Chimney Sweep Near Me James Island, SC

JOHNS ISLAND, S.C. (WCSC) - A controversial rezoning proposal for Johns Island is set to have its first public reading before Charleston County Council.

The developer behind the plan, SWFA LLC, is seeking to rezone a 2.39-acre parcel along Cane Slash Road from limited commercial to mixed-use. This could bring more commercial and residential development to the area.

If approved, the change would allow for developments such as a hotel, motel, gas station or parking garage.

It would also increase housing density, allowing eight homes per acre instead of six. On top of that, if the developer provides a 50-foot right of way to the County, the number of homes could rise from 12 to 19.

The property sits within the Urban Growth Boundary, which separates urban and suburban development from rural areas. It also falls within the fast-growing Maybank Corridor, where Cane Slash Road is already lined with hundreds of new homes and more under construction.

Many Johns Island residents said the area’s infrastructure is already overwhelmed.

“When I moved here, when my parents moved here, none of this was here,” Charles Preston, who has lived on Johns Island for 50 years, said. “To see how it’s grown in a matter of 30 to 40 years has been thoughtful, but the traffic needs to be fixed or corrected before they do any more development.”

Public opposition has been strong. During a July Planning Commission meeting, nearly 200 comments were submitted against the proposal, with only three in support. When the request was revisited in August, 129 more opposing comments were submitted, compared to 26 in favor. At both meetings, 15 people spoke against the rezoning while two, including the applicant, spoke in support.

“I don’t think Johns Island can accommodate that many more people moving in,” Preston said. “Just look at the development that we have right now, the houses here, the houses down River Road. It’s unbearable, the traffic. I don’t think the roads can handle it.”

The request was denied by the Planning Commission in both July and August. In a meeting last week, the Planning and Public Works Committee unanimously disapproved the request.

The rezoning request’s first reading will take place on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. at the Lonnie Hamilton III Public Services Building in North Charleston. It is open to the public.

For those interested in speaking, the Charleston County Council provides a 30-minute public comment period before each regularly scheduled County Council meeting and sign-ups are available in the Council Chambers beforehand.

JOHNS ISLAND — Blu Smoke Pit BBQ is now open on Johns Island with a nod to a James Island smokehouse legacy.

At Live Oak Square on Johns Island, a shopping center just off Maybank Highway, a new menu of smoked meats, ribs, wings, fried chicken livers, smoked burgers and oysters marks the space’s third restaurant concept in roughly as many years.

The newest concept opened Sept. 12 and its opening day menu post on social media racked up more than 150 likes in the first hour.

Owners Rick Agius and his wife Jennifer Agius hope to revive the spirit of their long-running Smoky Oak Taproom that had a 13-year run on James Island before closing in 2021. Argus also owns Zeppelin, a pizzeria at 2817 Maybank Highway.

Pitmaster Lucas Harrell, who worked at Smoky Oak Taproom for more than a decade, is overseeing the two new commercial smokers in the Blu Pit kitchen.

To embrace the barbecue aesthetic, the seafood-themed décor from Blu Oyster — including a striking wall piece made of fish skulls — has been removed and replaced with vintage car parts and oversized gas-station signs.

“I'm a hot rod guy. I've got all these old, eclectic gas station signs that are amazingly huge. We got half of them up and the other half will be up next week,” Agius said.

The restaurant first opened as Blu Oyster Sushi & Seafood in 2022 at 1804 Crowne Commons Way. In early 2025, Agius closed after a health diagnosis affected a member of the executive team. It then briefly pivoted to a hibachi concept that lasted just six months.

“Hibachi wasn't working the way we thought it would,” Agius said. “I always wanted to do a barbecue restaurant on Johns Island and I made the decision to make it happen.”

The addition of East Coast oysters to the BBQ menu — served either raw, charbroiled or Rockefeller-style — adds a unique offering to the menu.

Agius said the BBQ menu fits into the start of football season. There are more than two dozen TVs scattered inside and outside for fans. The restaurant is open from 11 a.m. until 10 p.m.

Other restaurants in Live Oak Square include Kiss Café, Tolli’s Apizza, The Woodruff, Island Provisions and Cabana Burgers & Shakes.

James Island intersection memorializes Gabriel Seagraves at Seccessionville Rd. and Kentwood Cir., Sept 12, 2025 (WCIV)

JAMES ISLAND, S.C. (WCIV) — Friday marks ten years since the tragic death of 15-year-old Gabriel Seagraves.

