Charleston's Street Vendor Program Making a Comeback

Charleston County · Planning Commission
🏗️ 14-lot subdivision on Savannah Highway receives preliminary plat review
Staff presented the major subdivision preliminary plat for 3914 Savannah Highway in the West Ashley/Johns Island area, a 3.56-acre R-4 zoned parcel near the Red Top area. The proposal includes 14 lots with HOA areas, public water and sewer service, and a 50-foot private driveway; the site contains wetlands, a DHEC critical line, and grand trees. Commissioners raised no substantive objections but requested future reports include larger context maps with the subject area highlighted.

City of Charleston · Committee on Public Safety
🚔 Committee approves law enforcement mutual aid pact with Myrtle Beach
The Charleston Police Department requested approval of a law enforcement assistance and support agreement with the City of Myrtle Beach Police Department. The agreement mirrors existing mutual aid arrangements the city holds with other jurisdictions. The committee approved it unanimously without discussion.

City of Charleston · Board of Architectural Review - Large (BAR-L
🏗️ Park cafe at 174 King Street wins approval for east-side storefront activation
The BAR-L approved revisions to the conceptual design for the cafe building at American Gardens Park, allowing a painted wood storefront system to wrap the southeast corner and east facade of the circa 1876 Category 3 structure. The design creates a primary public entry facing the park rather than King Street, which has historically had no door on its facade. Staff conditions require alignment of north-elevation doors with second-floor windows and study of the tree allée restoration; the board noted it may lack jurisdiction to compel planting as a condition. The vote was 4-0 with dissent expressed by one member who felt the storefront created a false facade on what was originally the rear of the building.

City of Charleston · Board of Architectural Review - Large (BAR-L)
🏛️ American College of Building Arts wins conceptual nod for stone addition to landmark trolley barn
The BAR-L granted conceptual approval for a classically styled stone addition to the rear of the Category 1 trolley barn at 649 Meeting Street, home of the American College of Building Arts. The design features solid bearing masonry, strict Roman classical proportioning, a Corinthian entry portico, and a symmetrical clerestory roof; the building is intended to serve as a teaching facility for stonework students. Key conditions require resolution of a scale discrepancy between submitted elevations and renderings and detailed drawings showing how the new addition connects to the historic masonry wall. The board debated whether the highly ornamented classical vocabulary remained sufficiently subordinate to the landmark structure, ultimately concluding the civic and educational mission of the institution warranted the richer design vocabulary.

City of Charleston · Board of Architectural Review - Large (BAR-L)
⚠️ Signage application at 261 Calhoun Street pulled amid confusion over who authorized withdrawal
An agenda item for signage at 261 Calhoun Street — apparently associated with MUSC — was listed as withdrawn prior to the meeting, but the project architect appeared at the meeting and stated neither he nor his client had authorized the withdrawal. Staff indicated an email from a MUSC representative had requested the removal but could not immediately identify the sender. No hearing was conducted and the matter was left unresolved pending staff follow-up with the MUSC project manager.

City of Charleston · Board of Architectural Review - Large (BAR-L)
🥯 Bagel shop at 83 Mary Street receives final approval for illuminated hanging sign with hours condition
The BAR-L granted final approval for an illuminated suspended facade sign at 83 Mary Street for Pop-Up Bagels, a new business opening at early morning hours in the Mazyck-Wraggborough neighborhood. The application came before the board under a January 2026 policy change requiring all illuminated signs to receive board review rather than staff-level approval. Approval was conditioned on illumination only during business hours, provision of mounting and color temperature details in permit drawings, and a post-installation staff field inspection to verify and adjust light levels.

City of Charleston · Committee on Traffic and Transportation
🚧 Special Session Tackles Street Vending Crisis with New Franchise Rules
Charleston's Traffic and Transportation Committee convened a special meeting to confront years of unmanaged street vending, vendor conflicts, and public safety hazards caused by a dormant ordinance inactive since 2018. The committee unanimously approved reducing designated vending spots from 10 to 8, eliminating two King Street locations, and advancing stricter franchise agreement rules to the Ways and Means Committee. Final action before the full City Council is expected in July 2026.

City of North Charleston · Planning Commission
🏗️ Final plat for 74-home garden subdivision receives contingent approval
The commission unanimously gave contingent approval to the final plat subdividing approximately 7.63 acres into 74 garden and cluster single-family lots with a new private road called Lemon Lime Avenue, pending City Council's acceptance of the infrastructure bond. A commissioner who lives near the site raised concerns about traffic, stormwater runoff, and sewer capacity; staff confirmed a traffic study was completed with minimal SCDOT requirements and that drainage meets city standards, while noting sewer issues fall under the North Charleston Sewer District's jurisdiction. The preliminary plat for this development was approved in August 2025.

City of North Charleston · Planning
‼️ FBI and police investigating scam targeting North Charleston and Hanahan zoning applicants
Staff alerted commissioners to a fraud scheme in which fake emails demanding approximately $5,000 in processing fees are being sent to applicants before North Charleston and Hanahan zoning boards, far exceeding the city's actual maximum application fee of $75. The North Charleston Police Department, Hanahan Police Department, and the FBI are all investigating. Commissioners were asked to direct any inquiries from applicants to the planning department and not to engage further, and staff indicated they may change how contact information appears in application packets to reduce exposure.

Charleston County School District · Board of Trustees Committee of the Whole
🏫 CCSD to pilot state-approved AI career and technical education program
Rich Gordon announced that Lucy Beckham High School will pilot a new state-approved four-course CTE sequence in artificial intelligence beginning in the 2026-27 school year, the first such program in Charleston County. The program is student-selected through the IGP process and aligns with emerging workforce demands identified through industry partnerships. Superintendent Huggins cautioned that the district is proceeding carefully given parental concerns about AI and noted the district already has an AI policy and active task force in place.

