Charleston & the New Urbanism?

While nothing startlingly new, this presents an interesting perspective, one that developers and consumers may well benefit from considering.

"A recent presentation on urban planning and transportation filled a downtown meeting room and left the audience with one thought: Freeways are so yesterday. John Norquist, who was mayor of Milwaukee for 16 years and led a dramatic renewal there that included zoning revisions and a more pedestrian-friendly downtown, now heads Congress for the New Urbanism, a San Francisco-based nonprofit agency that works to find alternatives to sprawl.

In his presentation to about 80 planners, architects, engineers and others, Norquist emphasized his view that street grids, rather than fast-moving freeways with no sidewalks, work better in densely populated areas.

'Even Wal-Mart now will locate a store on a street with sidewalks and will build stores next to other buildings,' Norquist said. 'Real estate values go up when freeways are removed, boulevards are built and views are restored.'

Josh Martin, Charleston city planning director, said Norquist made good points. 'For so long in this country, transportation and land use have divorced themselves from one another, and they operate in two separate spheres of influence that rarely collide,' Martin said. 'He’s saying we’ve got to get back to the way we used to address these things.'

'The Neck could be developed intensely, but it is dominated by infrastructure that doesn’t serve the neighborhood and lowers the real estate values,' Norquist said. 'You could create a place that you love, just like historic Charleston. Giant roads and parking lots create boring places.'”

For the full Charleston Regional Business Journal article: http://www.charlestonbusiness.com/pub/13_24/news/10855-1.html

For the Congress on the New Urbanism: http://www.cnu.org/

New Berkeley County Business Park

The projected growth in the Lowcountry over the next ten years is amazing! What an exciting time to live and work and buy property in Charleston!

"An office and industrial property development company owned by H. Ross Perot Jr.—son of the Texas billionaire and onetime presidential candidate H. Ross Perot—is poised to begin construction of a 750-acre business park near Interstate 26 in Berkeley County.

The development, to be called the Charleston Trade Center, will be built on I-26 between exits 194 and 199 near the Piggy Wiggly Distribution Center. The site, formerly known as the Mercedes tract, will have approximately 8 million square feet of Class A industrial space and 1 million square feet of office/retail space at full buildout.

At completion, the Hillwood Investment Properties project is expected to create approximately 3,000 new jobs, company officials said.

Gary Frederick, senior vice president of Hillwood Investment Properties, said the company’s decision to build in Berkeley County was in large part because of the importance of global trade through the Port of Charleston.

'With close to 2 million 20-foot-equivalent containers handled each year, the Port of Charleston is among the busiest ports on the East Coast and is well positioned for continued growth,' Frederick said."

For the full Charleston Regional Business Journal article: http://www.charlestonbusiness.com/current/13_24/news/10851-1.html

For the Hillwood Investment Properties project master plan: http://www.hillwoodinvestmentproperties.com/Portals/0/Projects/Brochures/ChTC.11x17.LR.2007.11.08.pdf

Charleston Air Force Base Facilitities Facelift

One note of particular interest to those invested in the Charleston real estate market: 75% of air force personnel currently live off base and that number is expected to increase over the next decade. So the current project will give business to our friends in construction at a time when they can really use the business, and for the foreseeable future the constant rotation of military families transferred in and out will keep Charleston real estate lively with little dependence on other market variables.

"The Charleston Air Force Base has embarked on an array of construction projects that will not only spruce up the base and housing areas but also pump money into the local economy.
The largest of the projects is the Repair Family Housing Project Phase IV, estimated at $16.9 million.

'This is a once-in-a-long-time type of project,' said William Dean, 437th Civil Engineer Squadron engineering flight chief. 'We’ve had several phases accomplished over the last few years, things like roofing or painting projects for several hundred thousand dollars. But this is several times larger than what we’d normally do.'

Dean said much of the work is 'end of life' renovations, with repairs and replacements coming when they’d be expected because of the buildings’ age.

The housing project, which was awarded in February 2006, included the construction of 10 new homes in the officer quarters.

'These homes are going to set the standard for officer housing,' said Steve Campbell, a civil engineer with the squadron and the senior manager of the project. 'These are really high-quality, state-of-the-art homes. Plus we put in a large playground and have done a lot with green space, putting the homes on larger lots and backing them up to the golf course.'

