Women's Clothing Boutique Near Me James Island, SC

Updated with visitor information on Friday, Oct. 13

Something green is coming to Charleston, and we’re not talking about St. Patrick’s Day. A new state park is in the works at the tip of James Island. We spoke with SC State Parks Director Paul McCormack for the latest on the project.

The waterfront park will be located on 23 acres at the end of Fort Johnson Road, adjacent to the Fort Johnson historic site. The parcel is managed by the SC Dept. of Parks, Recreation & Tourism.

In 2021, the state purchased the land from the Sisters of Charity of Our Lady of Mercy for $23 million. The May Forest Convent located on-site is expected to be converted into an event venue that will be the main component of the new park. Funding has not yet been secured for the venue construction project.

Charlestonians can look forward to a day-use recreation and picnicking area with views of the Charleston Harbor, the Ravenel Bridge, and Fort Sumter. There is an existing gazebo and bench swing. Conceptual images are not yet available, but stay tuned.

An event space, lodging, and a dock may be added in the future. A structural assessment of the property is expected to determine park features down the road. What would you like to see this new park offer? Let us know.

In addition, there is a master plan that envisions the entire ~100-acre Fort Johnson area that is separate from the state park project.

The park is expected to open this spring or summer. There is currently no timeline for potential future amenities, but keep an eye on the newsletter for updates. The plans for Fort Johnson, which surrounds the state park area, are long-term.

May Forest launched its soft opening phase. The new state park on the northeast waterfront of James Island offers views of the Charleston Harbor, Ravenel Bridge, and Fort Sumter, plus woodland and fields abutting the shore.

The park is far from finished — but you can stroll for yourself now.

The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources bought the 23-acre park land from the Sisters of Charity of Our Lady of Mercy for $23.25 million in 2021.

May Forest State Park and the ~100-acre Fort Johnson area make up a long-term development plan including updated trail access, greenspace, historical interpretation, and research campuses.

The park is located at 424 Fort Johnson Rd. Since it occupies one tip of James Island, navigating is easy: just follow the road to its end and follow the signage for visitor parking.

During the soft opening phase, the park is open from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. on weekdays, grounds only.

May Forest is currently hiring a park ranger. Once they do, you’ll be able to visit on weekends, too.

Currently, May Forest offers walking trails and four picnic tables to unwind by the water. Pets are welcome in most areas, but you’ll need to keep them leashed.

As the park grows, look forward to an event space at the old May Forest Convent, overnight accommodations, and dining options.

The no-frills food chain filed plans with the city of Charleston recently to take over part of the space once occupied by the now-defunct Bi-Lo supermarket on Folly Road on James Island.

Aldi plans to lease 22,000 square feet of the roughly 40,000 square feet of empty space in the former grocery store building, according to Mark Hoffman, director of development for New Jersey-based Garden Communities, which has owned the 4.5-acre retail center since 1994.

Real Estate

An Aldi representative did not immediately respond for comment on projected time frames for the renovation work and an opening date. Hoffman said he expects work to begin within the next six months with a possible opening by 2025 "if not earlier."

Last year, workout chain Planet Fitness leased and renovated 25,000 square feet on the east side of the former supermarket.

It’s the second new site in the works this year for the German-owned grocery chain in the Charleston area.

In May, the company leased several acres at U.S. Highway 17 and KOA Campground Road for a second Mount Pleasant location. Aldi signed a land lease with property owner Oakland Associates LP for 20 years with the option to renew up to 25 years.

The penny-pinching Aldi doesn’t provide free shopping bags and requires a refundable quarter deposit for a shopping cart.

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The chain stocks a variety of standard products, mostly under its own label, as well as fresh meats and produce.

The grocer launched its first store in the Charleston region in 2015 off Dorchester Road on the edge of Summerville and North Charleston. The company then followed with a second store on Johnnie Dodds Boulevard in Mount Pleasant in 2017. Both locations were former bowling alley sites.

Aldi opened its third Lowcountry location in 2020 on North Main Street in Summerville, just south of the Earth Fare supermarket. The company added a fourth site later that year in the former Barnes & Noble Booksellers space on Rivers Avenue in North Charleston. A fifth store opened in 2022 on St. James Avenue in Goose Creek.

The low-budget grocer, with its U.S. headquarters in Batavia, Ill., is one of America’s fastest-growing retailers. It will add 120 stores this year. By the end of 2023, it will have 2,400 locations across the nation. It has 48 stores in South Carolina.

