Chimney Sweep in West Ashley, SC

A 3,000-acre development nearly two decades in the making is moving forward in West Ashley.

Long Savanna (with the “h” now dropped), a long-planned mix of homes and businesses off Bees Ferry Road, will include 10 neighborhoods developed on 1,200 acres, according to updated plans.

The remaining land will be placed into conservation .

The specific subdivisions are still awaiting approval by the city, but to date Mungo Homes and PulteGroup have signed on as builders.

Of the neighborhoods, nine will will be residential with the 10th intended as a master-planned urban center with an option for Charleston County to add an elementary school and a fire station.

Talks are also in the works to develop a YMCA, said Taylor Bush, president of the Long Savannah Co.

As part of the development agreement negotiations, Bush said, some of the land also will be used for two public parks.

The main entry point will be the future Long Savanna Parkway, an extension of the Glenn McConnell Parkway currently being engineered. The road will connect the neighborhood to the West Ashley Circle.

“The property was a timber tract when we purchased it, so there are miles and miles of logging roads on the property,” Bush said. “We plan to convert a significant amount of these roads into a trail network which may also connect to adjacent neighborhoods.”

Mungo has filed plans to build more than 800 homes in Long Savanna on two tracts totaling 212 acres. Three years ago, the company paid $11.75 million for about 56 acres within the development, county land records show.

Pulte has options to buy lots through a so-called land bank arrangement with an investment firm that paid nearly $35 million for a 147-acre tract at Long Savanna last year.

Planning aheadAn upcoming community on Maybank Highway will gain another neighborhood restaurant.

The hospitality giant behind a timeshare development planned for the historic City Market area announced new details about the project this week, saying it plans to start construction next year.

Marriott Vacations Worldwide Corp. also disclosed that the downtown property will be the first in its "City Collection" to operate under the Westin lodging flag.

"With the city of Charleston continually ranking on lists of the South’s best cities to visit for its thriving culinary scene, easy walkability and Southern charm, this new property ... will bring the city experience right to owners, members and guest’s doorsteps," Marriott Vacations said.

The company described its City Collection as "a metropolitan complement to our global resort portfolio" made up of timeshare properties that are "close to the action" and offer "stylish stays that are in the heart of local interests, transportation and attractions, reflecting the spirit and culture of their dynamic surroundings.”

“We know our owners, members and guests see great value in being close to the action, so we will continue to look for opportunities to expand our city offerings over the coming years” Marriott Vacations executive Lori Gustafson said in a written statement.

A similar Westin Vacation Club is planned for Savannah, starting in 2026.

The Charleston project was announced last May for 235 East Bay St. and 36 N. Market St., on the same wraparound site where plans for a conventional 50-room boutique hotel were approved in 2017.

Marriott Vacation bought the adjoining properties early last year for $16.45 million, according to public land records.

The East Bay portion of the property borders Guignard Street and has been used as a parking lot. Over the years, it housed several restaurants, including Molly Darcy's Irish Pub, Meritage and Kiva Han.

The existing 1850s-era building at 36 N. Market includes several ground-floor retail businesses and will be incorporated into the resort, which will include an on-site timeshare sales center.

Last year, Marriott Vacations began testing the site for soil and groundwater contaminants.

"The property has been used by various commercial owners since the late 1800s," according to a voluntary environmental cleanup agreement with state regulators. "It was also developed with auto repair shops from the 1930s to the 1960s and a gasoline filling station from the 1950s to the 1970s."

Representatives for the Westin deal sought early-stage approval in December from the city's Technical Review Committee, which asked them to return after they made unspecified changes to the development plan.

Marriott Vacations, also known as Marriott Ownership Resorts Inc., has been in the business since 1984. In addition to its core namesake brand, its 120 timeshare resorts operate under several others, including Sheraton, Ritz-Carlton, St. Regis and Hyatt.

The company's future downtown Westin outpost will be competing with at least three rival timeshare destinations: the Lodge Alley Inn near East Bay and Cumberland streets, Liberty Place Charleston at East Bay and Calhoun streets and King 583 Resort on upper King Street. They're all operated by Hilton Grand Vacations.

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - From West Ashley to Sullivan’s Island, businesses spent the day recuperating after heavy rains and strong winds caused them to temporarily lock their doors.

Many of the exterior windows at Hay Tire Pros, off Savannah Highway, shattered, and a large part of their ceiling collapsed on the inside.