The housing project is about 85% complete. Campbell said the master plan calls for about 250 of the 716 housing units on the base to be demolished in 2015. The homes will not be rebuilt; rather, families will be directed to other housing available in the area.

'By that time, the useful life of those units will be about to expire, and it won’t be worth putting more construction dollars into them,' he said. 'We don’t feel that there will be any impact on service personnel in the area. The housing market in the tri-county area already supports about 75 percent of our airmen. The Charleston housing market is a very strong market, and we expect it to remain that way for many years.'

Other construction projects include the demolition of dormitories, a steam plant and several temporary living facilities to improve base appearance. The cost of that work is about $1
million."

For the full Charleston Regional Business Journal article: http://www.charlestonbusiness.com/pub/13_23/news/10767-1.html

Helping the Homeless

As many of us take this day off, with thankful hearts and full bellies heading out at five in the morning for the annual retail extravaganza or putting our feet up and watching football, it seems a good time to help those who do not enjoy these privileges.

"With the weather turning cooler and winter approaching, most of us cherish the warmth and comfort of our homes. Yet, for the many South Carolinians without a home, the season brings with it the challenges of keeping warm, finding a hot meal, and seeking shelter from the elements. Find out how to help – visit our Resources for the Homeless page."

Thanks to SCIway News for this great resource! © 2007 SCIway.net, LLC. "SCIway News"™ is written by the team at SCIway.net – with a lot of help from people throughout South Carolina. ISSN: 1527-3903.

By the way Sandlapper recently held our first Fall Festival Food Drive for Kids benefiting Crisis Ministries, the Lowcountry Food Bank and East Cooper Meals on Wheels. If you missed it this year, be sure to look for it next November!

Happy Thanksgiving Charleston!

When my family gathers together this year to give thanks to God for all his gifts, YOU will be near the top of my list! In the spirit of the holiday I have linked to several cool sites and would like to wish you and yours a very happy Thanksgiving!

From the History of Thanksgiving website by the History Channel, which has great photos, text, video and even a copy of the 1728 proclamation establishing the national holiday: "Ever wonder what the pilgrims and their Native American guests really ate at the first feast? The truth may surprise you. Contrary to popular belief, they didn't sit down to a meal featuring turkey, corn, cranberries, and pumpkin pie (in fact, they didn't even have forks!). Travel back to Plymouth and discover some of the humble origins of Thanksgiving traditions we celebrate today and what the original celebration was actually like!"

http://www.history.com/minisite.do?content_type=mini_home&mini_id=1083

From the Plimoth Plantation website: "Plimoth Plantation is Plymouth as it was in the 17th century: it is a centuries-old Wampanoag homesite, a welcoming bench covered in furs, bluefish roasting slowly over a bed of hot coals, and a man dressed in traditional deerskin clothing."

http://www.plimoth.org/

The White House Thanksgiving site complete with pictures of the annual pardoning of the turkey: http://www.whitehouse.gov/holiday/thanksgiving/2007/

And of course, the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade website: http://www1.macys.com/campaign/parade/parade.jsp

The Inn at Middleton Place

If you're looking for a gift or getaway that's a little different, but VERY Charleston, a couple of nights in the Inn at Middleton Place is just the thing. However one feels about the design from the outside, it certainly provides gorgeous views from every room! And the peculiar fact that the Inn is not widely known lends its own special charm. A breathtaking escape from the everyday without leaving the county – I've said it before, and I'll say it again, "What a gift to be at home in the Lowcountry!"

"After 23 years, reactions still are mixed over the design of one of the Lowcountry’s more unusual inn properties, which also happens to be one of the area’s more off-the-beaten path accommodations. There is no golf course here, no shopping and no beach. It isn’t in historic Charleston and it isn’t near the airport. Yet some guests return every year to this 53-room lodge made up of a cluster of contemporary buildings that hug a wooded, 6½-acre tract of land along the Ashley River.
The modern design of The Inn at Middleton Place is what caught the eye of Deborah Plumm while she was flipping through an AAA travel magazine on her first trip to Charleston.