Lidl, its competitor that is also based in Germany, opened its first Charleston-area location on St. James Avenue in Goose Creek in 2017. A second location opened in 2022 in Cedar Grove Shopping Center on Dorchester Road in North Charleston, east of the Aldi location.

Lidl signed a lease in 2021 to outfit a former kitchenware shop in Bowman Place Shopping Center on Bowman Road in Mount Pleasant for the region’s third location but later scuttled plans.

In September, specialty grocery chain The Fresh Market took over the lease from Lidl. The Greensboro, N.C.-based supermarket chain has submitted plans to the town, but it has not announced an opening time frame.

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It requires time, patience and purpose.

The S.C. State Ports Authority's $105 million acquisition of the former WestRock paper mill along the Cooper River in North Charleston is a textbook example. A decade or more will likely pass before the 280-acre waterfront property will begin its next life as a sizable shipping terminal.

"It's going to take a lot of preparation before that site could ever be utilized," SPA chief executive Barbara Melvin told lawmakers at a hearing in Columbia last week.

The sale of the mill with its 5,000 feet of future berth space along the Cooper River was finalized April 26, according to real estate documents recorded last week with the Charleston County Register of Deeds.

As part of the deal, WestRock Co. included a swath of undeveloped land off Jedburg Road near Summerville.

The Atlanta-based packaging company and successor to the old Westvaco Corp. announced a year ago it would shut down the 500-worker papermaking plant by late summer after 86 years, citing a "combination of high operating costs and the need for significant capital investment."

WestRock also stated that it was preparing the property for sale.

The SPA was an eager buyer for an obvious reason. The manufacturing site off Virginia Avenue near I-526 will enable it to more than double the size of its North Charleston Terminal right next door.

"It's very exciting for us when we're able to integrate that property into an existing facility," Melvin said.

Just not anytime soon.

The conversion from paper mill to port isn't projected to be needed or completed until the 2030s or possibly the 2040s, Melvin projected.

The acquisition is one piece in a complicated and expensive transportation puzzle that requires several other big-ticket projects to fall into place. All are tied to the emergence of supersized container vessels that the SPA and many other port operators are scrambling to accommodate to stay competitive.

Among the first items on the to-do list is the completion of the SPA's 3-year-old deepwater Leatherman Terminal a few miles away on the former Navy base.

Another is the proposed replacement of the nearby Don Holt Bridge with a higher span that will allow the mega-vessels to safely pass under I-526.

Also, the navigation channel in that section of the Cooper will need to be deepened by several feet.

For those reasons, Melvin said, the WestRock property “is not the next increment of capacity for us."

"We will build out the Leatherman Terminal before we move to that area because to utilize fully the paper mill site, along with any kind of modernization to our North Charleston facility …. we need to be able to handle the biggest ships there," she said.

Melvin and her predecessors at the SPA have stressed that planning how and where the port adds new berths and wharf space is a multigenerational process. it often requires early upfront investments and involves lengthy time horizons that can stretch decades into the future.

“Just permitting, financing, planning … all of that takes a lot of time," she said.

While the WestRock closure was regrettable based on the job losses, it also was a fortuitous once-in-a-lifetime chance for the port to secure and recycle an environmentally challenging site that will provide enough expansion space until at least mid-century, based on current projections.

“This is the future," Melvin told lawmakers, who are expected to provide $55 million in state funds to close the deal. "Port activity really takes 20, 30, 40 years sometimes to plan. And if we had not grabbed this opportunity with the WestRock property, in 20 years, whoever is sitting in this seat should have to answer the question, 'Who was asleep at the switch?' And that would have been me.”

The North Charleston Terminal is now the smallest of the SPA's three box-ship hubs, with five cranes that can move up to 500,000 containers annually.

Once the mill property is added to the mix, it'll be able to handle 10 times as much cargo, making it, by far, the largest.

JAMES ISLAND, S.C. (WCIV) — For over a decade, Mayor Bill Woolsey has served over James Island. But on Nov. 7, a new leader will take over.

There are three candidates hoping to take his place.

Candidate Josh Stokes is not new to the political arena after serving on town council for five years. Stokes said he deserves to be the next mayor due to the experience and public service he can bring to the town.

"My experience overall, that’s my experience in my daily life as an attorney," Stokes said. "And I work on very complex issues for people when I’m addressing it for them and finding the right solution and not the easy solution is something I do on a daily basis."

Stokes said if elected, he will focus on development, infrastructure, and flooding.

