Dwelling Living and Leisure The Boulevard is Underway
town of Mount Pleasant. On March 20, Darby, the grandson of legendary real
L
estate developer J.C. Long and now the president and chief executive officer of Te Beach Company, which his grandfa-
BY BRIAN SHERMAN
ther founded in 1945, stood a few hundred yards from the building that once housed Rodenburg’s and helped launch a multi-million-dollar project that will change the face of Mount Pleasant’s main thoroughfare. Te Boulevard, made up of
325 apartments, 12,000 square feet of commercial space and a three- story parking garage, is scheduled for completion in the summer of 2013. Located across the street from Brookgreen Town Center, another Beach Company project, it’s the first major step in establishing a pedestri- an-friendly main street for Mount Pleasant along Coleman Boulevard, a vision born in 2006 and solidified by a 10-year plan adopted by the town in 2011. According to Darby, Te Beach Company, which has
OOKING BACK ON HIS CHILD- hood, John C.L. Darby remembers family excursions from his home on the Isle of Palms to the nearest gro- cery store, Rodenburg’s Red & White, located on the south side of Coleman Boulevard in what was then the small
cessful examples elsewhere, such as Santana Row in San Jose, Baldwin Park in Orlando and Market Common in Myrtle Beach. Darby added that the Beach Company has studied what has worked in cities including Chicago, Dallas, Atlanta and Charlotte. Te architect for the project is JHP Architec- ture/Urban Design of Dallas, a firm known nationally for designing infill projects – those built on land already in use rather than on property being developed for the first time. Te Boulevard’s apartments will range from studios of
John C.L. Darby, president and chief executive officer of The Beach Company, spoke to the crowd at the groundbreaking for The Boulevard March 20.
just over 500 square feet up to three-bedroom flats at 1,470 square feet. Tey are smaller by design, because “people don’t want or need large spaces,” according to Doyle, and they also will be built to accommodate modern convenienc- es such as flat-screen TVs and smaller appliances. And, just because Te Boulevard will rise in the middle of Mount Pleasant’s main street doesn’t mean its builders won’t do their best to co-exist with Mother Nature. Several large trees on the property will remain, including a 46-inch live oak that will be the centerpiece of an interior courtyard. Te garage will feature a charging station for electric cars, and storm- water management will be a priority.
“When you are dealing with an infill project, you have
owned the land for more than half a century, was unable to put the project in motion until a long-term lease with Fam- ily Dollar, the final occupant of the building that once stood on the property, expired. “Te rent was significantly below the market rate,” he explained. “Tey had the space locked up, and we couldn’t get them to move.” “We had the opportunity to do a lot of different things,”
he added. “We had a deal with Te Fresh Market, but the Publix opened on Highway 17 and they got cold feet. It became obvious to us that we were going to have to wait Family Dollar out.” Beach Company Vice President Daniel J. Doyle pointed out that the design of Te Boulevard will be based on suc-
to be as creative as possible,” Doyle commented. “Some things will look like they are decorative, but instead they will be intended to help solve a problem.” Doyle is not concerned about renting Te Boulevard’s
325 units. “I can say with a strong level of confidence that there
will be a market for these apartments,” he remarked. “It’s not necessarily the apartments but the lifestyle and level of convenience because of their location. It will be close to the beach and downtown Charleston, and residents will be able to walk to dinner across the street or to the stores and restaurants at the Boulevard.” “It will be a place to live, but it also will be a destination for people who don’t live there,” he added.
This is the first in a series of articles about Mount Pleasant’s main street.
www.MountPleasantMagazine.com |
www.iLoveMountPleasant.com |
www.MountPleasantNeighborhoods.com
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76