NORTH CHARLESTON — A key bill passed through the state legislature that will help propel one of the city's largest development projects forward.

On May 8, Gov. Henry McMaster signed a bill that amended a state law to allow a special tax district to finance affordable housing on former military bases.

"With this signing, our local municipalities will be able to make significant investments in infrastructure, workforce housing, security, and economic development," McMaster wrote in a statement.

In North Charleston, city officials said the legislation is critical for the future development of the former Naval Base, a large scale project along the Cooper River helmed by a joint venture between Jamestown, L.P., Weaver Capital and WECCO.

City Council approved contract agreements with the development group at the end of 2023 for the 50-acre riverfront property called Battery Park located north of the Noisette Creek Bridge. The same development team is also revitalizing several old Navy buildings in the southern portion of the base through its Navy Yard Charleston project.

In October 2024, City Council extended the contract's due diligence period, which was set to expire that month, giving the development team additional time before finalizing the sale. The extension was set to expire in July 2026 or 30 days after the state bill is signed into law, whichever came first.

Now with the bill signed into law, the contract is expected to be finalized in the beginning of June. The main reason for the due diligence extension was for the passage of the bill, said Ryan Johnson, the city's director of administration.

Base closures lead to revitalization

South Carolina established a law in 1994 to outline the redevelopment of military bases as the federal government closed or downsized a slew of military installations across the country through its Base Realignment and Closure plan. The Charleston Naval Base and Myrtle Beach Air Force Base were part of these closures.

Redevelopment authorities were then created to oversee the disposal of federal property and provide the opportunity to create tax increment financing districts to fund public infrastructure improvements.

A TIF district is a funding tool used by municipalities to revitalize neglected areas. These tax districts allow local governments to take on debt for infrastructure improvements in the district, then use the increased property tax revenue after the area's revitalization to pay off the debt.

Guidelines for most TIF districts are outlined in the state's Tax Increment Financing Law. However, former military bases follow a separate set of rules that are included in the Federal Defense Facilities Redevelopment Law. This law previously did not provide guidance for affordable housing.

The goal was to amend this law to follow the state's general guidance on TIF districts, Johnson said.

Now, new property tax revenues generated in the former military base TIF district can be used for the creation of publicly or privately owned affordable housing, which is defined as 80 percent or below the area's median income.

The bill also allows for these TIF funds to be spent outside of the designated district if it's for the benefit of the district, Johnson said. This clause will help fund the relocation of Department of Defense operations that still exist on the property.

Additionally, the bonding period extended from 15 to 35 years.

"A TIF is the primary driver for redevelopment in a municipality because it can fund all the public infrastructure," Johnson previously told The Post and Courier.

A similar version of the bill did not pass during the 2024 session. The bill received letters of support from Gov. Henry McMaster and Col. Michael Freeman, commander of Joint Base Charleston, said Erica Wright, a legislative and public policy advocate with the Municipal Association of South Carolina.

The vision for the 50-acre Battery Park site is to create 1,400 residences, 20 acres of public open space and a mix of commercial uses. According to the agreement, at least 250 of the housing units would be reserved for "attainable housing" for residents earning less than 120 percent of the area's median income, which is $88,350 for one person in the tri-county area.

The development team's past work includes large scale redevelopment projects, such as Ponce City Market in Atlanta and Chelsea Market in Manhattan, both helmed by Jamestown.

Charleston Mayor William Cogswell is principal of WECCO, the group that has been involved in a number of local development projects, such as the Cigar Factory in Charleston and Garco Mill in North Charleston. Lucile Cogswell, his wife, now serves as president of WECCO, according to its website.

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - Early voting is set to begin Monday to fill two seats vacated on the North Charleston City Council because of federal corruption charges.

The Districts 3 and 5 seats were vacated by former City Councilmen Sandino Moses and Jerome Heyward after the pair pleaded guilty to corruption charges, following a Department of Justice investigation earlier this year.

READ MORE: ‘Profound betrayal’: 8 charged in North Charleston corruption investigation

Early voting will take place at the Charleston Board of Elections and Voter Registration at 4340 Corporate Road in North Charleston. Voters must have lived in District 3 or District 5 for 30 days, have valid identification and be a registered voter to cast a ballot.

Isaac Cramer, the executive director of the Charleston County Board of Voter Registration and Elections, says a Real ID is not necessary as long as voters have a state-issued ID that is still valid.

