March 31 through April 5, 2019, North Charleston hosted a 10-member ULI Advisory Services Panel to study the Rivers and McMillan Avenues intersection—a promising but challenged area of the city that includes a large amount of publicly-owned land.  The area is also in an Opportunity Zone and will be a major hub for Charleston’s Lowcountry Rapid Transit system, currently in planning.

During a busy week, panelists toured the study area, met with elected officials, hosted a community open house, conducted 90+ interviews with community stakeholders and deliberated about the challenges and opportunities associated with the site.  By Friday morning, the panel was ready to share its recommendations for charting the best path forward for future development.  Recommendations included: demolition of the existing Navy Hospital, forming a Housing Trust Fund, establishing a farmers market/food shed as a predecessor to a commercial grocery store and continued collaboration with the surrounding neighborhoods to prevent displacement.  See a recording of the presentation here and PowerPoint Presentation here.  A final report will be available in June.

The study was made possible through the support of three diverse sponsors who are sometimes at odds over land use issues—the City of North Charleston, Charleston County and the Coastal Conservation League.  The panel congratulated the sponsors on a truly collaborative effort and encouraged them to continue to work together to create a bright future for the study area.  ULI South Carolina will continue to participate via a Steering Committee that has been tasked with implementing key panel recommendations. To learn more about these efforts, contact Amy Barrett [email protected].

To learn more about the ULI Advisory Services and to see reports from other panels click here.