By Ashley Fletcher Frampton
aframpton@scbiznews.com
Published Sept.1, 2010

North Charleston Mayor Keith Summey, whose city revitalization plans are largely intertwined with the fate of the redevelopment of the former Navy Base, said he is not concerned that a new entity holds the note on a $23.8 million loan to the base’s developer.

An entity called CHSA LLC on Friday purchased the note on the loan from Capmark Financial Inc. to the developer, The Noisette Co. The transaction, which puts CHSA in the position as lender, came just days before a court hearing Tuesday that was scheduled to finalize plans for a foreclosure sale of the 240 acres that secured the loan.

It’s unclear who is behind CHSA, whether the entity is seeking to take ownership of the 240 acres, and if so, for what purpose.
North Charleston Mayor Keith Summey “I can tell you that mixed use does not call for a rail going through the (north) end of the base.”
— North Charleston Mayor Keith Summey

Summey said today that he doesn’t know those answers, but that the city still has at least two measures of control over future development at the Navy base. It controls zoning, and it has an agreement with a state agency that Summey says prevents rail development on that portion of the former base.

Summey addressed speculation that Bob Faith, president of Greystar and former S.C. Secretary of Commerce, could be involved with CHSA and that the deal is linked to rail company Norfolk Southern.

Norfolk Southern officials have said they prefer to access a port terminal under construction nearby via a route that runs through the Navy base property in question.

Greystar is a Charleston-based real estate company that focuses on apartment development and management nationwide.

After hearing that Faith could be involved in purchasing the note, Summey said he called him early last week to ask about it.

“He told me he was under a confidentiality agreement and could not openly discuss it because of that,” Summey said.

Summey said the comment indicates that Faith was likely involved in some effort to purchase the note, but that he doesn’t know whether Faith is involved in the entity that actually made the purchase.

Many groups have talked about purchasing the note over the past year, Summey said.

“Whether he was in the group that bought the note, I am not positive,” Summey said.

The Business Journal’s efforts to reach Faith over the past two days have been unsuccessful. Greystar officials referred questions to a third-party spokesman, who has not responded to calls and e-mails.

Summey said he asked Faith if he was working with Norfolk Southern on the takeover.

“He said that was no more than a rumor,” Summey said.

The mayor said he also talked to Faith about potential changes on the property if he did ultimately control it.

“He said that there would need to be some tweaking to the zoning,” Summey said. “That’s fine as long as that does not damage the overall plan that we have for the future there.”

Summey said he wouldn’t object to minor changes to the zoning, which currently enables mixed-use development.

“I can tell you that mixed use does not call for a rail going through the (north) end of the base,” Summey said.

The discussion is the same one that has been ongoing since Capmark Financial filed for foreclosure last summer, leaving the future of the Navy Yard at Noisette redevelopment project uncertain.

The foreclosure suit involves about 240 acres of the full 340-acre project.

Summey said that even with a new entity involved following a last-minute transaction that closed Friday, little has changed from the city’s point of view.

He said North Charleston City Council has not discussed bidding on the land to prevent future uncertainty. He cited the city’s ultimate control of the land through zoning and a 2002 memorandum of understanding with the S.C. State Ports Authority calling for rail access to the new port terminal from the south side of the property, not the north.

“I see us in no different stance than we were prior to this,” Summey said.

In court yesterday, Charleston County Master-in-Equity Mikell Scarborough ordered a sale of the 240 acres, divided into three parts, through a 60-day process that starts today. Written bids will be accepted through Nov. 1.

If bids received by that date do not cover the debt, the lender could reject them and proceed to a traditional auction on the full 240 acres on Dec. 7.

Reach Ashley Fletcher Frampton at 843-849-3129.

New owner to put in fewer homes at Mixson site
By Katy Stech
The Post and Courier
Friday, August 20, 2010

More than two dozen brightly painted stucco houses are clustered together on three acres in North Charleston while the surrounding 41 acres remain undisturbed.

Construction has stopped at the Mixson neighborhood off Durant Avenue, where an Atlanta firm was planning some changes after taking it over from the I’On Group, a development firm known for its namesake neotraditional neighborhood in Mount Pleasant.

Photo by Robert Behre

The Post and Courier

Jamestown of Atlanta has bought out the mortgage of the Mixson site in North Charleston. The group plans to change the original plans, which called for as many as 950 units, to better fit with the current economy.