“Your U.S. Passport, your military ID, State issued ID,” Cramer said. “So, it doesn’t have to be your driver’s license. The state voter registration card that you get in the mail from us, also works.”

Early voting runs through May 23.

The election is May 27.

All candidates were invited to fill out a questionnaire about why they are running. Click on the names of the candidates below to read their responses.

About the candidates:

District 3

District 5

Copyright 2025 WCSC. All rights reserved.

|Updated: May 5, 2025 at 4:12 AM EDT

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - The North Charleston week and a half Arts Fest featured performances and exhibitions by painters, storytellers, dancers, educators, musicians, weavers, sculptors and more.

The event from April 30 to May 4 spanned a variety of locations and showcased a range of talents. From puppet shows and improv, to live painting and gospel performances the Arts Fest featured the best of what local talent has to offer.

Events took place at libraries, community centers, businesses, parks and the coliseum. Artists, performers and vendors were selected through an open application process.

The closing event also wrapped up the visual art competitions & exhibitions, including Judged Fine Art and Photography, SC Palmetto Hands Fine Craft, and Tri-County Youth Art and High School Sculpture.

Performers from Academic Magnet and Charleston County School of the Arts performed musical numbers from the 2000s while patrons browsed art submissions from local schools, as well as art for sale from local artists.

John Cusatis is a teacher at the School of the Arts and says it’s an event students look forward to every year.

“The kids feel like they belong to something because they do, and their talent is incredible, and they may not get to express it, because most of them are performing outside of their School of the Arts major, you know. They may be a theater major, playing bass or creative writers singing,” Cusatis says.

One of those students is Rachel Wheelon.

“I’m a creative writing major, so I don’t ever perform and I’ve been singing for a bit, but I don’t sing in front of people so it’s my first time doing that. But it’s been really great because I get to meet new people and share my love of music with everyone else,” Wheelon says.

Others like Madison Deaton are following a music path, but also going out of their comfort zone to participate in the event.

“I’ve never played with a live band before….but at the School of the Arts, we have majors and I’m a vocal major so I sing a lot and it’s what I want to do in college and this really solidified my want to do a career in music,” Deaton says.

Cameron Barnett also performed at last year’s event and says it’s a good way to meet with other students they don’t always work with, create new bonds, and explore new collaborations. The musicians also took the chance to walk through the rows of local art.

“It was a good experience last year and a lot of great artwork and a good chance to play music with all these incredible musicians.”

Quincey Christian and Mariana Becerra performed songs on stage, and said they also enjoyed the large scale displays of the event, especially the local youth artwork.

“Kind of a lot of the artwork is actually from like, my old schools and stuff. So it’s cool to see, like, people that I know make awesome work,” Christian says.

“” It’s pretty epic to see how many kids across our county can do art like this,” Becerra says.

The North Charleston Arts Fest is an annual event that organizers say they look forward to continuing in years to come, showcasing local talent of all ages in a variety of skills.

North Charleston’s Cultural Arts department consists of nine staff members and a total budget of $1.4 million, according to the 2024-2025 fiscal year budget. That budget allocates $5,000 for statewide advertising of the North Charleston Arts Fest. The department also runs youth programs and a cultural center with events year-round.

Copyright 2025 WCSC. All rights reserved.

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - A Lowcountry nonprofit is using this weekend to highlight the needs of those with autism and other disabilities through an annual event.

After neurodiverse children grow up and leave high school, there’s suddenly very little available to them in terms of societal support.

Outside of immediate family members, it can be difficult for someone with autism or Down syndrome to find support to learn the life skills they need to thrive on their own.

That’s where small nonprofits like Healing Farms come into play. Founder Tron Severe says they work tirelessly to put a spotlight on the needs of the special needs community.

“We believe it’s super important for the community to have the opportunity to interact with our participants and begin to see them for their ability,” Severe said.

The community will get that very opportunity Saturday as Healing Farms is set to host its 11th annual “Walk and Roll” event at Wannamaker Park in North Charleston.

“It’s just a great opportunity for the community to come and join us to learn what we are about, support what we are doing by making donations to help us continue the work, to celebrate ability,” Severe said.

From 11 a.m. until 2 p.m., the park will be packed with a variety of food options, music and a fun zone full of games for people of all ages and abilities.

While there is a course, the walk is not a specific 5K or 10K. It’s simply a walk intended to give people a reason to come together. It’s specifically designed to bring out those who might have a mobility challenge, hence the “roll” part of Walk and Roll. Wheelchairs, wagons and strollers are encouraged.

