Charleston's BIGGEST coordinated planning effort in 25 years!

Town of Mount Pleasant · Planning Committee
🏠 Affordable housing AMI amendment for Gregory Ferry Townhomes deadlocks 2-2 in committee
The Planning Committee deadlocked 2-2 on a motion to recommend expanding the Area Median Income eligibility range at Gregory Ferry Townhomes from the current 0-80% AMI to 0-120% AMI, meaning the item moves to council without a committee recommendation. The 36-unit development — the town's only strictly affordable housing development — had sought to expand to 0-150% AMI to address a narrow pool of eligible buyers, citing scenarios where two CCSD teachers (110% AMI) or a nurse unable to qualify for a $360,000 mortgage could not access the housing. Dissenters argued that expanding the range shifts the target demographic away from truly affordable housing and risks crowding out lower-income applicants.

City of Charleston · Committee on Public Safety
🚧 Sea Islands evacuation challenges spotlighted as population hits 30,000
Councilman Jim McBride raised pointed concerns about Johns Island and the broader Sea Islands, where population has doubled from 15,000 to 30,000 since 2000 and is projected to reach 35,000 by 2030. The area relies on narrow two-lane roads with no shoulders and only the Limehouse Bridge as the designated hurricane evacuation route. Emergency managers confirmed pre-positioned tree-clearing teams and emphasized that the official route runs via Main Road to US-17, not over Maybank Bridge.

City of Charleston · Committee on Public Safety
🚛 Coliseum bus transfer plan for major hurricanes explained for first time publicly
Councilman Aaron Polkey asked for details on the county's plan to bus carless residents from CARTA stops to the North Charleston Coliseum and then via charter bus to Orangeburg County shelters for Category 4+ storms. Officials clarified the coliseum is a transfer point only and that CARTA and First Student have contractual obligations including driver lodging to keep buses operational. Polkey noted District 4 residents are disproportionately carless and vowed to become a resource on the program.

City of Charleston · Board of Architectural Review – Large (BAR-L)
🏛️ College of Charleston student housing deferred pending cemetery archaeology
The board deferred conceptual approval of a proposed seven-story freshman dormitory at 106 Cummings Street in Radcliffeborough, which sits on top of a documented 18th-century municipal cemetery and the historically significant YWCA building site. After an executive session to clarify legal purview, the board voted unanimously to defer pending receipt of further archaeological information that could influence the height, scale, mass, and commemorative design elements of the project. Community groups including the Preservation Society of Charleston, Historic Charleston Foundation, and the coalition Protect and Respect the Bodies all requested deferral, citing incomplete archaeological investigations and inadequate memorialization in the proposed design.

City of Charleston · Board of Architectural Review – Large (BAR-L)
🏙️ 989 Morrison Drive multifamily tower deferred for architectural simplification
A proposed 12-story multifamily building at 989 Morrison Drive on the Upper Peninsula, designed by LS3P with a barrel factory conceptual theme, was deferred by unanimous vote for restudy. The board and staff agreed the architectural crown is unresolved with competing gestures at the top, the courtyard-facing interior skin is overly complex, and the mechanical penthouse is highly visible and underdesigned. The board requested restudy of the crown, the hyphen between towers, the courtyard-facing facades, and a general simplification of the architectural language before returning.

City of Charleston · Board of Architectural Review – Large (BAR-L)
🏗️ 48 and 52 Line Street mixed-use revision deferred; site plan approved
The board approved the site plan for 48 and 52 Line Street, including a new pedestrian plaza extending across Line Street at the Low Line bend, but deferred revised conceptual approval for both buildings. Parcel 4 (48 Line Street) was deferred for restudy of scale, mass, and architectural direction with reference to the previously approved 2018 Art Deco design, including a required reduction of the northwest corner mass from seven stories back to four. Parcel 5 (52 Line Street) was deferred with a specific board statement that nine stories would be supported if the quality of the previously approved design is returned.

City of Charleston · Basin Flood Action Committee
🚧 Army Corps battery extension advances into next design phase for Adger's Wharf and Lockwood Drive segment
The city is moving into the next stage of design for the Adger's Wharf and Lockwood Drive segment of the battery extension in partnership with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, with a new project paper published online. The broader Army Corps partnership also includes comprehensive flood modeling for West Ashley and James Island, with deeper design work anticipated to begin next year. A public Rising Waters Forum co-hosted with The Post and Courier is scheduled for July 28, 2026, featuring Mayor Cogswell and Army Corps leadership.

City of Charleston · Committee on Community Development
🏙️ STR draft ordinance with new occupancy cap heads to planning commission
City staff presented a near-final draft ordinance clarifying short-term rental regulations in the Cannonborough-Elliotborough overlay, proposing an eight-person occupancy cap based on fire marshal review of bedroom square footage rather than the existing four-unrelated-adults family definition. Approximately 29 large units (five or more bedrooms) would be grandfathered without the cap under a non-transferable exception. The draft goes to planning commission the following week with a city council first reading targeted for August 18, 2026.

City of North Charleston · City Council
🏠 Council refers STR permit transfer fee ordinance to committee amid resident opposition
A first-reading ordinance would allow STR permits to transfer to new property buyers for a $1,000 fee on top of the existing $350 permit fee, exempt B1 and B2 zoned properties from district caps, and raise the exemption threshold for multi-unit properties from 10 to 20 units. Public speaker Larry LaRoach argued the change permanently commercializes residential neighborhoods, worsens housing inventory, and conflicts with the city's affordable housing goals. The item was referred to the Public Safety Committee for further review before a second reading.