"Development is one of those, infrastructure related to not just access on the road but pedestrians sidewalk access," Stokes said about the issues he will push for if elected. "Drainage and flooding related to storm water flooding. Those are major issues which we can make a big impact on but if we gotta do that, we need to address them on a daily basis, it cant be reactive in trying to do things, we have to be proactive."

Candidate Brook Lyon has never run for a political office before, but she hopes her love and passion for the Town of James Island will win voters over on Nov. 7. Lyon said she is not new to working hard for the community.

"I’m a hard worker, I’m retired, I have time and the energy and the love for the people and the love for the island," Lyon said. "I’m not a politician, what is a politician? Not me. I’ve never run for public office before and I don’t plan to run for another one. I just want to serve the people, I’m a business woman and a community leader and a community advocate and I’m for the people."

Lyon said if elected, she will bring her work ethic and business skills to the office. Lyon will focus on preserving the beauty of the island.

"We definitely need to prioritize our environment and preserve our natural resources," Lyon said as she reflected on her major issues she will focus on if elected. "We also need to improve drainage and flooding. We need to enforce our current rules and regulations and tweak some to make things better. I do believe government is for the people, we need to be more responsive and more transparent."

Candidate Gresham Meggett III believes he should be the next Mayor of James Island because he knows the town inside and out due his family having roots in the town.

"I’m a eighth generation Charlestonian here and I grew up on James Island and my whole family grew up on James Island for generations and basically James Islanders just want to be heard," said Gresham Meggett III who is running to be the Mayor of James Island. "We need to focus on the people that already live here and quick worrying about this development, we don’t need any more development on James Island until the people who live here are taken care of."

Meggett said if elected, he will focus on the older residents of James Island and make sure their voices are being heard.

"Our ditches are not being dug out and so our neighborhoods are flooded, especially with all this new building going on," said Meggett as he thought about the policies he would focus on if elected. "I think we need to address the ditches and I’m a big proponent of individual property rights so zoning is a big thing for me, I don’t think some of the zoning is appropriate for James Island."

Early voting ends Friday, Nov. 3 at 5 p.m. Polls open on Election Day, Nov. 7, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. More info on your polling location can be found on the SC Votes website.

JAMES ISLAND, S.C. (WCSC) - Dominion Energy has been working to trim down trees in the Riverland Terrace neighborhood on James Island, prompting complaints from residents.

Dominon Energy says the trimming is necessary because the branches have grown to come into contact with power lines, which can result in power outages. But some residents in the neighborhood are not happy about the work.

The neighborhood is full of many large trees, like oaks and magnolias, but they are trimmed down every five years as a part of Dominion Energy’s routine cycle to ensure that they deliver safe and dependable energy to customers.

One resident of the neighborhood, Kev Hollo, says a lot of the trees have been a part of the neighborhood for a hundred years now and that they are one of the main factors for Riverland Terrace’s prestige.

One of the large oak trees won a blue ribbon award from the neighborhood’s Garden Club for the best-looking tree in the area. Woodland Shores Road Coalition Founder Adam Friend says that the tree was trimmed down just two days after being recognized.

“The most important thing here is we’re not getting the support from government officials, from the county, from the city, to really make this a sustainable solution. The trimming is not working for us and we want the lines underground,” Hollo says.

He believes that putting the power lines underground would be the best solution to make the neighborhood not only safer from power outages, but also make the area more aesthetically pleasing.

Friend serves as an advocate for the neighborhood, and says he wants to bring awareness to others as Dominion Energy plans to continue to trim down trees throughout James Island. Dominion Energy posted on its website the areas where tree trimming is complete and the locations where they still plan to trim.

Another concern Friend mentioned was the future state of Charleston because of issues such as sea level rise. He says the trees can absorb a lot of that water.

“The most important thing for me and the trees is that they have been here for longer than we have. They provide one of the best services that we can ever offer in this area now as absorption. We have a sinking city and a rising water climate. Can there be any other worse scenario?” Friend says.

He says that putting the power lines underground would permanently solve the issue.

“We’re trying to save trees in an area that’s known for our trees,” Friend says.

Dominion Energy responded to the issue with a written statement:

As part of our routine five-year cycle to ensure safety and reliability, Dominion Energy South Carolina supports a comprehensive and proactive vegetation management program. While we understand and appreciate the passion surrounding trees across the Lowcountry, safety remains our top priority. Trees that have grown too close to overhead lines are both a fire hazard and an issue of employee and public safety.

