Buy a home at a reasonable rate with a VA loan in Summerville, SC

NAI Charleston broker Will Sherrod recently facilitated the sale of about 1.3 acres of land and a 5,200-square-foot former restaurant building at the corner of N. Main Street and Azalea Square Boulevard. The property was previously the Mellow Mushroom at the main entrance to the Azalea Square shopping center. It will be redeveloped by the buyer, Woodhaven Development Group LLC.

Sherrod represented the seller, Flour-Town Holdings LLC, and Micah Groeber with Atlantic Retail represented the buyer. The property sold for $4,006,250.

“The real estate along the N. Main Street corridor in Summerville continues to show significant value and demonstrates the demand for well-positioned retail assets in the market,” Sherrod said in an announcement.

Hot Properties highlights recently sold or leased commercial properties in the Charleston region. Send in your transactions using our online form. Other recent commercial real estate transactions include:

Kristen Krause of Coldwell Banker Commercial Atlantic represented the seller in the sale of 2,500 square feet on 1.29 acres of commercial redevelopment space at 1905 Old Trolley Road in Summerville, for $1.5 million. Michael Silverman of TSCG represented the buyer.

Lee & Associates represented the seller in the sale of just under a quarter-acre of land at 56 State St. in downtown Charleston. The property sold for $4,750,000 to SSI Fund Acquisitions LLC.

Kip Bowman and Sara Bodell of Coldwell Banker Commercial Atlantic represented the tenant, Aspen Fencing LLC, in the lease of 4,533 square feet of industrial warehouse space at 4509 Savannah Highway in Ravenel to 1667 Meeting Street LLC. Joseph Teckenburg of CCTRE represented the landlord.

Vitré Ravenel Stephens & Taylor Sekanovich of Harbor Commercial Partners represented the landlord, McDew LLC, in the lease of 1,210 square feet of retail space for Unit E at 5117 Dorchester Road in North Charleston to S. Rochelle Richardson.

Patrick Nealon of Colliers represented JP Morgan in the lease of 3,509 square feet of retail space at 1260 Appling Drive in Mount Pleasant to II Brunettes.

Markus Kastenholz of Colliers represented McNeel Properties in the purchase of 1.5 acres of land at 107 Traders Cross in Bluffton.

Robert Pratt of Re/Max Pro Realty represented the buyer, Dentvestment LLC, in the purchase of 3,337 square feet of medical space at 1709 Old Trolley Road in Summerville from 1709 Old Trolley Road LLC for $1.1 million.

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CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) – Santa has a jam-packed schedule this holiday season. Are you wondering where to take the kids to see Santa? Below, you’ll find a breakdown of all the areas Santa will be across the Lowcountry.

Summerville

– Head to Top Dawg Tavern in Summerville on Dec. 20 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. and grab some pictures with Santa. Kids are welcome to attend, and there will be live music from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m., with specials running all night.

– Children of Summerville can take pictures and give Santa their wish list letters at the Old Time Summerville Christmas Celebration on Nov. 28 from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Mount Pleasant

– Support local children’s charities and see Santa and Mrs. Clause by attending Winter Wonderland at The Belle Hall Shopping Center in Mount Pleasant. The event will be Dec. 1 from 12 p.m. to 7 p.m.

– All kids can get a free chocolate pop and a photo shoot with Santa at Mt. Pleasant Towne Centre from Nov. 24 to Dec. 24. To see the photo shoot schedule and make reservations, go to https://mtpleasanttownecentre.com/events/photos-with-santa-claus/

– Ahead of the Folly Beach Christmas Parade, citizens can grab photos with Santa Pierview, Pavilion Ballroom, Dec. 9 from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. There will be ornament-making craft tables and a hot and cold food buffet. To purchase tickets, visit https://www.tidesfollybeach.com/breakfast-with-santa/?utm_source=third_party_listings&utm_medium=calendar_listing&utm_campaign=santa-breakfast

Isle of Palms

– Eat at Rudolph’s pancake buffet and have breakfast with Santa on Dec. 2 in the Tides Ballroom at Wild Dunes Resort from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Call 877-230-9224 to book a reservation.

Cottageville

– Bee City Zoo’s Wonderland of Lights will feature Santa visits from Nov. 22 to Dec. 31. To purchase tickets and see Santa’s schedule, visit https://www.beecityzoo.com/

North Charleston

– Visit with Santa at the City of North Charleston Christmas Festival and Parade at Felix C. Davis Community Center, Dec. 2, 4 p.m. – 8 p.m.

– Santa’s Workshop will be set up at Northwoods Mall in North Charleston on Nov. 22. To reserve your visit or find visitor hours, click here: https://www.shopnorthwoodsmall.com/store/santas_workshop

Charleston

– Santa will be at the Citadel Mall Mon.-Sat. 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. from Nov. 24 through Dec. 24. You can also make reservations and skip the line at citadelmall.net

– Mr. and Mrs. Claus will be at The Charleston Place on the 2nd-floor landing Dec. 2,9 and 16 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

– The Charleston Santa welcomes visitors at The Best Friend Train Museum every weekend between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Reservations are required; however, admission is free. Hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. except on Dec. 16, 17, and 23, which will be 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

– Visit with Santa in the library at The Restoration Hotel on Dec. 9 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.