Mixson was to mirror I’On’s dense concept. The developer planned to build as many as 950 units on the 44-acre tract. It bought a former military housing site for $3.8 million in 2005 and leveled the aging homes.

Jamestown of Atlanta, which was an early partner with the I’On Group in the Mixson deal, has bought out the mortgage and it plans to reconfigure the original plans to better fit with the current economy.

“We have essentially hit the reset button,” said Michael Phillips, Jamestown’s creative and marketing director. He declined to disclose terms of the deal.

Jamestown officials don’t have new plans yet, but Phillips said the group will likely end up building fewer homes on the property than originally proposed. Mixson made headlines for the projected density of the neighborhood, which featured narrow alleyways, clusters of multifamily buildings and bits of public meeting space.

It also raised eyebrows with nearby neighbors because more homes, naturally, mean more traffic and the need for more public services.

Jamestown officials will take the next few months to figure out how to complete the development. The new plan will still include environmentally sensitive building concepts, quality craftsmanship, public spaces and an emphasis on walkability, Phillips said.

German-owned Jamestown got its green thumb in late 2008, when it bought Green Street Properties, an environmentally focused development and consulting firm also in Atlanta. Earlier this year, the company announced it would spend up to $10 million to retrofit its $4 billion portfolio of properties — a mix of retail centers, office buildings and housing developments — throughout the country.

Phillips said it could be another nine to 18 months before construction crews return to Mixson. He called it “a hiccup in the lifespan of the project,” pointing to the popularity of nearby Park Circle.

“In the macro, people are moving toward these communities,” Phillips said. “If anything, the economy has had a greater impact on traditional suburbs.”

Mixson’s unfinished status is more the standard these days given the impact that the prolonged recession has had on the real estate business.

Other nearby projects — ranging from the Noisette to The Beach Co.’s smaller Garco Park redevelopment off East Montague Avenue — also are on hold.

North Charleston Mayor Keith Summey said Mixson remains a well-thought-out development. “We think the project will move forward, and I think it’ll end up being successful,” he said.

Summey can speak about the Mixson development both as a city leader and a property owner. He and his wife, Deborah, bought a one-bedroom unit on Summey Street — it’s named for them — for $180,118 in 2008 and have rented the 576-square-foot apartment out ever since. Only six of the completed housing units at Mixson have been sold. Summey is realistic when asked whether he could resell his property for that amount today.

“Probably not,” he said. “But I think the value will come back as development picks back up.”

Reach Katy Stech at 937-5549 or kstech@postandcourier.com.

Copyright © 1995 – 2010 Evening Post Publishing Co..

4th of July Celebration
Sunday July 4, 2010 from 3:00pm – 9:00pm
Riverfron Park
Everglades Drive
North Charleston, South Carolina 29405
The City of North Charleston is once again hosting the July 4th celebration at the Riverfront Park on Sunday, July 4, 2010 from 3:00 PM – 9:00 PM. At this year’s event, we present local entertainers, “Quianna Parlor” from American Idol, “The Blue Dogs” and “CoastRunner” along with other activities throughout the event , ending a wonderful day with a spectacular fireworks display at dark.

To become a vendor, call our Recreation Department at (843) 740-5801.

The Festival is presented free of charge to the public will all general admission for attendees. Guests attending the Festival are invited to bring lawn chairs and blankets, as there is no seating provided. No alcohol is permissible within the park. A wide variety of food vendors are always on site. Children activities are available free of charge, including inflatable jump castles, games, the play area, the giant sandbox, and the water fountain.

The Festval at Riverfront Park is located on the former Charleston Naval Base, easily accessible from I-526 and I-26. Guests may enter the former Charleston Naval Base by the McMillan Avenue gate or the Virginia Avenue gate and turn onto Hobson Avenue. Riverfront Park signs are visible for easy to follow directions. All parking is free and shuttles are available during the event for the convenience of guests.

Date:
Friday, June 18, 2010
Time:
7:00pm – 9:00pm
Location:
The Meeting Place in Park Circle
Street:
1077 East Montague Street
City/Town:
North Charleston, SC

The first Craft Bee will be held in Park Circle on Friday, June 18. Participants can choose among several crafts, with most materials provided.* Instructions and assistance will be available–no crafting experience is necessary! More information about specific crafts is coming soon.

Bring your creativity and a snack to share! A $5 donation is suggested to help cover the cost of materials.

*One craft will be freezer paper stenciling onto a fabric item of your choice. Please bring an item for stenciling, such as a t-shirt, onesie, dish towel, tote bag, or skirt. Items that are mostly cotton or linen and can be laid out flat will work best.

