Mortgage Broker in West Ashley, SC

WEST ASHLEY, S.C. (WCIV) — West Ashley historians believe they are uncovering what could be South Carolina’s first cemetery.

South Carolina’s first settlement was established in 1670. However, historians and researchers have been stumped for years unable to locate the original cemetery. It wasn't until Charlie Smith pieced together clues buried in 300-year-old plats and made a groundbreaking discovery.

"You can see that tiny, little black dot right there, and the word cemetery right next to it," Smith said pointing to a 1788 plot.

None of the property lines matched until Smith flipped the plot upside down and noticed it looked familiar. He then met with Dr. Nic Butler, a historian with Charleston County, and the two compared it to a plat recorded in 1826. They started working with other West Ashley historians to map out the mystery of where early settlers might have been laid.

READ MORE | "Charleston local takes on the task of restoring and reviving historic Monrovia Cemetery."

Their work led them to Sycamore Avenue.

"I had seen it before," Smith said. "I started looking. I found that it was right there– right where we’re standing."

It's what used to be the playground behind the old Albemarle School.

Smith says it's also the location of the old Hillsborough Plantation, which was once part of the Proprietors Plantation.

READ MORE | "Volunteers rally to preserve one of Charleston's oldest African American burial sites."

The Proprietor's Plantation was owned by the Lord's Proprietors, who established the first Charles Towne Settlement back in 1670. Smith believes Charles Towne’s first Governor, Col. William Sayle, is buried at the monumental site.

"It would make sense to me that he would be buried on the Proprietors Plantation because he was their Governor," Smith said.

In fact, he believes many historical figures are there, including his own ancestors.

"Col. John Godfrey was my 11th grandfather," Smith said. "This was not anything I knew until we started studying this property, but when I found a connection, I was pretty surprised."

READ MORE | "Protecting: The Preservation Society works to protect African American gravesites."

Smith says they presented their findings and the City of Charleston passed a resolution enabling them to work on the property.

"This property is protected by preservation easement," Smith said. "It already belongs to the public, and it already has protection so it couldn't be a better situation."

They partnered with Drayton Hall’s archeology team for a Ground Penetration Radar and scratched the surface of what may be unearthed.

"We did a preliminary round to see if we could find any anomalies," Smith said. "We found what we believe are four graves. They're all oriented in the same direction. They're all about six feet."

READ MORE | "After Debby, graves at Monrovia Cemetery prompt call for legislative change."

Smith hopes the final results will provide grave evidence of the burial site.

"There's a lot of things that went on here that were really wonderful," Smith said, "and things that went on here that weren't so wonderful. As long as you're telling the whole story, and we're trying to be fair and honest about it, it's everybody's history."

He says it could add a whole new chapter to South Carolina's story– one that's rested in peace for centuries.

"We need to be protecting these resources," Smith said. "We need to be trying to locate the ones that we discover might still be here."

He hopes it will lead to preserving history.

"What we'd like to see is what happened downtown at the Gilliard," Smith said. "This is a really important site with a lot of potential. If we could get to the point where we could do DNA, like they did downtown, I think it would be awesome. This has the potential to be the very first cemetery for the settlement."

WEST ASHLEY, S.C. (WCBD)- The redevelopment of Sumar Street has been an ongoing discussion for years.

Charleston officials haven’t been able to get on the same page about the path forward.

After Monday night, officials may be one step closer to an answer, after Mayor Cogswell proposed an idea with redevelopment company, Eden’s.

“This is the gateway to West Ashley, the gateway to the birthplace of Charleston, the gateway to the birthplace of South Carolina,” former councilmember, Peter Shahid said.

For the past three years, the vacant lot on the corner of Sumar Street and Sam Rittenburg Boulevard has been sitting empty. It’s an eyesore in West Ashley, brimming with potential.

“The early development plan was a 20-pump gas station. It galvanized the community in opposition to that,” Shahid said.

Monday night, Mayor Cogswell presented a new idea for retail space, residential space and green space, and it’s backed by council members who represent West Ashley, like William Tinkler.

“This is the first time that we’ve had a comprehensive plan and it’s with a company that the Lowcountry knows,” Tinkler said.