– On Christmas Eve, Santa will be at the Crown Ballroom for a breakfast buffet filled with sweet and savory foods. If you want breakfast with Santa, call 843-990-5460 or make reservations online at https://www.opentable.com/r/hotel-bennett-special-events-charleston. Tickets are $82 per adult and $47 for children under 12.

SUMMERVILLE, S.C. (WCSC) - Newly obtained documents show dozens of complaints have been filed in recent years against a Summerville youth treatment facility, alleging there are bugs, abuse, dangerously low staffing levels, violent fights and blood and vomit smeared throughout the building.

Mary Wilcox’s grandson spent time in that facility, Palmetto Summerville Behavioral Health, earlier this year.

“Terror” is how she describes her feelings about the residential facility, which is for children and teens ages 7-18 with emotional and behavioral issues.

Her 13-year-old grandson was admitted to the youth residential treatment facility earlier this year.

For weeks, he stayed locked behind the doors of the facility; for weeks he recounted the horror and violence to his grandmother; and for weeks, Wilcox said she fought to get him out.

“[He] was abused in ways that most parents would say would be the worst thing to happen to their child,” Wilcox says.

During phone calls with his grandmother and an in-person visit, he detailed vicious fights, sexual assaults and abuse.

“He was struggling to deal with what was going on, and he attempted to escape,” Wilcox said. “He was handled by a staff member who slammed his head into a chain link fence causing a gash, causing blood to drop down his face.”

Her grandson’s story is not the first troubling one that has been shared. Nearly 200 pages of documents obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request for complaints against the facility in the past few years detail allegations of what some say erupts in the hallways and common areas and what hides, tucked away in patients’ rooms.

The dozens of complaints filed describe alleged bug infestations, inadequate staffing, filthy conditions, overmedicating and a prison-like environment.

One complaint says a staff member attacked a patient.

“On the video, it was observed that a staff member placing [redacted] into a choke hold and then it is observed on camera that same staff member punching [redacted] six times once [redacted] is taken down to the ground,” the complaint states.

Another states a patient was so heavily medicated they fainted. In a different complaint, an employee is accused of grabbing a patient by the shirt, pulling them down and kneeing them in the face.

“It does not surprise me at all,” Wilcox says. “My grandson communicated similar conditions to me. It is very alarming that this happened to my grandson; it’s alarming that children are in the facility still.”

One complaint alleges the facility frequently only has one nurse on duty with 60 patients and was so short-staffed they couldn’t provide proper treatment.

Another states there have been “numerous human rights violations” and claims patients are refused medical treatment and prescriptions.

“Supervisors explicitly tell staff to ‘treat them like prisoners because they are here for punishment’ rather than treating the patients with compassion as they go through treatment,” the complaint states.

Another complaint describes cockroaches and ants crawling around and blood and vomit smeared inside.

“[Palmetto Summerville] should be investigated,” Wilcox says. “They need to be checked out. They need to be monitored, and they need to be held accountable.”

The State Department of Health and Environmental Control is the agency responsible for investigating complaints against health facilities like Palmetto Summerville. It can also penalize them.

“When there is noncompliance with the licensing standards, the facility must submit an acceptable written plan of correction to DHEC that must be signed by the administrator and returned by the date specified on the report of inspection/investigation,” an email from DHEC states. “When DHEC determines that a facility is in violation of any statutory provision, rule, or regulation relating to the operation or maintenance of such facility, DHEC, upon proper notice to the licensee, may impose a monetary penalty, and deny, suspend, or revoke licenses.”

Last month, DHEC investigated two complaints against Palmetto Summerville, but no violations were cited, according to officials. In August, however, the facility was fined $19,000 for nine violations.

“DHEC executed a consent order with the facility in August after it was determined that it was appropriate to impose a civil monetary penalty for violations of Regulation 61-103,” the email from DHEC states.

Some of those violations, documents show, include failing to have a registered nurse immediately accessible by phone and available within 30 minutes, failing to notify DHEC of a serious accident or incident within 24 hours, failing to make sure residents were free from harm and failing to make sure medications were available for administration.

“[Patients] are further traumatized,” Wilcox says. “They are further placed into a downward spiral by being in these facilities.”

That downward spiral and that trauma, she says, prevent any effective treatment for the children who spend time at Palmetto Summerville and similar facilities.

Some studies show that could be right.

One study shows there’s not enough research to know if the interventions — therapy, activities and treatments — inside these facilities are effective or an effective use of money.

“We also don’t know a lot about what the, what treatments they’re actually getting because we don’t necessarily see the day-to-day life of these kids in these facilities,” Roderick Rose, an associate professor at the University of Maryland Baltimore and researcher in the study, says.

A common trend in the facilities: Medication. One study shows about 90 percent of stays at facilities analyzed included an antipsychotic medication, even though only 3 percent of patients were diagnosed with a psychotic disorder.

“You also see just a lot of medicating children,” Rose says.