Town of Mount Pleasant · Town Council
🏗️ DRB Group seeks council support to remand Highway 17 PUD back to planning commission
DRB Group and property owner Chris Lathbury asked council to remand an 85-unit mixed-use planned development on an 11-acre Highway 17 parcel back to the planning commission after supplemental materials filed May 18 addressed prior denial concerns, including reducing townhome heights from 50 to 40 feet, adding eight affordable workforce housing units with Housing for All of Mount Pleasant, and providing a developer-funded traffic signal and sewer stubouts to neighboring properties. No formal vote on remand was recorded during the meeting, as the matter was raised through public comment.

The City of Charleston has not accepted street vendor bids or issued franchise agreements since 2018.

The Traffic & Transportation committee held a special session on June 11, 2026, called outside its regular schedule to address an immediate problem: without an active vending program, the city has been operating on an unmanaged, first-come, first-serve basis that has generated repeated vendor conflicts. The Chair noted that "everyone couldn't get along," with vendors calling the Charleston Police Department and the city's livability team on one another, drawing on city resources without resolution.

The committee met on an expedited basis because conflicts in the streets required immediate action. City staff, alongside the legal, traffic, and livability teams, have been working on a full rewrite of the existing street vendor ordinance. But an ordinance rewrite is a slow process. To provide relief in the meantime, staff proposed reinstating franchise agreements first.

This approach lets the city attach new rules to the contracts that winning vendors must sign, making those rules enforceable now, while the formal ordinance rewrite continues on a separate, longer track.

The Mayor noted that resolving the street vending situation also connects to the city's broader, ongoing efforts to update its tourism management plan.

The committee reviewed a proposal to reduce the number of designated street vending locations from 10 to 8. Two spots are being cut: the location at King and Queen, in front of the King and Queen building, and the location at King and Princess, in front of Brooks Brothers. Staff cited pedestrian hazards and public safety concerns on the sidewalks in front of busy brick-and-mortar storefronts as the reason for those removals.

The 8 remaining spots, as mapped out, are:

East Bay and Gillon was described as historically one of the most sought-after locations. Ashley and Sabine was noted as currently a very active space.

One location that drew attention in discussion was not on the new map at all: the spot near Riley Waterfront Park at Concord Street and Queen, which received the highest bid of $20,000 in 2018. That location has since been removed from consideration due to the introduction of bus stops and what was described as the Cooper development.

The franchise agreements will include a set of requirements designed to address complaints from the 2016-2018 vending period and current safety concerns.

Mobility and emergencies. All vending units must have lockable wheels so they can be moved quickly if emergency vehicles need access. Floor coverings and rugs are prohibited.

Pedestrian flow. Vendors must position their units so customers are served while standing on the sidewalk, not in the street.

Appearance standards. Any decorations or signage must meet the same standards applied to city storefronts. Signs, tents, and umbrellas must be attached directly to the vending unit.

Prohibited equipment. Sound equipment, open flames, electricity, and loud generators are not allowed. The committee noted these rules address specific complaints from the 2016-2018 era.

Event conflicts. Vendors cannot operate during permitted emergency events or public gatherings, including parades and Second Sunday, which the committee identified as a recent source of conflict.

Insurance. All vendors must carry public liability insurance.

Staff used an inflation calculator applied to the 2018 bid rates to set new minimum annual bids. The range will run from $1,600 to $3,300 per year, depending on location.

Each winning bid grants exclusive rights to that specific spot. If a location receives no bids, it will be removed from the list entirely rather than reverting to a first-come, first-serve space. The committee's stated goal is for the city to maintain control over commercial activity on public streets.

For context, in 2018 only 6 of the 12 available spots received bids. The five successful bids outside the Concord and Queen outlier ranged from $1,500 to $2,500.

The committee also addressed a separate concern about food trucks on upper King Street. Staff and legal confirmed that food trucks physically cannot fit into the designated street vendor spaces, closing off the possibility of trucks using vending rules to occupy public parking spots.

The trucks currently operating on upper King Street are, according to staff, on private property, though their operations and crowds spill onto public sidewalks. That sidewalk-spillover issue will be addressed in the future ordinance rewrite, not through the franchise agreements now moving forward.

The committee voted unanimously to approve the map rewrite and advance the franchise agreement recommendations to Ways and Means. Council member Brady seconded the motion.

The recommendations are scheduled to go before both the Ways and Means Committee and the full City Council in July. The Traffic and Transportation Committee will also meet that same evening to handle residual items.

Because the street vending topic was added to a special meeting agenda without prior public notice, city rules prohibited public comment at this session. Residents who want to speak on the matter were directed to attend the upcoming City Council meeting.

Charleston Real Estate: Year To Date

The Charleston metro posted 6,893 residential sales through the first five months of 2026, up 2.5% from the same period last year. The regional median hit $449,990, a 2.3% increase year-over-year.

The market isn't uniform. The Peninsula is one of the stronger performers, with sales inside the Crosstown up 12.1% and the median price reaching $1.4 million. Johns Island continued its steady climb, with both sales and prices up. Daniel Island saw a 31.7% jump in transactions, and the Wando/Cainhoy corridor posted a 31.7% increase in median price to $750,765.

On the softer side, Mount Pleasant saw price declines in both zones, down roughly 4-5% from last year. West Ashley inside I-526 dipped in both sales and price, though the areas beyond Rantowles Creek actually gained ground.

The twelve-month rolling numbers tell the same story: steady, not spectacular. Sales up 3.1%, prices up 1.8%. This market is moving, just not at the same pace in every neighborhood.

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