Pressure Washing in Mt. Pleasant, SC

East Cooper’s largest shopping destination could be adding a dash of floral pastels to a darkened stationary fitness-bike showroom.

A Charlotte architecture firm representing resort-wear maker Lilly Pulitzer has filed exterior design plans for a proposed boutique at Mount Pleasant Towne Centre.

The upscale apparel retailer is looking to take over a vacant space at 1239 Belk Drive previously occupied by Peloton, according to the drawings.

Lilly Pulitzer's Palm Beach chic designs, which date back to the late 1950s, are already available at Towne Centre in the Belk department store. The fashion line and its accessories also are sold locally at Palm Avenue on King Street in downtown Charleston and at a shop the company opened at Freshfields Village on Kiawah Island in 2015.

Atlanta-based Oxford Industries Inc., which owns Tommy Bahama, Southern Tide, Duck Head and other apparel and accessory brands, bought Lilly Pulitzer in 2010.

Mount Pleasant’s Commercial Design Review Board will take up the new store for possible final approval at its Oct. 30 meeting. An opening date was not available Oct. 21 because the lease has not yet been finalized, according to the shopping center.

Advisory role

A South Carolina-born hedge fund manager and philanthropist who calls downtown Charleston home has quietly become one of Donald Trump's most trusted economic advisers as the former president campaigns for his old job.

Scott Bessent, a 62-year-old Little River native, is founder of Greenwich, Conn.-based Key Square Capital Management.

Once a top investor at Soros Fund Management — he helped the firm score a $1 billion gain in 1992 by placing a legendary currency wager against the value of the British pound — Bessent might seem to be an unlikely pick for Trump's inner circle, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal.

But the Yale liberal arts graduate came to the former president's attention last year when most of his industry peers were still backing former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley.

Bessent "decided to go all-in when he saw that the legal cases against Trump were helping, not hurting, his approval rating," the Journal reported. "He told people the phenomenon reminded him of a stock that rises despite bad news, a bullish sign for some investors."

"Now Bessent is Trump’s go-to economic adviser," according to the report. "He passes campaign officials note cards with economic data and messages that Trump references on the stump. Bessent’s name has been floated for positions such as Treasury secretary should Trump recapture the White House."

He speaks with Trump and his staff regularly, attempting to add heft to the former president's promised economic policies. Bessent advocates a 3-3-3 approach — cut the budget deficit to 3 percent of gross domestic product by 2028, spur growth of 3 percent through deregulation and produce an additional 3 million barrels of oil a day.

Aside from politics, Bessent, his sisters and their late mother created and endowed the rehabilitation center at the Shriners Children's Hospital in Greenville. He's also served on the board of Spoleto Festival USA and made headlines after paying $6.5 million for a former bed-and-breakfast known as the Pink Palace and embarking on an extensive renovation of the historic East Battery property.

Breaking grounds

From groundbreaking to coffee grounds.

Site work has begun on a new Starbucks at Bowman Road and Hospital Drive in Mount Pleasant, just south of Interstate 526 and near East Cooper Medical Center, Vibra Hospital and an MUSC Hollings Center outpost.

The cafe is part of a 1.6-acre development that will include 6,000 square feet of retail space. The Starbucks will fill about 42 percent of Bowman Pointe to relieve some of the pressure at its existing Houston Northcutt Boulevard location about 2 miles to the south.

“A southern Mount Pleasant infill site is really hard to come by — especially anything along Highway 17 south of I-526,” said Nick Maylander of Charleston Commercial, who closed the Starbucks lease in early February.

With ground cleared less than a month ago, Maylander expects completion by early spring.

As for the other 3,500 square feet of retail space, Maylander noted there’s been plenty of interest, especially from boutique users, but he’s not committing yet to leases.

“We have several offers for residual space but waiting to get further along on the construction process,” he said.

The land was owned for years by the former parent company of East Cooper Medical Center. A group led by New Orleans developer Craig Ripley bought it for $1.3 million earlier this year, according to public records.

A best beach, again

"Dr. Beach" is in — and he continues to be smitten with a particular Lowcountry seaside getaway.

Beachwalker Park on the west end of Kiawah Island was ranked No. 5 on the recently released 2024 top 10 list of beaches published in Travel + Leisure. It was outranked by seashores in Hawaii, New York and Florida.

Stephen Leatherman, director of the Laboratory for Coastal Research at Florida International University, compiles the annual list based on 50 criteria, such as water temperature, ease of public access, sand quality and other factors.

Beachwalker, which is operated through an agreement between Kiawah Development Partners and Charleston County government, has been a Leatherman perennial. It's usually the only Palmetto State beach to make the cut. Last year, it was ranked No. 8.

Abbracci Italian Cuisine & Cocktails brings coastal charm to North Mount Pleasant (PROVIDED)

MOUNT PLEASANT, S.C. (WCIV) — The new restaurant, Abbracci Italian Cusine & Cocktails, is offering coastal charm to a local neighborhood.