Sitting down in January to talk about the first gay pride event in Charleston, organizer Lynn Dugan said this would be a building year.

“If it’s small this year, that’s fine,” she said.

After a recent meeting on security and stage preparations with her top volunteers, we asked Dugan how many people she was expecting for the May 15 event.

“You mean at the parade, at the rally, or the party?” she asked. It’s evident that “small” is now off the agenda.

The event website, charlestonpride.org, had more than 66,000 hits in April. The parade down Montague Avenue in North Charleston’s Park Circle will have 35 organizations represented, including local open-door churches, area gay-straight clubs, and other regional Pride festivals. The rally at Riverfront Park at Noisette will have speakers and musical acts volunteering their time, as well as vendors and organizations from around the country. The party at the Citadel’s football stadium (the irony isn’t lost here) is headlined by the Village People’s Randy Jones and gay performers Jipsta and GMG.

The eventual turnout will be hard to gauge. The Upstate’s first Pride march last year brought out more than 400 people, but police estimated more than 8,000 headed to Finlay Park in Columbia for the annual S.C. Pride rally last September. It’s safe to say organizers are expecting somewhere between those two numbers. It’s the first pride event in the Lowcountry, but Charleston’s appeal as a tourist destination may boost turnout — Out magazine shined a spotlight on the city in a travel feature last fall.
click to enlarge Dugan

* Dugan

“It’s time,” says Dugan. “It’s really way overdue.”

The festival’s theme is It’s Time to Bridge the Gap. Along with the group’s logo of a rainbow-adorned Ravenel Bridge, the idea is to bring people together. Indeed, Charleston’s gay community has been loosely organized amongst nonprofit and support groups like the Alliance for Full Acceptance, but education and advocacy programs took priority over the time-consuming proposition of a pride event and the laborious organizing that would go along with it to secure venues, entertainment, permits, and promotions.

After a stinging defeat for gay marriage rights in California in 2008, gays and supporters rallied across the country, including hundreds who marched from the S.C. Aquarium to City Hall in Charleston. For years, Dugan has organized her own lesbian networking group, the Charleston Social Club. She says the rally inspired her to put together a larger community event.

Roughly two dozen volunteers have held 10 fundraisers over the past few months. They’ve reached out for advice and support from pride organizers in Columbia, Augusta, and Savannah; their organizations will be represented at the local parade and rally.
click to enlarge Pride on Parade – Gays and their straight allies will march through sleepy North Charleston on Saturday and on to Riverfront Park at the old Navy Yard. Great … now we can’t get “In the Navy” out of our heads. – Source: Charleston Pride Organization, CCP

* Source: Charleston Pride Organization, CCP
* Pride on ParadeGays and their straight allies will march through sleepy North Charleston on Saturday and on to Riverfront Park at the old Navy Yard. Great … now we can’t get “In the Navy” out of our heads.

“We’re bridging the gap between the communities,” Dugan says, anxious to play off the theme.

The gay community won’t be standing alone on Saturday, either. Straight allies will perform, including local folk singer Danielle Howle and the band A Fragile Tomorrow. Fragile’s 18-year-old straight drummer, Dominic Kelly, has become a volunteer for the event, and he’s excited to perform at his first pride rally.

“I’ve always wanted to get involved,” he says. “I’m very interested in civil rights and you need straight people on your side to be successful.”

The rally will also include speakers from the Stonewall Democrats, the American Civil Liberties Union, and a presentation honoring gay war heroes. Elke Kennedy of Sean’s Last Wish will speak. She’s been an advocate for hate crime reform since the death of her gay son.

The road to the rally has had some bumps. Festival organizers have faced a challenge in finding sponsors due to the late start in organizing the event and the fact that it’s brand new.

“It took some time to get people to trust that this is going to happen and to give their money,” says Dugan.

Organizers proudly announced Mayor Keith Summey would be the grand marshal of the parade. But well-groomed eyebrows were raised across the Lowcountry when Summey noted in a Post and Courier interview that he’d agreed to the honor only in his role as mayor, not as an LGBT advocate.

“This is not in any way saying that I am supportive of their lifestyle,” he said.

The mayor later told the City Paper, “Though I do not agree with everyone’s lifestyle, I firmly believe in everyone’s equality.” In a letter of support for the Pride program, Summey notes his personal pride that North Charleston is hosting the event and says city staff stand ready to make it a memorable one.
click to enlarge Daniellle Howle will perform at Riverfront Park at 4:10 p.m.

