence in 1893, this property presented a layered and complex restoration challenge. The project included a full interior and exterior rehabilitation, restoration of the distinctive mansard roof and turret using custom-fabricated metal tiles, window restoration, stucco repair, and modernization of building systems, all while correcting prior alterations that had compromised the structure.

60 Tradd Street Dr. John Kerrison, Bill Huey + Associates, Cochnauer Construction, Taylor Hill Designs, Glenn Gardner

Built circa 1732 and held within the same family since 1967, this home underwent a significant effort to reconstruct its long-missing piazza, an architectural feature that had been removed in the mid-20th century. Dr. Kerrison, who grew up in the house, worked with architect Bill Huey and a team of engineers and builders to investigate the piazza's original form using historic maps, photographs, and physical evidence still present within the structure. The result is a historically grounded reconstruction that reintegrates the home into its streetscape context.

Mosquito Beach Bill "Cubby" Wilder, Larry Graves, Kyle Taylor

Supported by a $1.25 million grant from the Mellon Foundation and facilitated by Historic Charleston Foundation, this project is restoring the Pine Tree Hotel and Skeeta Lounge at Mosquito Beach. These structures served as centers of African American leisure during the Jim Crow era and hold significant cultural meaning within the Gullah Geechee community. Rehabilitation work is nearing completion, alongside plans to reactivate the site as a destination that celebrates Gullah Geechee culture, foodways, and history through interpretive programming and ongoing operations.

St. Philip's Church Magee Ratcliff Construction, Stantec Consulting, UpSouth LLC, Glasgow Roofing, Canning Liturgical, Bell Foundry Christoph

Beginning in 2020, St. Philip's launched a comprehensive "Shine the Light" preservation campaign covering the sanctuary, cemetery gates, and primary entrances. As work progressed, the scope expanded to include interior restoration of cast plaster ornamentation and the installation of discreet lighting to highlight architectural details. The campaign was funded entirely by the congregation and has preserved one of Charleston's most recognized landmarks while keeping it active as a place of worship and a destination for thousands of visitors each year.

The Stoney Craftsmanship Award recognizes craftspeople who have kept alive Charleston's tradition of excellence in the building trades.

Jeff Emig

Jeff Emig has built a career around masonry, stucco, plaster, and tile work, skills that are essential to authentic historic restoration and increasingly rare in the trades. His work on significant projects, including the restoration of the Sottile Theatre, has earned him a strong reputation among preservationists and collaborators across the region.

Picquet Roofing

Established in 1929, Picquet Roofing is a third-generation, family-owned company and the oldest roofing firm in Charleston. Specializing in copper, slate, tile, and metal roofing systems, the company has contributed to the preservation of historic structures across the region for nearly a century. Their recognition at Charter Day is long overdue.

The Peter McGee Advocacy Award, created in 2023 and named for past HCF Chairman and nationally recognized preservationist Peter McGee, recognizes citizens who devote time, energy, and passion to preserving significant historic places or advocating for public policy that advances historic preservation, excellent urban design, and community planning.

Bill Olson

I'll keep this part short because writing about yourself is awkward. HCF recognized the civic storytelling work I do through Instagram and YouTube, translating complex development, zoning, and preservation issues into content that regular people actually want to watch. Thank you again to the staff and trustees of the Historic Charleston Foundation.

Read the full write-up on the Historic Charleston Foundation’s website HERE

REAL ESTATE CORNER

Historic Home of the Week
7 Lowndes • South of Broad
6 bed  •  3.5 baths  •  3,654 sqft  ·  $5,850,000
A 1926 South of Broad residence designed by architect Mary Mac Wilson, with interiors by Dakota Willimon and landscapes rooted in a Loutrel Briggs original, 7 Lowndes Street is the rare kind of home where every detail, from the Gucci wallpaper in the dining room to the steam shower in the primary suite, was chosen with intention.

CHECK IT OUT →

Deal of the Week
Rare listing in desirable James Island neighborhood

SEE ALL PHOTOS AND DETAILS→

How’s The Market?

Another big week.

375 homes went under contract. April closed strong. And ten properties -- ten -- went under contract above $5M.

The Numbers

303 single-family homes at a median of $550k and $263/sqft. Median days on market: 30. Sixty-three were over $1M. Twenty-five over $2M. Ten over $5M.

Only 3 of 303 were distressed sales. This market is healthy.

Around the Region

Daniel Island median: $2M at $589/sqft. Zero came in under $500/sqft.

Mt Pleasant median: $930k at $424/sqft. Twenty-one over $1M. Almost impossible to find a home under $300/sqft.

Peninsula median: $2.1M at $937/sqft. Four went South of Broad.

James Island median: $764k. Johns Island: $727k with six over $1M.

West Ashley median: $583k. Summerville: $395k. Goose Creek/Moncks Corner led the region with 68 contracts at a $387k median.

The Fed

Held rates. Right call in my opinion. Cutting now, with inflation ticking back up, risks a repeat of last time -- one cut, inflation flares, and that's it. Best case: they don't have to raise again.

Plan your purchase around rates as they are, not as you hope they'll be.

Bottom Line

Buyers: the window for value is narrowing fast, especially on the islands and in Mt Pleasant. Waiting for rates to drop is a gamble.

Sellers: demand is real at every price point. Thirty days to contract is the median. Price it right and it moves.

THAT’S A WRAP

Three types of people should respond to this email:

1️⃣ You own a home in Charleston, and you're watching all of this growth happen around you.
The new developments, the zoning fights, the infrastructure changes. That activity isn't just news. It's moving your home's value in ways a Zestimate will never catch. Reply with your address, or just your neighborhood, and I'll tell you what it actually means for you.

2️⃣ You're buying in Charleston, and you know you're not just buying a house.
You're buying into a neighborhood, a school district, a commute, a lifestyle. You need an agent who can tell you what's being built two streets over, not just what sold last month. That's what this newsletter is.

3️⃣ You’re seeing land get cleared. Zoning notices are popping up near your home. Something's happening, and you want to know what.
Reply with the address and/or any details and I’ll find out!

Prefer to just talk? Schedule a 15-minute call

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Forward it to one person in Charleston who actually pays attention to what's happening around them. Or send them here to sign up:
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Until next week,
Bill Olson
Father • Husband • Realtor® • Civic Storyteller