The teen was riding his skateboard near Secessionville Road and Kentwood Circle when a driver going 20 mph over the speed limit hit him.

In his honor, the town of James Island has memorialized the intersection and held a private dedication ceremony with the family.

"He was an exceptional young man. And I'm so glad he will not be forgotten," said James Island Town Councilmember Troy Mullinax.

Mullinax brought the resolution to rename the intersection before the Town Council passed it in May 2025.

He said Charleston City Councilmember Caroline Parker and state Rep. Spencer Wetmore played important roles in getting the signs erected.

"He had so much potential. He wanted to be an astronomer. He was in the honors program. He was active in his church," said Mullinax.

The signs were also unveiled during the week that would have been his 25th birthday.

Three signs are placed near the intersection, reading, “Gabriel Seagraves Memorial Intersection.”

Seagraves’ death sparked demand for more road safety and infrastructure from neighbors.

Mullinax said he continues to push for sidewalks to be installed on Secessionville Road.

"We hope that Gabriel will not only be remembered, but that future young people will not have their lives put in jeopardy walking on the side of this road if we can get sidewalks," said Mullinax.

Town officials also hope the new signs will serve as a reminder to drivers to slow down.

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) — A search is underway for a Lowcountry man who reportedly went missing while vacationing with friends in Bali, Indonesia, last month.

Wesley Fairey, a fire engineer with the James Island Public Service District (JIPSD), traveled to Uluwatu on August 15 and was set to return to the U.S. on September 8, according to his mother, Taunya.

In a Facebook post asking for help, one of Fairey’s friends said he was staying at the Klapa Resort and checked out on August 25. He was allegedly seen leaving the area in a black sedan he had rented that same day.

His mother said they lost contact with him four days later, and she is now pleading for the public’s help in finding her son.

“We have been in contact with numerous local, state, and federal agencies regarding information pertaining to his whereabouts,” she wrote in a statement to News 2. “We are hoping someone can provide us with information about any bank or phone activity during that time.”

Fairey has a history of mental health issues, including post-traumatic stress disorder, stemming from his two decades working as a first responder, according to friends.

JIPSD Fire Chief Mark Davis said the department is assisting authorities in their search.

“We’re doing everything we can to support his family and friends during this difficult time and are eagerly awaiting his safe return home,” Davis continued.

Fairey is described as a roughly 6-foot-tall, 250-pound adult male in his early 40s with facial hair.

Anyone with information is asked to contact U.S. Homeland Security.

This story is developing and may be updated.

JAMES ISLAND, S.C. (WCSC) - City of Charleston leaders are requesting to apply for a grant to help lower flood impacts on Central Park Road.

City of Charleston leaders are hoping to use $1.5 million in grant funds from the South Carolina Infrastructure Authority. Leaders are requesting to apply for the grant dollars to begin construction for drainage improvements along Central Park Road on James Island.

A portion of the James Island Creek runs through neighborhoods along Central Park Road. City leaders say large storm events, as well as high tides, can lead to significant flooding in the area.

The area is currently from Charleston County. The city is working alongside county efforts with the construction of a flood storage property along Howle Avenue.

City leaders want to use the funds to begin another construction project that is focused on drainage improvement for portions of Central Park Road, Riley Road and the access road under the EME Apartment complex.

City Director of Stormwater Management Matthew Fountain says the area typically sees flooding multiple times per year.

“It floods into the roads; it does take a long time to drain because of the basin. If you go down into the flooding, like where the county is working on Central Park Road, you’ll see that road overtopping during those King Tide cycles,” Fountain said.

The idea is to add larger pipes to help stabilize the canal that runs towards Wimbledon Drive and Flint Street.

The dollars would replace the area’s existing two pipes that lay side by side with two box structures that manage water flow, called box culverts. The two box culverts would be nine feet wide and four feet tall.

Fountain says the work will have a significant effect on the area’s flooding issues.

“It would give more capacity for rainfall that occurs during those high tides,” Fountain says. “And then it should also reduce the duration of flooding because the much bigger pipes going into these box culverts will help that water drain out very quickly once that tide does start to come down.”

A muted tide gate is also in the plans for Riley Road. Fountain says the measure will shut the gate when the tide is at an extreme height to prevent flooding while protecting the water’s ecological health.

City leaders will be updated on the status of the funds at the end of 2025 or early 2026. Fountain says the dollars will be granted in the spring of 2026 if successful. Construction would begin by mid-2026. Fountain expects the improvements to be completed by mid-2027.