* Daniellle Howle will perform at Riverfront Park at 4:10 p.m.

Dugan and her team have remained supportive of Summey. The group hopes to keep the event in North Charleston next year.

“He’s a visionary,” says co-organizer Paul Rakoczy.

North Charleston spokesman Ryan Johnson says the city has received both support and opposition regarding the festival. “It’s the normal complaints you’d get from a polarizing issue,” he says.

Most of the storefronts along the parade route will be closed during the march, due to the sleepy-town nature of Saturday mornings on East Montague. But the community is still showing support. The Mill, a live music venue in Park Circle, will host a float in the parade and will have gay-friendly act Tung and Groov playing on Saturday night. And the Greater Park Circle Film Society is holding the gay-themed Real Grits Pride Fest this weekend.

Peeking our head into McGrath’s Ivy League Florist last week, the staff noted the city was hosting a beach and reggae street party that night and there’s no difference between the two. They’re happy to have anyone’s business.

And organizers don’t want to carelessly squander all of that goodwill. Guidelines have been set up for the parade and rally to be a family friendly event: no assless chaps, g-strings, or jock straps.

“The Dykes on Bikes have to keep their tops on,” Dugan jokes.

That kind of risque attire may be what you’ve seen on the nightly news, but (with apologies to parade float artisans) the parades for these events are typically yawn-inducingly tame. But there’s always one hand-over-your-mouth float or one older gentleman in bondage gear. They’re invited, but they just need to leave the toys at home.

“Everyone is welcome, as long as they’re dressed appropriately,” Dugan says.

There was some confusion that the guidelines would prevent drag performers from participating. They are more than welcome. Dugan even says drag queens are a must.

“That’s an integral part of any parade,” she says.
click to enlarge The Village People’s Randy Jones

* The Village People’s Randy Jones

The end result will hopefully be a diverse crowd.

“When the (Charleston) community comes out, they’ll realize what’s going on here. They’re going to be shocked at the size of the (gay) community here in Charleston,” Rakoczy says. He also hopes they’ll walk away educated about equality. “Liberty and justice for all is not just words.”

Festival Events

Rally Schedule

Noon Opening, “Star Spangled Banner,” Taps, flag presentation, 95SX’s Two Girls and a Guy, and the Lowcountry Highrollers

12:20 Musical performance by Jamison Alley

12:50 Speaker Elke Kennedy, founder of Sean’s Last Wish

1:10 Musical performance by The Dirty Martinis

1:40 Drag performer Celina Drake

1:55 Speaker Susan Dunn with the American Civil Liberties Union

2:10 Musical performance by Elaine Townsend

2:40 Mr. and Miss S.C. Pride

2:50 Drag performer Mike OxBig

3:05 Keith Riddle, president of the Charleston chapter of the Stonewall Democrats

3:20 Musical performance by A Fragile Tomorrow

4:10 Musical performance by Danielle Howle Band

4:50 Closing, 95SX’s Two Girls and a Guy

Fabulas
Sat. May 15
9 p.m.-12 a.m.
$10, $30/door and open bar
The Citadel
The City View Club at Hagood Stadium
68 Hagood St.
charlestonpride.org

If you attend Fabulas, the official Charleston Pride party, feel free to dress up as a sailor, a construction worker, a police man (or woman), a biker, or a Native American (though there may be some issues of political correctness with that last one). But whatever you do, do not dress up as a cowboy. Randy Jones, one of the original Village People, will be at Fabulas, and he played the cowboy. So please leave the hat and boots at home. The night will also feature music from Jipsta (a.k.a Nasty Boy), GMG, and DJ Trev. The Red Hot Rebelettes will bring their burlesque to the party, and guests will be greeted by drag king Mike OxBig, a mystery drag queen, and Mr. and Miss S.C. Pride. Regarding this eclectic lineup, Lynn Dugan, organizer for Charleston Pride, says “The Pride festival’s theme is It’s Time to Bridge the Gap. We’ll bridge the gap between generations.” —Susan Cohen

Other Pride Events

June 19: Augusta Pride, prideaugusta.org; Upstate Pride, upstatepridesc.org
June 24-27: S.C. Black Pride, southcarolinablackpride.com
Aug. 26-29: Myrtle Beach Pride, myrtlebeachpride.com
Aug. 29-Sept. 6: S.C. Pride, scpride.org
Sept. 11: Savannah Pride, savpride.com
Oct. 2: Charlotte Pride, pridecharlotte.com
Oct. 9-10: Atlanta Pride, atlantapride.org

Tags: gay pride, The Citadel
Related Events

*
Charleston Pride Rally @ Riverfront Park
o Sat., May 15, 12-5 p.m.
*
Staff Pick
Fabulas @ The Citadel
o Sat., May 15, 9 p.m.-12 a.m.