Trees and tree limbs continue to represent the No. 1 reason for power outages on our system, and the routine safeguarding of overhead lines remains critical to delivering the safe and reliable energy our customers count on every day.

Dominion Energy and established contractors follow nationally recognized utility pruning standards outlined and approved by the International Society of Arboriculture. Our certified arborists oversee each project and ensure the work adheres to ANSI A300 standards. Research indicates that following these standards will help preserve the health and integrity of the tree over its lifetime. Each tree is different in structure, and our practices take that into consideration. While trees may look different immediately following a cycle, we know based on our need to return every five years that those canopies fill in quickly, particularly with our approximately 300-day growing season each year here in the Lowcountry.

Dominion Energy is always willing to consider placing lines underground if the engineering is technically feasible, system reliability is not compromised and there is a mechanism in place to cover the additional cost.

As we work to safeguard overhead lines from hazardous vegetation, debris is removed daily. Typically, any debris that is not collected the same day will be removed within 24 hours. Crews will also leave a door hanger to notify customers if they expect a delay. Customers with questions regarding trees on or near their property, are encouraged to contact us directly at 800-251-7234. Only OSHA-certified contractors are permitted to work near energized lines.

Copyright 2024 WCSC. All rights reserved.

It became saturated every time the skies opened up ever since they moved into their home on Ocean Neighbors Boulevard in 2015.

Over time, the Bussards just accepted it as their reality.

But then they saw a way out: plant a rain garden, a round space where native plants would soak up the downpour.

The city of Charleston liked the idea and gave the couple a grant. The Homeowners Association and property manager signed off, too, or the couple thought they did. And everything worked the way it was supposed to.

Until it didn't.

In November, the HOA said the rain garden didn’t get necessary approvals and demanded its removal. After months of correspondence, the HOA gave the Bussards until Feb. 27 to remove it. After that, the HOA threatened to hire a contractor to forcibly remove the garden of grasses and flowering plants at the Bussards’ expense.

“It just sends the wrong message to the entire neighborhood that the neighborhood doesn't care about environmental concerns or the environmental benefits and doesn't take the flooding measures seriously,” Craig Bussard said. “It just sets a bad precedent.”

But the fight goes on.

Floodwater management

Like many Lowcountry properties, lighter rains would cause water to collect and the ground to become soggy and muddy. Heavier rains would result in standing water that sometimes took weeks to drain away. Mosquitos were always a concern for the Bussards' young children and pets.

“We had kind of accepted it as something beyond our control and just grown used to not using that part of the yard or the gate on the side of the house,” Craig said noting that the flooding also afflicted their adjoining and sympathetic neighbor’s yard.

“That side yard that we share, it's just a mud pit any time it rains, any sort of amount,” said Kayleigh Coda, the Bussards' neighbor. “That's where our trash cans are taken in and out from the backyard, so it's just a mess.”

Then the Bussards heard about the Charleston’s Rainproof Mini-Grant Program, which provides homeowners with $200 and training on how to properly install a rain garden on their property.

Rain gardens are sunken gardens that capture stormwater and help it absorb into the ground within 24 hours. This can prevent runoff that can flood neighbors’ yards and streets.

“The responsible way is to keep the water on your property, and rain gardens allow you to do that,” said Katy Calloway, a resident of the Ocean Neighbors community who specializes in stormwater management.

The idea piqued the Bussards’ interest: What if they didn’t have to accept flooding as their reality? What if they planted a rain garden and it worked to benefit not just them but their neighbors too?

“As soon as (the grant application) opened, we applied to it, and we also shared to the community Facebook page … how excited we were about this and how we’d love to see this in the community more because we're on James Island, where things flood constantly,” Craig said.

The Bussards submitted their application in August and were notified it had been accepted the following month. Throughout September, the Bussards completed the required in-person and online training on rain gardens and what to do to make it successful: Rain gardens require careful planning and attention to soil, elevation and selected plants.

“One of the key parts of making sure a rain garden is successful is choosing a location, so you’re supposed to perform a few different tests,” Craig said. “When it rains really heavily, you’re supposed to go out into your yard and watch the water flow.”

It surprised Craig and Jamie when these tests revealed the front yard would be a better location than the backyard, he noted.

“It’s a lot of work,” said Coda, who has a rain garden in her backyard. “ … A lot of effort and time goes into it, picking the right local plants, which ones go together really well, the spacing and all of that.”

Miscommunications with the HOA would prove to be even more work for the Bussards, putting not just their garden at risk, but the future of sustainable landscaping practices for the entire community.