The company is Eden’s Redevelopment. They own Fresh Fields on Kiawah Island. The aesthetic of redevelopment at Sumar would mirror that project, but be unique to West Ashley.

“I’m excited for the energy it’ll create for the revitalization for all of West Ashley,” Shahid said.

Shahid emphasized how important it is that the meeting includes the public, “This is the best form of democracy. People come out, they hear what their leadership is proposing, the leaders have to listen to what they reaction is going to be, and from that you make the modifications to the project to take in account the public’s input.”

During the public hearing, the mayor talked about how they need to make a decision on the space fairly quickly, saying if council approves it, it would be a fast turnaround the get construction underway.

At the public meeting, some residents expressed concern about the noise that could come from the space especially if there is live music.

The city says any live music would adhere to the noise ordinance.

Other residents we spoke to are in favor of the mayor’s proposal and say they just want to see the space developed after years of back and forth.

City council will vote on the redevelopment in early September.

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCIV) — A major redevelopment plan may be coming to the Sumar Street site in West Ashley.

Charleston Mayor William Cogswell shared a new proposal for the old Piggly Wiggly lot in a public meeting Monday night.

The overall plan has a projected $300 million price tag, and the city is planning to invest $44 million into the new vision.

READ MORE | "Charleston's Sumar Street up for transformation with new development plan."

Mayor Cogswell said he’s asking for feedback for a new plan to combine the three-acre Sumar Street site and the 32-acre portion of Ashley Landing.

“I’m excited about it. I felt like people in that room were finally excited and willing to put aside whatever reservations they had left,” said Susan Sully. “I’m very hopeful that we're going to get this thing started.”

City officials said the goal is to create a community hub for West Ashley.

The plan includes a public park and multi-use bike and pedestrian paths. It will bring new apartments, 10% of which will be designated as “affordable.” And developers said there will be an emphasis on including local businesses and restaurants.

READ MORE | "'Council decided to ignore West Ashley': Sumar Street plans head back to drawing board."

The main concerns from neighbors are parking and traffic, but Joy Gerardi said the project is long overdue and she just wants to see it completed.

“It's looked the same exact way since I’ve lived here. And it just would be nice to have something new in West Ashley, because I feel like we kind of get the short end of the stick sometimes,” Gerardi, a 30-year resident, said.

A key piece of Mayor Cogswell’s new plan is a 400,000-square-foot stormwater retention system. He said it will help with flood mitigation throughout West Ashley.

“Right now, you're sitting with 35 acres of asphalt that really has no retention whatsoever. So, whenever it rains, all that drains down into the neighborhoods,” the mayor said.

READ MORE | "Charleston City Council votes to send Sumar Street project back to Community Development."

Mayor Cogswell also said it’s important financially for the city to act fast on new development.

The city is already 8 years into a 25-year Tax Increment Financing district (TIF) for the Sumar Street site, but little development has caused little revenue.

“It really is hitting the city's financial capacity to do something impactful when it comes to public space, when it comes to infrastructure resiliency measures,” Mayor Cogswell said. “So, we've got to get moving on this.”

City officials said they will collect feedback from Monday’s public forum.

The earliest the proposal may go before the City Council is likely in mid-September.

WEST ASHLEY, S.C. (WCIV) — A new proposal has emerged for use of the former Piggly Wiggly site on Sumar Street that has sat idle for three years.

Charleston mayor William Cogswell and the Edens redevelopment team have outlined a new proposal for the lot.

"I think that the number one goal with Eden's West Ashley connects and the community is to come together and find common ground with this development. You know, it's a long time coming, and it doesn't need to sit like it is. We need to move forward," said Teresa Tidestrom, executive director and co-founder of West Ashley connects.

The cofounders of the "West Ashley Connects" nonprofit say that their plan incorporates elements from previous use proposals. However, the new proposal also includes mixed use development, allowing for more public space and business in West Ashley.