'I thought the architecture was so different and so wonderful,' Plumm said. 'I will try anything once, and I’ve tried it 10 times.'

Abigail Martin, the inn’s general manager, said nearly 50% of the inn’s guests are repeat visitors. The inn isn’t widely advertised and shares most of its marketing efforts with Middleton Place Plantation and Gardens. It was built on part of the plantation property and in spite of its remote location, occupancy has grown 15% during the past three years.

Celebrity guests include decorating mogul Martha Stewart and actress Sarah Jessica Parker.

Among the visitors who fall in love with the inn are architecture students who sometimes stay as guests or make day trips just to study the buildings. 'It shows our staff new appreciation for the buildings when we get architecture students on the property,' Martin said. 'They sit out here for hours and draw and sketch the buildings, the lines and the angles. They explain to us more than anyone else how unique the buildings are.'

The Inn at Middleton Place opened in 1985 and is owned by Charles Duell, a direct descendant of Arthur Middleton, who built Middleton Place plantation and who also was one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence.

The inn and other buildings on the property, including the Lake House conference center that opened in 1998, were built with respect to the scale, proportion, texture and even the color of nearby historical structures, even though the inn is not visible from the remains of the original house and gardens.

The contemporary, geometric inn buildings, designed by a former Charleston architectural firm, Clark & Menefee, are a stark contrast to the remains of the plantation’s 18th century manor house. Two years after it opened, The Inn at Middleton Place received the Honor Award from the American Institute of Architects."

For the full Charleston Regional Business Journal article: http://www.charlestonbusiness.com/pub/13_23/news/10761-1.html

For the Inn at Middleton Place: http://www.theinnatmiddletonplace.com/content.asp?catID=6295

New St. Andrews Shopping Center

Well, it looks like Charlestonians will be giving directions by the Coburg Cow on into the foreseeable future! And with a very contemporary twist as in, "I'll meet you at the Starbuck's by the Coburg Cow." I love it!

"A 52,000-square-foot Harris Teeter supermarket will anchor St. Andrews Shopping Center as part of a $16 million redevelopment of the property that will include new buildings, access to the West Ashley Greenway for pedestrians and cyclists and 700 trees.

Charleston Mayor Joseph P. Riley Jr. said the area around St. Andrews Center consists of long-established neighborhoods that are now historic. 'The redevelopment of St. Andrews Center will create new gathering places for these neighborhoods and give new life to this area,' Riley said.

Kimco and architectural firm MCG of Cleveland plans to demolish approximately 74,000 square feet of old retail space, including the recently vacated GDC Furnishings building that was formerly a Kerrison’s department store. The developer will build about 95,000 square feet of new retail, including two buildings along Savannah Highway that will include a Starbucks coffee shop. In all, the redevelopment will add about 21,000 square feet to the 186,000-square-foot center.

The Coburg Dairy cow that stands atop a rotating advertisement on a corner of the shopping center property will remain as a familiar landmark."

For the full Charleston Regional Business Journal article: http://www.charlestonbusiness.com/pub/13_23/briefs/10785-1.html

Charleston Condo Market Still Viable

Price and location; location and price! With condominiums, as with every other area of real estate, these are the twin motivators that sell property! Everything else is just the natural ebb and flow inherent in consumer-driven markets.

"Back when the housing market was hot, a strong investor market spurred a bevy of condominium projects and saturated the market with new condos. As demand increased, apartments were converted to condos. Now that the housing market has cooled, some developers are seeing the need for rental units and the conversion is being reversed.

Alison Dailey spent 10 years specializing in condominiums. Now her company, Alison Daily Properties, is building the 72-unit Grand Oaks apartment complex at Haddon Hall in West Ashley. 'We originally started that as a condominium property and did a reverse conversion,' Dailey said. 'We’re renting them as we speak.'

Dailey said that as land prices escalated with the sizzling housing market, attached housing became more affordable. 'That’s why we saw all the apartment conversions,' Dailey said. 'As a result, bingo, the market’s flooded with condos.'

Philip Ford, vice president of the Trident Home Builders Association, said the condominium market has been harder hit than other real estate segments as the housing market has cooled.
That doesn’t mean the condo picture is completely dim.

