Around Charleston
1 - Bennett Rice Mill Facade Restoration - SC Ports recently completed their $1.6m restoration of the historic facade. READ MORE
2 - What’s In The Safe?! - After decades of wondering, the owners of Gene’s Haufbrau house cracked the lock and opened the old safe that was left in the bar by the original owners. WHAT DID THEY FIND
3 - Voice Your Opinion On Road Projects - Ah, traffic, our favorite thing to complain about. Check out the upcoming City of Charleston meetings, where you can discuss the projects being considered for the 2026 sales tax referendum. MORE INFO
4 - Wine + Food Schedule Release - The 2026 Charleston Wine + Food Festival released their full schedule this week. Lots have sold out already, but a ton of events still have availability. CHECK IT OUT
Historic Home of the Week
19 Gibbes Street - This corner lot, South of Broad home was built in 1915 and has an incredible back garden for entertaining or relaxing.
3 Bed | 3.5 Bath | 2735 sqft | $3,100,000
Union Pier Development Update
Ben Navarro recently released a statement about the future development of Union Pier as well as the plans for the Caroll Building, which his company recently purchased. Here’s a breakdown of what he wrote.
Defining the Vision for Union Pier
Assembling a World-Class Team The goal is to transform Union Pier into the next great neighborhood of Charleston. A world-class team has been assembled to take on this challenge.
Comprehensive Community Engagement The planning process has involved countless meetings with constituents. Discussions have covered nearly every crucial aspect of the city, including history, commerce, quality of life, resiliency, affordable housing, and parks.
Rejecting the Master Plan: The Intentional and Incremental Approach
Confirming Initial Instincts Against Standardization The endeavor is too important and complex to be standardized or "laid out on some architect/planner’s table" where every plot receives a "cut-and-paste label". Such a fixed approach would be arrogant and would deprive Charleston of what makes it compelling.
Adopting Historical Development Concepts The development needs to utilize the same concepts used by the original creators of all great cities. This means relying on the idea of "many hands building our city over time".
The Core Philosophy: Intentionality and Incremental Growth The overall approach for Union Pier is intentional and incremental development. The strategy avoids "master plans" in favor of bespoke projects that specifically better the city. This vision emphasizes stewardship and moving the city forward for the benefit of the next generation.
Laying the Foundational Framework (Starting from the Edges) The planning begins by identifying the best places for civic buildings and public parks. A new street grid will be established that extends Charleston to and through Union Pier. The development will start on the edges and work its way inward. A key requirement is a plan that not only protects Union Pier from water but also helps alleviate water-related problems in the surrounding neighborhoods.
Strategic First Step: The College of Charleston Gateway Project
Inspiration from the College of Charleston (CofC) The author teaches a class called "Intentionality" at CofC’s business school each fall semester. There is great passion among the students to improve themselves. There is a belief that the CofC business school can genuinely become a leading institution.
Acquiring and Gifting a Key Downtown Site The abandoned Carroll building at Market Street and East Bay has been purchased. The building is characterized as one of the ugliest downtown buildings and is located at one of the most dangerous intersections. This land is being given to the College.
Building the Gateway The plan is to work with CofC to construct a world-class business school. This new building will serve as a gateway for the College and also for Union Pier.
Reimagining the Surrounding Area The development team will collaborate with Mayor Cogswell to completely reimagine the section of Market Street that lies east of East Bay. The hope is to create a new bustling area downtown for students to enjoy.
MUSC Children’s Health and Roper St. Francis Healthcare: South Carolina’s Premier Pediatric Inpatient Partnership
Introduction to the Milestone Partnership
MUSC Children’s Health and Roper St. Francis Healthcare are partnering to open a dedicated, 10,000-square-foot Children’s Unit.
This unit is located at Bon Secours St. Francis Hospital in West Ashley.
The collaboration represents the first partnership of its kind for pediatric inpatient care in South Carolina.
The project is a milestone in the long history of teamwork between the two institutions, which date back to 1824 and 1829, respectively.
The new Children's Unit is scheduled to open in the new year.
Facilities and Comprehensive Services
The new unit, designed as a modern sanctuary for high-quality care, features 16 private, child-friendly rooms for family-centered healing. Patient support and well-being are prioritized through dedicated amenities.
The facility includes a 1,000-square-foot playroom to support recovery.
A child-life specialist will be available to help patients and their families cope during their hospital stays. C. The unit will provide a comprehensive range of clinical services.
Services offered include emergency, medical-surgical (med-surg), and general inpatient services.