Severe says this is their most important Spring fundraiser as it helps them provide programming and expand their operations.

“We have just recently opened a second [Moncks Corner] location… this year’s Walk and Roll event is super important so that we can fundraise all that we can because we need to take our programming from just part-time… in Moncks Corner to full-time,” Severe said. “So reaching our fundraising goals with the walk and roll and other events that we have throughout the year are going to be super important to help us continue to serve, more and more families in their own backyard.”

Joshua Graham is one of the people with autism that participates in Healing Farms’ summer camps where they meet new people and learn new skills. Graham, who goes by Swoosh, has his own YouTube Channel where he posts content about autism awareness.

“Don’t judge people by looks. Just get to know the people with autism like me and all my friends at camp,” Graham said. “We need the money for the camp to stay open for the autism kids.”

Another participant at Healing Farms is Maya Valdovinos. She’s worked the annual Walk and Roll in the past and says she is excited to see everyone.

“We’re going to be selling salsa and hats. We’ll be selling shirts for 2025,” Valdovinos said. “We need to tell everybody to come. Come see us, Tron and the staff.”

The event is free and people are encouraged to register ahead of time. More information about the event and how to register or donate can be found here.

Copyright 2025 WCSC. All rights reserved.

NORTH CHARLESTON — Funds the city set aside to revive its anti-violence grant program that's been swept up in a federal corruption probe could now help finance an affordable housing project instead.

The $1.3 million Gun Violence Prevention Grant program, an initiative created by City Council in late 2022, doled out one-time $100,000 payments to 13 nonprofits working to tamp down violence across the city. A Post and Courier investigation later found city officials failed to thoroughly evaluate the nonprofits and track how the public funds were spent.

In February, the Federal Bureau of Investigation charged Councilman Jerome Heyward in a series of schemes, including accepting $40,000 in kickbacks from two nonprofit leaders in exchange for using his position to steer grant funds from the program their way. Heyward, one of eight people charged in the federal probe, resigned from public office before pleading guilty.

Also charged were the nonprofit leaders who allegedly paid Heyward to help secure the grant funds, Donavan Moten of Core4Success and Michelle Stint-Hilton of DEEP SC. They, along with Rose Lorenzo, a financial company owner who allegedly helped to facilitate the payments, were charged with bribery, conspiracy, wire fraud and money laundering.

Despite the controversy, Mayor Reggie Burgess hoped to relaunch the program with a committee dedicated to overseeing the funds. In December 2024, City Council approved $1 million for the program with the guarantee that funds would not be distributed until the FBI concluded its inquiry.

Now, however, city officials said it's "unlikely" the grant money will be allocated to nonprofits this fiscal year, which ends June 30.

Instead, officials are considering giving $600,000 of the funding to the North Charleston Housing Authority's nonprofit arm, called North Charleston Renaissance, to help finance a 120-unit affordable housing project on Eagle Landing Boulevard.

The city's Finance Committee approved the reallocation of the money during an April 17 meeting, though the item still must pass two City Council readings.

The reallocated funding would help bolster the North Charleston Housing Authority's 9 percent Low-Income Housing Tax Credit application for the first phase of the project. The competitive federal incentive program, administered by SC Housing, does not award more than one new construction application per county, according to the program's application.

The city's funds will only be transferred upon the Housing Authority receiving the award, which is expected to be announced in November.

The Housing Authority purchased the 6.5-acre lot in October 2023 for $3.85 million. A deserted movie theater once sat on the property located within walking distance to Northwoods Mall. The vacant lot is near the planned Lowcountry Rapid Transit bus line on Rivers Avenue, which is primed for future housing growth.

If awarded, the tax credit, combined with the city's grant, will support the financial closing of the project's first phase at the start of 2026, according to a letter from the Housing Authority. This phase includes 60 units designed for residents earning between 20 percent and 80 percent of the area's median income. For a single-person household, a $54,450 annual salary is 80 percent AMI in Charleston County.

Councilwoman Rhonda Jerome said during a committee meeting that the grant is a gift to the Housing Authority and the city will not be involved in the project's development.

Any leftover funds that were set aside for the anti-violence grant program that aren't allocated before the close of the fiscal year will return to the city's fund balance. If officials decide to pursue the grant program in the next fiscal year, the amount must be re-appropriated in that budget, according to city documents.

Burgess previously told The Post and Courier he wants to continue the program to reward the nonprofits that are making a positive impact on the community.