Don and Joanne Migliori are set to unveil their latest culinary venture, Abbracci Italian Cuisine & Cocktails, held its soft opening Friday, Nov. 8, in North Mount Pleasant. The restaurant promises an inviting and elevated dining experience, blending Italian recipes with the charm of coastal Carolina hospitality.

Named after the Italian word for "hugs," Abbracci reflects the Migliori family's Italian-American heritage and their commitment to creating welcoming spaces. This marks the couple's third culinary endeavor in the Charleston area, following the success of Migliori’s Pizzeria and their partnership in Legami on King Street.

"Mount Pleasant has been our home for years, and we’re so grateful for the support we’ve received. We’ve poured our hearts into Abbracci," said Joanne Migliori. "Abbracci is our way of continuing that connection, offering a place where people can come together over heartwarming Italian dishes, cocktails, and truly memorable experiences. From the food to the design, our goal is to create a space where people feel like they’re part of our family."

READ MORE | "From okra stew to crab cakes: 'The Rideshare Foodie' savors America's diverse flavors."

Guests can expect a variety of dining experiences, including an expansive cocktail bar, a wine program, outdoor patio seating with a fire pit lounge area, a community table for gatherings, and a private dining room for special occasions.

The kitchen is led by Executive Chef Devin Sansone, known for his expertise in Italian cuisine. Chef Sansone has crafted a menu that combines rich Italian tradition with coastal-inspired flair. Signature dishes include house-made sausage arancini, crispy octopus, ricotta gnocchi, rigatoni sugo with braised pork cheek, potato-crusted fish, and a traditional cioppino with fresh local seafood.

"Abbracci’s menu has been really fun to create. We’re honoring the flavors and traditions of familial Italian roots while embracing the fresh, local ingredients of the Lowcountry," said Sansone.

Located at 1146 Muhlenbergia Drive, Abbracci will be open for dinner Wednesday through Sunday and closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. The restaurant plans to introduce weekend brunch services and host a grand opening in 2025.

Published: Nov. 8, 2024 at 4:15 PM PST|

MOUNT PLEASANT, S.C. (WCSC) - Mount Pleasant leaders have plans to install a new traffic signal at one of their intersections.

It would be located at Ben Sawyer Boulevard at Rifle Range Road and McCants Drive.

The Town of Mount Pleasant’s Deputy Director of Capital Projects and Transportation, James Aton, said what’s currently in place at this intersection is a span wire system, which basically means the traffic lights are hanging from a wire.

Aton said they would be upgrading to a mast arm system for this intersection. A mast arm consists of a long, horizontal “arm” that extends out over the roadway that the traffic lights are connected to and is attached to a vertical pole.

Aton said not only is it more visually appealing, but the mast arms are more durable during serious weather conditions.

“There are aesthetic benefits to the mast arm, but also more importantly they are much more resilient in the storm events that we have in the town and are less likely to be damaged in those sorts of events, so that’s really the main purpose of this capital maintenance project,” Aton said.

He said that they are working to upgrade all of the span wire systems to mast arms in Mount Pleasant. Aton said they try to upgrade one intersection a year. He said they recently finished another upgrade with the help of the South Carolina Department of Transportation at the intersection of Coleman Boulevard and Chuck Dawley Boulevard.

He said that they are working to upgrade all of the span wire systems to mast arms in Mount Pleasant. They try to upgrade one intersection a year. He said most recently they finished up an intersection upgrade with the help of the South Carolina Department of Transportation at Coleman Boulevard and Chuck Dawley Boulevard.

The cost for this upgrade is $441,357.56 which the town is awarding to a manufacturing group for traffic control equipment called Walker Brothers Inc. Aton said this funding comes from a mast arm replacement capital maintenance program that the town council approved about seven years ago.

He said this funding would cover the construction, the mast arm itself, as well as all of the new equipment needed for it such as a new cabinet, signal heads, wiring and mounting brackets.

“So there has been probably been about seven or eight intersections that have been upgraded over the course of that capital maintenance program and we have a total of I think four remaining span wire systems that we’re working to design, permit and get upgraded,” Aton said.

He said the current span wire system will stay up until the mast arms are ready for operations to keep the intersection running.

Aton said there are very few providers that make the mast arms and steel poles that they are attached to. Because of this, he said it would take about a year for them to receive them, and then from there, installation will only take about three months.

Copyright 2024 WCSC. All rights reserved.

An Upstate food-and-beverage hub is one step closer to being duplicated near the coast.

Four Oaks Property Group, the firm behind Greenville's Gather GVL, received approval late last month from the Town of Mount Pleasant's Commercial Design Review Board to move forward with a 3-acre park with restaurants and retail tenants.

Gather MTP will be developed within the mostly residential Midtown development between Rifle Range Road and Hungryneck Boulevard.

Mack Cross, co-owner of Four Oaks Property Group with his father, Doug Cross, is leading the development. The Gather MTP building will be at Hancock Street and Midtown Avenue, and will include retail and office spaces in addition to food and beverage tenants.

A third phase of the project would include a 10,000-square-foot office that could potentially have medical tenants, though nothing is confirmed yet.