'It’s like anything,' Ford said. 'The housing market has dropped off for single-family detached homes, but some builders are selling them better than others. You may have pockets or locations that are selling well. It could be price, it could be location. For people who want to get out of renting, I think condos are a great option.'"

For the full Charleston Regional Business Journal article: http://charlestonbusiness.com/pub/13_23/news/10773-1.html

The Charleston 100

The latest issue of Charleston magazine has a list of the 100 most influential Charlestonians of all time, from Kiawah chief Cacique to philanthropists Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley. What a place!

For the full Charleston magazine list: http://charlestonmag.com/100most/1-20.html

Now's the Time to Buy Investment Property!

The classic Kipling poem suggests as a measure for manhood "If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs" or from a less celebrated, literary effort, the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, "Don't Panic." Helpful in life and brilliantly effective in real estate investing! As I always say, "Reasonable real estate is always a good investment!"

"The Minneapolis-based Real Estate Investors Association, a club for people interested in real estate investments, isn’t discouraged by the state of the housing market. Its members, who meet to ask questions and share advice, has grown from five to 100 over the last two years, despite the housing slowdown in some corners of the business.

'This is what buying low is all about,' says Jason Cramer, a member who has turned his hobby into a career. He recently opened a business that buys and sells distressed properties.Here’s some advice from club members for potential investors:

• Buy in a familiar neighborhood, near where you live or work.
• Research the area thoroughly, identifying potential properties and other business opportunities.
• Observe trends, costs, vacancies, and potential appreciation.
• Assess your own skills. If you have to hire out maintenance, costs will hit the bottom line.
• Start small. A single-family home or a duplex is a good beginning. Plan to hold it for at least three years.
• Avoid foreclosed properties. They are complicated to buy and they aren’t a guaranteed deal.
• Be pre-approved for financing. Most investment property loans require at least 10 percent down.
• Remember, dealing with people is key, so hold onto your sense of humor."

Source: Star-Tribune, Lynn Underwood (10/20/07)

For the Realtor magazine article: http://www.realtor.org/RMODaily.nsf/pages/News2007103106?OpenDocument

New Green Technology

I love it when "green" makes sense for people! Plus it's cool to know that this national spotlight is on a company with an important base right here in Charleston!

"Partnership for Advancing Technology in Housing released its latest list of top home technology products at the Remodelers Show in Las Vegas last month. PATH says their top technology picks are "innovations [that] improve energy and resource efficiency in existing housing."

Here are a few of the top picks:

• Air sealing with spray-foam insulation. The foam is blown through a membrane. The cellulose in the foam surrounds air bubbles for more effective insulation.
• Smartvent’s crawlspace ventilation system. Sensors measure temperature, relative humidity, and water vapor in the crawlspace to calculate when more or less ventilation is needed to lower moisture levels.
• Solar hot water. Solar heaters reduce the use of gas and electricity to heat water.
• Recycled and renewable flooring. A lot of yellow pine flooring is available in abandoned factories, ready for reuse. Bamboo, cork, and eucalyptus are also available as sustainable alternatives to traditional hardwoods."

For the full Daily Real Estate News article: http://www.realtor.org/rmodaily.nsf/f3c66d0c6457c1e1862570af000cb13b/2df67567dafdfed58625738b00547f8a?OpenDocument

For the PATH website, including info on the Charleston project: http://www.pathnet.org/

Oak Terrace Preserve

Friendly. Oak Terrace Preserve is a very friendly neighborhood, not just Earth-friendly, but just generally friendly feeling, maybe it's all the old trees or the sort of people who buy in this sort of neighborhood or all of the nice places to walk . . . I can't put my finger on it, but friendly pretty well sums it up!

"Just over a year ago, J.R. and Holly Kramer brought home a new son and they wanted a home to match their family lifestyle. Randomly, J.R. Kramer struck up a conversation at the 2005 Annual Sustainability Awards Event with Verdi Group architect/builder David Hill, who told Kramer he should consider Oak Terrace Preserve in North Charleston.