By Ashley Fletcher Frampton
aframpton@scbiznews.comThis e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

CHARLESTON — Younger generations looking for smaller homes, urban lifestyles and sustainable communities are among the forces that will shape the future of real estate development, two local experts said Friday.

Those younger generations will also question the value of homeownership, something developers must overcome, said Diana Permar, principal of local real estate consulting firm Permar Inc.

Permar, speaking to a crowd of more than 200 developers, attorneys, planners and others gathered in downtown Charleston for the state’s annual Urban Land Institute conference, didn’t try to predict when the market will rebound.

Instead, she and fellow speaker Jim Chaffin, a principal with the development firm Chaffin Light Associates, painted a picture of what trends will drive development when it does.

Some of the shifts in demand are related to demographics and were emerging before the economy sank, the speakers said. Others are results of new, post-recession values.

Generational shifts
Chaffin said the baby boomer generation, those ages 45 to 63, has shaped real estate demand in the United States for years. The baby boomer generation represents about 78 million people.

That generation’s children, known as “echo boomers,” total about 76 million. With immigrants adding to that cohort, the echo boomers will eventually outnumber their parents’ generation, Chaffin said.

“They are our housing market,” he said.

Unlike their parents and grandparents, Permar said younger generations have seen risk associated with homeownership and will not necessarily view real estate as a safe investment.

That means a higher demand for rental housing.

Permar said the U.S. rate of homeownership peaked at 69% a couple of year ago, and it’s expected to fall to around 62% to 64% in the next few years.

Among those who will buy in the future, the demand will be for smaller homes, Permar said. Also, buyers will look for homes they can own for longer periods of time – homes that can adapt as their lives change.

Buyers will no longer look at houses as automatic teller machines, she said.

“Housing becomes housing again,” Permar said.

Over the last five years, Permar said many in the baby boomer generation have turned 50, which is the average age for buying second homes. Many have also turned 60, which is the average age for buying retirement homes.

Some developers think boomers hitting those milestones are waiting for the market to turn before making the usual real estate investments, Permar said.

But she thinks the moment may have passed for some 50- and 60-year-olds. Instead of buying new real estate, they have moved on.

“We shouldn’t depend on them,” she said.

Urban and suburban cores
Chaffin said a trend with both baby boomers and echo boomers is a desire to live in urban areas. The shift creates challenges for both generations and for developers.

Many in the boomer generation will try to sell their suburban “McMansions” in order to downsize and move to more diverse communities, Permar said.

Their challenge is that the generation between boomers and echo boomers – those who would be in a position to buy the McMansions – is a much smaller group, she said. So not everyone who wants to sell their large suburban home and move to the city will be able to do so.

Chaffin said echo boomers’ demand for urban housing presents a different challenge: Young parents might prefer to send their children to public schools in the suburbs. As a result, he predicted the increasing emergence of suburban town centers with amenities similar to those in cities.

Developers also face challenges in urban development, Chaffin said. Land is more difficult to find than on the fringes, it often costs more, and developers can face intense opposition from downtown residents resistant to change.

Green and sustainable
Both speakers said the move toward sustainable development and green building practices is a given.

“Frankly, it’s only a matter of time before all new buildings will be green buildings,” Chaffin said.

Developers who don’t believe that “will be roadkill,” he said.

Making the United States more energy efficient and less reliant on foreign oil requires more than new technologies like hybrid cars and wind turbines, Chaffin said. Land development patterns that reduce dependence on cars must be part of the answer.

Permar said the post-recession consumer mindset will reject ego-driven spending. Instead, consumers will focus more on sustainability and not being wasteful.

She told developers that their future success will come from conveying clearly what their values are and what values will shape the communities they build.

“It’s not just about price – it’s about value. And it’s about values,” Permar said.

Reach Ashley Fletcher Frampton at 843-849-3129.

Published Feb. 8, 2010

We are blessed to live in the Lowcountry. Each of the cities and towns in the area is special, as are our rural areas. Collectively, we have created a quality of life of which the world is increasingly aware.