Vice President Bill Sekula said that they have always expected severe storms to come through with being in Charleston, but that they have never had this much damage before.

“I guess it was like a microburst or something to that effect, but apparently it was raining harder than usual and then the windows started to buckle and snapped over. These windows on the side just kind of came apart and came out of the building,” Sekula said.

Sekula said glass from the windows was even in the back part of their building which is almost 30 yards away. They had to close the business for the day and return all of their customers’ vehicles. He said the incident happened during hours of operation as employees notified him at around 8 a.m.

The next-door business, Etto Leisure Cars, a golf cart dealer, also saw significant damage. Will Harton, chief executive officer, said that part of their awning was ripped off and hit their power box causing them to lose power.

“I said ‘Oh my goodness.’ You know, you live in Charleston long enough, you know a storm is going to happen. Usually, it’s a hurricane. It’s not a microburst like this, but we will be fine and we will move on from here,” Harton said.

He added that he’s glad that all of his employees are safe and that the building and golf carts can be fixed.

First Alert Chief Meteorologist Bill Walsh said the damage could have been from a potential microburst or straight-line wind, but the National Weather Service has not yet confirmed that.

The Co-Op Frosé and Eatery on Sullivan’s Island had around two feet of water inside their restaurant. Their staff members spent the day using buckets to help get rid of the water. They said they have had flooding in the past, but never anything over a foot, so this is the worst they’ve seen.

“This morning, we lifted everything off the floor because we were expecting rain and heavy floods, but we didn’t know it was going to get this bad. So, as we were lifting things off the floor, it started coming in through the back door. Next thing you know there is water all over the place and we started getting buckets and mops and throwing water out. We’ve been throwing water out for the past three and a half hours,” employee Havannah Malan said.

She said that they have had to get their floors redone three times, and she expects the business will have to get them redone a fourth time after Saturday’s flood.

The businesses said they hope to repair the damages quickly, so they can return to normal operation as soon as possible.

Copyright 2024 WCSC. All rights reserved.

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - Residents who live near one West Ashley development learned more about the future of their community during a meeting hosted by developers.

Cameron Property Company, the company overseeing the development of 26 acres near the Essex Farms community, invited residents to share their concerns and provide input at a meeting Thursday night.

The 26-acre lot runs from Essex Farms Drive, down Skye Drive and extends to Dorothy Drive.

Developers were accompanied by Charleston city officials representing the council, planning department, and traffic department to discuss what potential businesses residents could expect to see.

During the meeting, community members said they were relieved to learn that the developer withdrew its request to change the zoning language to include drive-thru windows at restaurants.

The developer is in talks with a grocery store and gas station, but plans have not been finalized.

Some residents said they are less than pleased about the big changes coming to the Essex Farms community.

Residents also expressed concerns about traffic congestion and the potential for a gas station to be built on the property.

“Tonight’s the first time we’ve heard gas station. That was a shock for all of us. When we purchased our properties, we were told specifically that a gas station wasn’t allowed to be there,” resident Kellie Kinard said.

Development Manager Collins Moe said he wants community input but that the company has the right to build to the zoning order, which does allow a grocery store and gas station.

“We’re going through the appropriate city of Charleston permit steps which require traffic studies. Things that outline what we’re proposing to make sure they meet all the standards with the county, the state, and the city, more importantly, based on where this property lies. At the end of the day, we’re still very far out,” Moe said.

Kinard said she is disappointed and was left with even more concerns and questions.

“I think my husband and I are going to have a serious conversation about whether or not we’re going to list our home. Which is really unfortunate because we love our neighborhood. We have great neighbors, but we do not want this type of development that they’re talking about potentially literally within several feet of our driveway,” Kinard said.

City officials stated that this development was approved many years ago and the zoning goes back to 1997.

Copyright 2024 WCSC. All rights reserved.

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - After months of her son being chronically sick, which even led him to temporarily stop walking and talking, one West Ashley woman wants to warn people about the effects of living with mold.

Mold test results allege this is exactly what former tenant Lauren LaMantia experienced while living at The Heyward Apartments.

“There’s nothing more frustrating than knowing something is wrong with your kid and there’s no one that will help you,” LaMantia said.

LaMantia and her son Leo moved into The Heyward apartments in West Ashley in 2020. What began as off-and-on colds, led to a sickness that wouldn’t go away for Leo LaMantia last spring.

Lauren LaMantia says he had constant mucus, an oozing eye and he even eventually stopped walking and talking. He was diagnosed with three different viruses and pneumonia in his right lung.