For her grandson, Wilcox believes the best treatment has been being back home. He’s in school and playing basketball and is doing better. The trauma from the facility still lingers, however, and Wilcox says she prays other children can get the help they need outside of the gates of Palmetto Summerville.

“I am so very grateful that he is one child that escaped being in the situation he was in long,” she says. “Other children, as well, to be rescued, which is a most appropriate word. They need to be rescued from these facilities.”

Norman Bradley, the director of risk management and performance improvement for Palmetto Summerville Behavioral Health released this statement:

Due to HIPAA patient privacy laws, we cannot offer comment on specific patients or their care.

Palmetto Summerville Behavioral Health takes all allegations of abuse seriously and completes full investigations as warranted. Any and all allegations required to be reported to the Department of Health and Environmental Control have been done, and necessary action plans have been implemented to address the issues raised. Recent site visits by DHEC have been positive and have resulted in no findings.

Palmetto Summerville Behavioral Health is a residential treatment facility for girls and boys ages 7 to 18, in need of a highly structured, therapeutic environment. Our patient satisfaction scores reflect the care that is delivered by our compassionate and dedicated team.

Copyright 2023 WCSC. All rights reserved.

SUMMERVILLE, S.C. (WCSC) - Some big changes are coming to a more than $12 million sports complex in Summerville.

The Oakbrook Sports Complex, which will be located at the current Oakbrook YMCA, will include “state-of-the-art” turf sports fields and more.

“This is where, if you talk to anybody in our area, ‘I learned how to play baseball here, I learned how to swim here, I learned how to soccer here,’ so this is where we started, and now where we want to take to a whole new level,” Summerville YMCA CEO Joe Debney says.

The Summerville YMCA will contribute 17 acres of land, and the county will foot the bill, which has more than doubled in the last three years.

Right now, the fields have poor drainage, uneven turf, and chalk outlines for fields.

Once finished, the new complex will include two soccer fields and other multi-use athletic fields with subsurface drainage, lighting, parking, concessions, a playground, and restrooms.

“If you come out here our fields need rest,” Debney says. “Being able to dry these fields off quickly, being able to have a better facility for these kids, where we don’t have rainy days, where they don’t have to go somewhere else to play.”

Dorchester County Council Chairman Todd Friddle says the new complex will allow the county to host travel sports in an area where outdoor recreation is exploding.

“With a first-class facility, not only for the local community but travel tourism. People coming in here to bring teams to travel, stay spend money in the Summerville market, in the Dorchester area,” Friddle says.

This project is a part of the county’s broader goal to revitalize the Oakbrook area overall using TIF funds, which Friddle explained as tax revenue from the area being put back into it.

Friddle says they were partnered with a different organization for the project originally, but “couldn’t work out the logistics.”

They’re currently in the permitting process and hope to break ground on the project over the summer if all goes as planned, Friddle says. Once they break ground, he estimates the complex will take about 18 months to be completed.

Copyright 2024 WCSC. All rights reserved.

SUMMERVILLE, S.C. (WCSC) - Former President Donald Trump took the stage at a campaign event in Summerville Monday predicting a record-breaking win in the South Carolina Primary as he campaigned for a second term as commander-in-chief.

Trump is speaking Monday afternoon at Sportsman Boats in his first visit to South Carolina since the Silver Elephant Gala last month.

He told the crowd that his last two years in office were the best two years South Carolina boat builders and South Carolina businesses have ever had, saying that boat builders couldn’t make the boats fast enough.

“When I left the office business was roaring like a 400 horsepower Mercury outboard motor,” Trump said. “But then the economy slammed into a pile of rocks known as crooked Joe Biden.”

He promised to end Biden’s “war on American energy” and reclaim energy independence.

“In other words, we will drill, baby, drill,” he said.

Trump said he won South Carolina twice by record numbers and pledged to do it again.

“We did phenomenally here. We’ve always done well here and we’re going to do it at a level that nobody’s ever seen,” he said. “So we broke the record twice. We’re going to break it a third time. We’re going to break our own record.”

He said he intends to “take back our country and we’re going to make America great again.”

Before Trump’s speech, South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster told the crowd he went into the State House about a month after Trump went into the White House.

“And South Carolina has been booming ever since,” he said. “But then in January 2021, everything changed.”

McMaster said his administration has had to fight the Biden Administration “every day.” He cited the Biden Administration’s COVID-19 vaccine mandates for military personnel, and accused it of destroying the nation’s borders and the nation’s energy independence.

“From 2016 until now, [the Biden Administration] has been doing anything and everything they could, legal, illegal, ethical, unethical, unheard of, unprecedented, to do one thing: That includes two bogus impeachments and full-of-baloney indictments to do what? To stop one man, to stop our man from being president of the United States,” McMaster said.

Dorchester County deputies said earlier on Monday that Trump’s visit to Summerville would cause delays on Highway 78 from Summerville east of Berlin G. Myers Parkway to Jedburg Road at Mallard Road. Drivers in the area are asked to search for alternate routes if they don’t live or work along Highway 78 and are encouraged to use other entrances to neighborhoods in the area.

Traffic delays are expected to last through about 5 p.m. Monday but the delays could be extended.

Copyright 2023 WCSC. All rights reserved.