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"This is a place where our families can go outdoors and have fun in a family-friendly location," said Cross, a Mount Pleasant resident. "The kids can be kids, the adults can have a good time as well with a wide variety of food and beverages and a live music program."

The Crosses first brought plans before the board in April and had a history of success to boost their proposal. This year, Gather GVL was ranked the fifth-best food hall in America, according to the USA Today Readers’ Choice Awards.

The major difference between the concepts is the addition of more retail and office space in the East Cooper version.

Another Four Oaks Property Group development in Simpsonville has those components, and Cross said it's done so well he decided to include them to the Gather MTP plans. While he hasn't secured all the tenants, several have already expressed interest in joining the lineup.

Preston Wendell, a partner for the project through his Whitewater Property Ventures, said the key to Gather MTP is not just its outdoor focus, but its shade and rain cover so that it can be used and enjoyed year-round.

"If there's a light rain, you're going to be covered," Wendell said. "When it's hot, we're positioning a 55-foot oak tree to provide optimal shade for relief."

The next step for the developers is to submit the design and construction plans to the town to secure their building permits.

Cross hopes to break ground this spring or summer with a 12- to 15-month construction period.

"We've put attention into this space and it's going to be really cool," Wendell said. "This is a moment where people want to spend their time outside in a different kind of environment."

Crooked Hammock, a beach-style restaurant out of Delaware, also received approval from the DRB to design plans for the restaurant and brewery next to Gather MTP. It will be Crooked's fifth establishment, including an existing outpost in Myrtle Beach.

Raising Roper

Construction is underway on the new Roper St. Francis Healthcare medical complex in the Sawmill community of Summerville.

The site will include a two-story, 40,000-square-foot ambulatory building with a freestanding emergency room, imaging services, lab, surgery center and women’s imaging. A second 20,000-square-foot medical office building will offer specialized care services.

The new complex is near East 5th North Street and Berlin G. Myers Parkway.

The first building is expected to open in January 2026, with the second to follow a few months later.

Adding inventory

Nearly 300 apartments are underway in Flowertown.

Quarterra Multifamily has begun construction of the 288-unit Emblem Summerville rental community at 44000 Owl Wood Lane. The developer is a Texas-based development and management arm of homebuilding giant Lennar Corp.

Apartment floor plans will feature one- to three-bedroom options ranging from 783 to 1,434 square feet.

Business

Quarterra said the rentals would be priced to address the shortage of attainable housing for middle-income renters in the local market. It did not respond to requests for details.

Emblem Summerville is Quarterra’s third apartment community in South Carolina, following Emblem Cane Bay North, also in Summerville, and The Cormac in downtown Charleston.

To date, Quarterra has delivered eight Emblem communities nationwide with 20 more in the pipeline.

Business

Lofty move

Sharbell Nexton LLC's first 64-unit phase of its Lofts in Downtown Nexton has been completed.

The one- to two-bedroom layouts in the five-story mixed-use and multifamily development range from 760 to 1,541 square feet

Residents have access to a rooftop gathering space, a community entertainment kitchen, multiple game rooms and more than 24,000 square feet of ground-floor retail and restaurant space.

Downtown Nexton is a nearly 100-acre development between Sigma Drive and Brighton Park Boulevard, within walking distance of nearby residential neighborhoods.

MOUNT PLEASANT, S.C. (WCBD) The Town of Mount Pleasant’s Commercial Design Review Board met Monday night and one of the developments up for review had residents divided.

The developers of the Erckman Pool Club in Old Mount Pleasant want to develop the club to give families living in the neighborhood somewhere they can enjoy the outdoors.

“Its local people, everyone lives in the neighborhood, we all have young kids and we’re looking to create a place where they can gather and be together out in nature and have a good time,” said Alan Biggers, one of the project developers.

Residents that live close to the proposed location came to the design review board meeting tonight to express concerns about noise from the pool club being near their homes. They also have safety concerns with how many people would drive to the club on the streets their children play on.

“You’re looking to build this pool club smack dab almost on top of houses there’s houses to the right to the front if you look at (other pool clubs) they have beautiful pool clubs, tennis clubs but those facilities are built on their own area and not interfering with safety traffic parking noise and that’s exactly what’s going to happen,” said Stephanie Myers, a resident of Mt Pleasant.

The design review board asked the developers about parking for the pool. They were concerned there would not be enough space for events, but ultimately approved the project because it met the city’s requirements for zoning.

Officials told residents their request for speed bumps or a four-way sign to be placed before the pool club, that residents would have to contact the state, because it is a state road.

“I believe its a good idea at the wrong place…There is no 4 way stop at place and coming off the Coleman people speed up as they go in,” said Mike Tinkey, a Mt Pleasant resident.

Not everyone was opposed to the pool club. Several residents at the meeting said they want to join the pool club to give their children a place to go. The developers hope to work with the neighborhood on how the pool club will fit into the neighborhood.

“Part of the beauty of the old village and old mt pleasant that’s why people want to be here and want to live here so they can golf cart to a restaurant or do something else where its not some master-planned community which it’s not so that what we’re trying to achieve,” said Biggers.

The developers hope to break ground by spring of next year.

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