Necessary diagnostic and preparatory services such as laboratory, imaging, and pre-op services will be available on-site.
A pediatric clinical pharmacist will also be a feature of the unit.
Integrated Care Model and Staffing
The partnership combines the community-based care commitment of Roper St. Francis Healthcare with the trusted expertise of MUSC Children’s Health. Staffing ensures continuity and high standards of care.
MUSC pediatric specialists will oversee the patient care provided at Roper St. Francis Healthcare.
Round-the-clock care will be provided by MUSC pediatric hospitalists working seamlessly with Roper St. Francis Healthcare nurses.
Roper St. Francis Healthcare pediatric nurses involved are certified in pediatric advanced life support (PALS) and rapid response.
Families can be confident that the care provided is backed by the full resources of MUSC's academic health system.
Addressing Community Needs and Strategic Goals
The unit aims to answer the community’s call for high-quality, accessible care by ensuring families have convenient access closer to home. A key patient benefit is the reduction of transfers to other facilities for low-acuity conditions.
The ability to treat conditions in-house ensures continuity of care and prevents parental separation during critical moments. The unit will focus on treating a range of common pediatric diagnoses.
Common diagnoses include asthma flare-ups, mild pneumonia, and stomach illnesses with dehydration.
Other treated conditions will include croup (barking cough), bronchiolitis in babies over three months, and ear, nose, and throat surgeries.
By handling these common ailments locally, the unit helps free up beds at MUSC Shawn Jenkins Children’s Hospital for the most critical cases.
The expansion aligns with the Roper St. Francis Healthcare 2030 Strategic Plan and MUSC’s goal to empower healthy communities, particularly due to the area’s rapid population growth.
The partnership extends services beyond birth, building on Roper St. Francis Healthcare’s reputation for top-quality pregnancy and newborn care.
The high quality of care is underscored by MUSC Shawn Jenkins Children’s Hospital’s ranking as the number one children’s hospital in the state by U.S. News & World Report’s Best Children’s Hospitals 2025–2026 survey.
100 Risewell Ct, Johns Island, SC 29455
2 beds | 2.5 baths | 1870 sqft
$665,000
Live in Johns Island’s newest walkable mixed-use community!
This nearly new 2-bed, 2.5-bath townhome in Hayes park offers 1,870 sq ft of open living with 9-ft ceilings, LVP floors, and a dedicated office — all with the feel of a single-family home and the ease of low-maintenance living.
✨ Highlights:
Corner unit = more windows + natural light
Marble counters, Frigidaire stainless steel appliances, and smart home tech
Built in 2024: move-in ready, no construction wait
HOA covers insurance, landscaping, termite bond, and more
Energy-efficient with tankless water heater + radiant barrier roof
🏡 Community Perks:
Walk to Somm Wine Bar, High Steaks Butcher, Hey Day Market, Opal Aesthetics, Modern Chiropractic, and Johns Island Urgent Care.
📍 Perfectly located between downtown Charleston and Kiawah.
Selling? Want your home featured in The ChuckTown Report and in front of thousands of local readers?
Fill out the application below.
Want market stats for somewhere else? Search here 👇
Time to vote again…but not me this time
CHS Today (that other newsletter about Charleston) released its finalists for their 2025 CHSToday’s Best Awards…and I wasn’t included. But that’s okay, because a friend of mine was in two categories. And he deserves all the recognition. You’ve probably seen his stuff all over Instagram on his account @mpeacockmedia. Matt Peacock, the incredible drone photographer, is up for Influencer AND photographer. So please show him some love and give him a few votes. Let’s help him bring home two wins! VOTE HERE
THANK YOU!
-Bill Olson
If you're looking to buy or sell a home in Charleston, Bill Olson & Pirate Properties can help you. We’re fast, friendly, knowledgeable, and fun to work with. We’ve helped hundreds of clients in real estate. Click below and start viewing what's available in Charleston today, calculate your home’s value, or schedule a no-obligation, no-pressure discovery call.
We're excited to continue to grow our newsletter. Have suggestions? Let us know! Have a friend or family member who might benefit from being in the know? Be a hero and share!
This newsletter is fueled by caffeine during the day and whiskey at night, and we are keeping it AD FREE just for you. If you want to support the creative juices and boost morale, so we can keep this up every week, buy me a coffee (or whiskey)! ☕️🥃
I am a full-time real estate agent with Real Broker, LLC. If you are an agent and want to learn more about Real, schedule a confidential call HERE