A specialist recommended getting an environmental test in their apartment, which is when she hired The Mold Girl, LLC and GSL Engineering.

She explained what The Mold Girl, LLC recommended.

“[An employee] said, ‘Based on how I feel after being here and testing, I wouldn’t keep my family here for another day,’” LaMantia said. “So, that night we packed up and we left.”

She took the topical tests to The Heyward management, who then hired a vendor to remediate the area and clean invasively, which she claims only exacerbated the problem.

“It was worse, obviously, than what was just topical,” LaMantia said. “And those spores got thrown out into the air, into the air ducts and contaminated all of our belongings.”

When the two initial companies came out to test again, the results were worse than before.

GSL Engineering’s air quality test says anything higher than a five requires an investigation. The apartment’s levels were 7.7.

In The Mold Girl, LLC’s test, there were a variety of molds found, with some of these also showing in the 95th percentile in Leo’s urine sample.

“When I told the complex that, they considered this matter closed and that they had denied any allegations with my initial concern with sending a vendor out there to fix it,” LaMantia said.

She says The Heyward offered to terminate the lease, under one condition. She was asked to sign a waiver of liability, a confidentiality agreement and a non-disclosure form. When she refused, she had to pay nine more months of rent in an apartment she couldn’t live in.

“Between moving, medical, rent, legal counsel - just consultations - it’s between $40,000-$50,000 out of pocket,” LaMantia said.

The Heyward’s attorney, Thomas Howard, sent this statement in response to the allegations:

Due to privacy concerns, it is our policy not to comment on specific questions regarding any resident. We are aware of the resident’s complaint to which our community representatives promptly investigated and responded. We contest the resident’s portrayal of the facts and our corresponding actions. At Heyward, the safety and well-being of our community residents are paramount, and we treat all concerns with utmost seriousness. Heyward has been nationally recognized in the country for resident experience placing in the Elite 1% ORA Power Rankings (34th nationally) by J Turner Research. The ORA® Power Ranking is based on the relative strength of over 140,000 communities assessed by J Turner Research, a prominent consulting firm that monitors resident satisfaction. This accomplishment reflects the hard work and positive impact of our onsite management team which remains dedicated to providing the best possible environment for all of our residents.

Since moving out, LaMantia says she still experiences memory loss and is on more antibiotics now than she has been in the last ten years. She wants to warn other renters about the dangers mold could present.

“I just hope that people get out of that place,” LaMantia said. “...It’s just a breeding ground for mold... And they have no idea that they’re going to breathe in these terrible things and that could permanently damage them.”

She recommends if anyone is feeling symptoms no matter where they live, to get your place tested.

Copyright 2024 WCSC. All rights reserved.

CHARLESTON COUNTY, S.C. (WCBD) – More than a dozen volunteers gathered in West Ashley early Saturday morning to clean up a homeless encampment and help those in need.

The cleanup took place in a wooded area behind the Food Lion grocery store off Savannah Highway and Ashley Town Center Drive.

Charleston resident Olivia Grafton organized the event with help from Charleston County Sheriff Kristen Graziano after seeing numerous posts on social media. “People were complaining about it, but nobody was taking action. So, I took it upon myself to gather a group of people and come out here to start this event,” Grafton said.

Roughly 15 volunteers, including Sheriff Graziano, worked to clean up the encampments that were either destroyed or abandoned. They hope that offering a hand will remind others about the ongoing issues of homelessness in the area.

Grafton’s younger nephew, William, also participated in the community cleanup. “I just think it would help a lot,” he said, noting that he wanted to see if they could help some people in need.

In addition to cleaning up the area, volunteers met with those in need to hear their stories, offer food, and find resources to pave a new path forward.

“We want to see what their deal is … if we know their story, and if they have issues with mental health or substance or alcohol use, we have to know because the last thing we want to do is direct them to services and them not be successful. So, part of what we do is try to figure out what their story is and then find resources we can direct them to,” said Sheriff Graziano.

Sheriff Graziano said there is a community wellness problem and that it’s time to give people the resources they need to get well. “We’ve displaced folks long enough, it’s time to get in the trenches and help them out,” she said.

She added, “There’s no better feeling than to lift somebody up when they need it the most, and I think part of my goal as a person, as a human, in this community is to make things better for folks. If we can do that, one step at a time, one person at a time, I think that’s a win and it also helps clean up our community.”

The volunteers collected several bags of trash and removed old furniture and mattresses during the event.