This week I dropped by the kick-off open house for the Charleston Peninsula Plan at the Civic Design Center on Calhoun Street. It was the first of 17 weekly sessions the City is hosting through the end of October, and if you haven't heard of the Peninsula Plan yet, it's worth understanding. It's the biggest coordinated planning effort the City has undertaken in more than 25 years.

Here's what it is, what projects are tied to it, and when you can show up and have a say.

The Peninsula Plan is the City's attempt to replace the 1999 Charleston Downtown Plan, which hasn't been updated since it was adopted. A lot has changed since then. The city's population has grown by more than half, and the 1999 plan didn't even cover the Upper Peninsula or the Neck, areas now experiencing significant development pressure.

The new plan extends its reach across the entire peninsula, from the Battery to the Neck, and it aims to coordinate growth related to transportation, flooding, housing, public space, tourism, and economic development.

The City completed Phase 1 (data collection and community listening) in 2023. Phase 2, which is what's happening now, is focused on refining priorities and building consensus on what specific actions go into the final document. City leaders expect the final plan to go before City Council for a vote by the end of 2026.

3 guiding principles are shaping the whole effort:

During Phase 1, the concerns residents raised most frequently were: losing sense of community, displacement of long-term residents, loss of neighborhood diversity, rising costs of living, and a shortage of middle-tier and affordable housing.

What makes the Peninsula Plan different from a typical policy document is that it's designed to function as a coordinator across a dozen separate city initiatives that are all moving at the same time. Here's what's in play.

Lowcountry Lowline - A linear park and bike-ped trail transforming roughly 1.7 miles of abandoned rail corridor down the center of the peninsula, from Mount Pleasant Street to Marion Square. The corridor runs under I-26 and through private developments. The City is working with the PATH Foundation, the group that built the Atlanta Beltline. Developments like Courier Square and Line & Low are adding hundreds of residential units and retail space directly along this corridor.

Battery Extension - A proposed 8-mile coastal protection project along the peninsula's edge, designed to guard against flooding, storm surge, and sea level rise. Congress authorized the Army Corps of Engineers to study coastal storm risk on the peninsula in 2018; after 4 years of study, the Corps determined there was significant national benefit to building protective infrastructure here. The final design and alignment have not been finalized. For the Rosemont and Bridgeview communities, where a physical structure isn't practical, the Corps also recommended nonstructural measures like home elevation and building proofing. The City is developing a specific Resilience Plan for those communities with the Lowcountry Alliance for Model Communities (LAMC).

Lowcountry Rapid Transit - A planned 21-mile bus rapid transit system connecting Ladson, North Charleston, and downtown Charleston, with dedicated lanes, modern stations, and transit-priority signals. Construction is expected to begin around 2027.

Union Pier - A 70-acre waterfront site on the eastern peninsula that served as a cargo and cruise terminal for generations. The last cruise ship departed on June 30, 2026. Redevelopment is being led by Beemok, a company headed by local philanthropist Ben Navarro. City Council's Comprehensive Plan calls for a mix of housing types for residents of diverse incomes, civic and commercial uses, public gathering spaces, and opportunities for small and local businesses. Mayor Cogswell has also described the site as an opportunity for major infrastructure improvements to address flooding across the eastern half of the peninsula.

Project 3500 - A city-led initiative to deliver 3,500 permanently affordable housing units by 2032. 5 large, publicly-owned sites scattered across the peninsula have been identified. Challenges include parking displacement, tidal flooding at some sites, and coordination with major institutions like MUSC and the Charleston RiverDogs.

Magnolia Landing - A planned mixed-use development on the Charleston Neck along the Ashley River on a large former industrial site. Plans call for up to 4,000 multi-family units, 1.2 million square feet of commercial space, and 1,040 hotel rooms. A groundbreaking was held in February 2025.

MUSC Downtown Campus Master Plan - MUSC's ongoing expansion in the Medical District is one of the largest institutional forces shaping the peninsula. The Peninsula Plan treats it as a key alignment project, with the goal of ensuring MUSC's growth coordinates with the city's broader vision.

Newmarket Creek Park - A planned greenspace project on the Upper Peninsula focused on connectivity, stormwater management, and recreational access. The City is featuring it alongside the Lowline in its engagement sessions, treating the 2 as complementary pieces of the same open-space network.

Ashley River Crossing - A pedestrian and bicycle bridge linking West Ashley to the Charleston peninsula, projected to be completed by summer 2027. The Ashley River currently has only 2 crossings (the James Island Connector and the US 17 bridges), and both prohibit bicycles.

City-wide initiatives also tied to the plan:

Instead of holding traditional public meetings, the City is hosting weekly open-studio sessions at the Charleston Civic Design Center through October 29. Each session features a different topic, and the format is drop-in. Show up when you can between 3 and 6 p.m. and talk directly with planners and project leads.

Senior Planner Chloe Stuber put it plainly at the kick-off: "We want to leave the door open for people to come in and be part of it."

Location: Charleston Civic Design Center, 85 Calhoun Street
Time: Thursdays, 3 to 6 p.m. (drop in anytime)
Transit: DASH Route 210 (free)
Contact: [email protected] | 843-834-5268

Can't make it in person? The Peninsula Plan team is also available to attend community, business, or neighborhood group events. Email [email protected] to schedule a visit.

The full remaining schedule:

After the Open Studio sessions wrap up, the plan moves into its adoption phase: public presentations, an online feedback form, and public hearings from October through December 2026. City Council is expected to vote on the final plan by year's end.

Visit the website to learn even more: PENINSULA PLAN

Upcoming Park Circle Home with Grand Oak in Backyard

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Until next week,
Bill Olson
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