READ MORE: "Charleston City Council votes to receive new Sumar St option; defers King St bike lane plan to next meeting"

"Every plan that the city has put out calls for higher density along San Rittenburg Boulevard, and we want to see economic development in the TIF district. So it takes those concepts and it works through them in a way that is community friendly," says Kenneth Marolda, co-founder and treasurer of West Ashley Connects.

The group is proposing a residential building along Charlestown Drive that will be surrounded by the existing tree buffer. Next door, there will be a 55 foot building with about 380 apartments. The base floor of the apartment units will be used as a retail and commercial space.

West Ashley Connects cofounders told ABC 4 reporters that there will be 100 townhomes available for rent on the opposite side of the site.

In the center of it all they plan to have a park like space for the community.

READ MORE: "'Council decided to ignore West Ashley': Sumar Street plans head back to drawing board"

"They heard the need, we want to see a public park. They looked at the concerns, and then they worked it into their plan. And you can't ask for more than that from a developer," said Marolda.

The plan is also said to include a one-acre underground stormwater drainage system to benefit the surrounding areas.

Marolda says that if the plan is approved, Sumar Street will cease to exist.

The meeting is set to start at 5 p.m. Monday evening at 10-51 Sam Rittenberg Boulevard.

Updated: Aug. 21, 2024 at 7:41 AM PDT

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - One of the oldest and most highly trafficked roads in West Ashley will finally be receiving an improvement project that has been long needed.

Sponsored by Rep. Gary Brewer, the project has received $2 million in state funding to improve a section of Highway 61, more specifically Ashley River Road in West Ashley.

A whopping 51,200 cars travel along the two-lane roadway daily based on 2022 traffic data from the South Carolina Department of Transportation.

SCDOT, the county and state say that number far exceeds the capacity of the roadway, leading to congestion, delays, and numerous accidents.

“It’s a very dangerous road, a very well-used road with a lot of traffic on Ashley River Road,” Charleston City Councilmember Kevin Shealy said. “As development has happened and more and more traffic comes on that road, we really need to keep up with the maintenance; it just hasn’t been kept up.”

The project is intended to construct capacity enhancements along the 1.10-mile road to reduce congestion and improve safety. Eventually, the goal is for the Ashley River Road Improvement Project to go from Bees Ferry Road to Paul Cantrell Boulevard.

The specific points of improvement include Railroad Bridge, at the intersection of Glendale and Church Creek Bridge, with the project to lengthen the bridge to improve drainage.

“Right now, we want to focus on getting these bridges redone,” Brewer said. “This bridge (Railroad Bridge), being built in 1936, is probably the most difficult bridge to drive over and see. Then we’ll work on what we need to do on the other side, once we work with residents and everybody to see what they want done.”

The intersection of Glendale and Ashley River Road is near two elementary schools, which brings major congestion to the intersection during school and peak hour traffic.

“I’m hopeful that with this money, the intersection can be improved somewhat and make it safer for these young children who are being taken to and from school,” Shealy said.

The Ashley River Road Improvement Project also includes adding bicycle and pedestrian accommodations and improved access to transit.

“I believe SCDOT telling us this is the busiest two-lane road in South Carolina right now,” Brewer said. “We’ve got to find a way for our citizens to get on the road safely.”

The approved funding is just the initial kick-start for the project as it needs over $100 million in funding for it to be completed.

The first part of the funding, which the approved $2 million goes into, is for preliminary engineering. Just the engineering phase alone is expected to take four years, but Charleston County is now able to begin design work immediately.

“There is no such thing as a quick project,” Brewer said. “We’re gonna do everything on our end, the county’s end and the city’s end, to make sure we move as quickly as possible, but we have those federal mandates.”

Going forward, the project will be a group effort among SCDOT, the county, city and state as it is expected to take a total of nine years to finish all these improvements to Ashley River Road.

“I want to thank Rep. Brewer for securing $2 million in state funding to help us kickstart critical improvements along the Ashley River Road corridor,” Charleston County Councilman Brantley Moody said. “As a West Ashley native, I’ve seen firsthand how this area has struggled to keep up with growing traffic and pedestrian demands. This funding brings us closer than ever to delivering the upgrades needed to enhance public safety, reduce congestion, and make the corridor more accessible to all.”

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