'We were one of the first to buy, and we were one of the first to move in,' said Kramer, who has lived in his Earth-friendly home since February with Holly and their 15-month old son, Elias. 'We like the sense of community and all the parks and the fact that it’s so easy to get around,' he said. ”

Oak Terrace Preserve is a unique development both for the fact that it is a neighborhood owned by the city of North Charleston and is a sustainable community smack dab in the middle of an urban core. After more than three years on the drawing board, families just began moving in this year.

As of mid-October, eight homes had sold, two sales were pending, 12 were for sale and another dozen were under construction, said Keith West, spokesman for The Noisette Co., which is acting as the development manager on behalf of the city. The neighborhood is located not far from the former Navy base that Noisette is hoping to redevelop into an urban
community.
Part of the company’s commitment to the area included creating a blueprint for redeveloping the Navy base and the 2,700 acres surrounding it, most of which is included in the historic Park Circle, the heart of old North Charleston.

A few miles from this development, the old North Park Village, the state’s largest public housing project, was torn down and recently replaced with a mixed-income community called Horizon Village.

'For a long time the values were declining in this part of town, but it has turned around,' said Art Titus, Noisette’s director of operations."

For the full Charleston Regional Business Journal article: http://www.charlestonbusiness.com/pub/13_22/news/10685-1.html

For the Oak Terrace Preserve website: http://www.oakterracepreservesc.com/

Housing Market Revival Predicted for 2008

Remember what I always say, "Reasonable real estate is always a good investment!" The recent volatility of the market is a direct result of UNreasonable practices on both the selling and buying side and will, as usual, correct itself. The trick is not to get caught up in the craziness.

"Though there appears to be no let-up to the current housing downswing, economists participating in the National Association of Home Builders Fall Construction Forecast Conference on Oct. 24 said they expect the industry to bottom out and to start turning around in 2008.

Acknowledging that there is definitely downward momentum in the market at this time, with starts, sales, prices and permits off, and problems in the subprime and Alt-A mortgage markets, NAHB Chief Economist David Seiders said that housing should nevertheless begin a modest recovery next year.

Despite the present market contraction, Seiders said that housing should begin to turn around next year for a number of reasons: the overall economy and job growth continue to move ahead at a decent pace, core inflation is under control, the late-summer credit crunch in mortgage markets is showing signs of easing since the Federal Reserve cut short-term interest rates on September 18, and the supply-demand equation will be better balanced as builders begin to whittle down excess inventories."

For the full story from the National Association of Home Builders: http://www.nahb.org/news_details.aspx?sectionID=148&newsID=5568

East Edisto Development Update 2

So far so good seems to be the general feeling about the East Edisto development – a particularly encouraging sign, since the success or failure of this project could affect not only the immediate area, but the likelihood of similar collaborations in the future.

"Jesse Reynolds pointed at a map of 72,000 undeveloped acres owned by MeadWestvaco and traced a sharp curve in the Edisto River. 'We live right in here somewhere,' Reynolds said of his home on Croghan’s Bluff in Dorchester County. From his porch, which faces the Edisto, he can fish. 'We have nothing but marsh and trees behind us. Hopefully we have enough wetlands around us so we won’t have to see any houses. There aren’t too many places where you can go out on the porch at night and hear nothing but owls.'

Reynolds and his neighbor, Martin Karick, were among those attending MeadWestvaco’s most recent public meeting earlier this month on its plans to develop some of the former timberland the paper company owns along the eastern edge of the Edisto River.

The parcel straddles Charleston and Dorchester counties, and its future development would affect Ravenel, Ridgeville, Summerville, Givhans, Clubhouse and other neighborhoods and towns in the mostly rural area.

In May, the company announced intentions to develop a long-term, comprehensive land-management strategy for the area, called East Edisto, that would include a conservation-driven master plan. The company has teamed with San Francisco-based EDAW Inc., a global master planning and design firm, along with other planning partners that will help address issues such as traffic, conservation, historical and cultural resources, public services and education.

The company has been gauging public opinion on its plans since June, when it began a series of public meetings to introduce its ideas and get a sense of what area residents would welcome as well as what they would not."

For the full Charleston Regional Business Journal article: http://charlestonbusiness.com/pub/13_22/news/10684-1.html

For the East Edisto development website: http://www.eastedisto.com/