Miscommunication

The Bussards submitted their plans to their HOA and property management company, Poston Community Management, in September. Their application included the garden’s proposed front-yard location and the combination of flowering plants and grasses they planned to use.

Dean Monk, chairman of the HOA’s Architectural Control Committee, emailed his approval, “as long as we keep it according to the covenants, basically weeding and making sure nothing overgrows,” Craig said.

But the next day, property manager spokesperson Melissa Blocker sent an email contradicting the chairman’s decision: The committee denied the Bussards' application.

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After requesting the reason, Blocker wrote in an email to the Bussards that the committee researched rain gardens and noted that they can “get out of control and look unkempt/unmaintained.”

“Any kind of landscaping can become messy and unkempt if it's not maintained, so that just seemed really irrelevant,” Craig noted.

News

After multiple correspondences, the Bussards pointed out that the neighborhood’s guidelines both encourage experimentation with native plants and don’t require approval for the addition of plants under 36 inches in height.

Since the rain garden didn’t include any plants over that height, the Bussards and property manager agreed they did not need additional approvals, Craig said. Blocker acknowledged this in writing on Oct. 6.

She did not respond to requests for comment.

On the weekend of Oct. 22, they dug the 200 square-foot flowerbed and planted native plants, including Stokes aster, sweetspire, black-eyed Susans, bee balm and echinacea. They also routed the gutter drain and added three bags of mulch, Craig recalled.

A few days later, Blocker notified the Bussards that there was a misunderstanding: Since the rain garden is a new flower bed that adds to their overall footprint, it does need HOA approval. She wrote in the email that the HOA requested them to stop all work on the garden until they get approval, but by that point, the rain garden was already finished, Craig said.

“We’d already completed everything, other than maybe four or five additional bags of mulch that we needed,” he said. “All the plants were there, and everything was dug and everything was ready to go.”

Craig said they finished mulching the garden at that point to make it more aesthetically pleasing and to protect the newly planted plants.

The Bussards submitted another application to the HOA committee on Oct. 30, which was denied about a week later. The committee stipulated that the rain garden had to be removed and filled in with dirt and sod within 30 days.

The Bussards appealed to the HOA’s Board of Directors, which consists of five community members, including HOA president Ellen Souter. The board also denied the request.

Souter declined to comment on the record due to ongoing litigation.

In a Facebook comment, Souter wrote, "There are two sides to every story."

Calloway, a member of the board at this time, said that she and one other board member voted in favor of the Bussards’ request. The remaining three members, including Souter, voted against.

“Craig's project, in my opinion, was mishandled by the HOA from the get-go,” Calloway said, noting the reason for this change was based on the aesthetic of the garden.

“The concern was not about practicality and stormwater management,” she said. “The concern is that the Bussards’ yard is at the front of the neighborhood, and people see it, and they don’t think it’s pretty.”

Rain gardens take time to grow and flower, Calloway, Coda and the Bussards said.

“That's really tough because a natural yard that's functioning for the good of the environment looks very different than a yard that's full of grass and has no plants,” Calloway said.

The Bussards and Coda said the rain garden has “definitely” helped alleviate flooding issues. Craig said they’ve tried to negotiate with the HOA, without success.

“We’ve been willing and begging, basically … to work something out here,” he said. “This is for the good of the community. It seems like there are some misunderstandings between (the property manager), board and the (Architectural Control Committee), but let’s try to work this out and be adults. But my attempts to negotiate have just flat-out been refused.”

The HOA’s attorney notified the Bussards’ attorney that the HOA will give them until Feb. 27 to remove their rain garden. Otherwise, the HOA would hire a contractor to do so at the Bussards’ expense, Craig said.

No formal written notice of this action had been issued by the time of publication.

A garden worth fighting for

Craig said they had every intention to uproot the garden the weekend of Feb. 23, but they couldn’t bring themselves to do it. The Bussards turned to the community for support for one last try. They posted on their community’s Facebook page on Feb. 24.

“It instantly blew up,” Craig said. “We've not gotten a single negative response other than from the board president.”

The Bussards hosted an information session at their home on Feb. 25 and got more than 20 signatures on a petition to save the garden within the first 30 minutes of the meeting, Craig said.

This show of support inspired the Bussards to try and keep their garden.

“We truly believe that the environmental benefits and drastic improvements in flooding mitigation the rain-proof garden has achieved is worth fighting for,” he said.

Toby Cox is on the Rising Waters team. Reach her at tcox@postandcourier.com.