We are also working hard to maintain that quality of life through green space preservation, responsible transportation projects, economic development and environmental sensitivity. Recent economic successes in the form of Boeing’s decision to stake its future here, as well as the Clemson University Restoration Institute’s wind turbine research grant award are a tribute to the tenacity and talent of our political, educational and community leaders.

This past week alone, North Charleston received a national award from the Home Depot Foundation and was honored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency with a 2009 Environmental Justice Achievement Award. A month ago, the MetLife Foundation recognized Metanoia and the North Charleston Police Department with a national award for a successful crime reduction partnership in the Chicora-Cherokee Neighborhood.

Common denominators? The residents of North Charleston’s historic city center and The Noisette Company. Recent information has presented an incomplete picture which paints the successes of The Noisette Company in a negative light, perhaps to soften our resolve against the ill-advised idea of rail yards on the former naval base. The simple fact is that the vast majority of significant real estate developments in the area are stalled as a result of worldwide financial problems.

In contrast, here are the underreported community development and investment successes of Noisette. Noisette’s property, known as The Navy Yard, has had an investment in excess of $50 million to date, with 80-plus companies occupying almost one million square feet and employing 2,300 workers. There are currently six pending contracts for new enterprises that will add two new restaurants and several business headquarters to North Charleston. Noisette recently leased office space to People Matters, a new human resource software company that has bought two other firms in Columbia and is relocating to the Navy Yard. The Navy Yard now has significant clusters around software, security and biotechnology as well as the built environment, the arts and the non-profit sector.

Noisette-created nonprofit entities have attracted and invested in excess of $10 million in this city. More importantly they have created some of the most innovative and recognized programs in the nation with the Civic Justice Corps, HUB (Historically Underutilized Business) Academy, and The Sustainability Institute. The Institute’s energy training program alone has saved Noisette-area residents on average $800 a year in energy bills.

Noisette’s Prison Re-entry program has graduated 76 members and had only one re-arrested in the last four years. A regional Americorps Center has been established at the Noisette Foundation that now has 22 full-time Vista volunteers, leveraging thousands of other volunteers. The Vista program has provided thousands of mentors and community volunteers supporting the area’s schools.

Outside the gates of the naval base, the 3,000-acre Noisette Master Plan area now boasts the first historic overlay district in the city’s history. A vibrant business district features stalwart traditional restaurants and shops alongside trendy new restaurants and clubs. Property values nearly quadrupled from 2000 in the Park Circle area, and have held steady. Oak Terrace Preserve (OTP), The Charleston City Paper’s “Best New Development” for 2009 and recipient of national press recognition, has sold new homes continuously, even in this downturn. As a city-owned project, OTP establishes the City of North Charleston as the leader in sustainable living and redevelopment in the state.

The first LEED-certified school in South Carolina was constructed at North Charleston Elementary, as a collaborative effort among the school district, the city and the Noisette Company. East Montague is also host to the first LEED Platinum building in the state.

The point? The Noisette Company and Project, far from just a real estate deal and far from a failure, is to be celebrated by its city. It is to be championed by all of us who have benefited from it for the immeasurable good it has done, and for our unlimited future together. To that point, North Charleston pressed from Day One for the State Ports Authority to use rail for the naval base terminal, as a means of reducing the flood of trucks which will clog Interstate 26 from the day the terminal opens. We insisted in our negotiations that rail traffic access the new port from the south. The SPA agreed.

This agreement was ratified by the Legislature and the State Budget and Control Board when the naval base land transfers were approved. In reliance on this approval, seven years later we have an international award-winning Riverfront Park, home to the largest Fourth of July celebration in the region. We have development plans in place, and numerous buildings on the north end of the base have been refitted and occupied. Clemson University’s Restoration Institute finally has its first grand success in the wind turbine grant.

Who would put a rail yard on top of this — the promise of our state’s economic and energy future — particularly when better options to the south of the base have been presented and stand ready to be constructed?

With these successes, our best days lie ahead as even more grand dreams are realized. We are not interested in bartering away the hard-fought victories and quality of life we have obtained. Why should we turn our backs on such success after such hard work and community involvement?

We are receiving awards for the years of implementation we have put into our sustainability plans. The entire Lowcountry, not just select portions, has an unmatched quality of life. The world knows. North Charleston residents know. We shouldn’t pretend otherwise.

Kurt Taylor is a North Charleston city councilman.

Copyright © 1995 – 2010 Evening Post Publishing Co..