After some last-minute funding maneuvers, Charleston approved the terms of a construction contract for a long-awaited bike and pedestrian bridge connecting downtown and West Ashley.

It now awaits federal approval before the mayor can sign off on it and work can begin.

As construction firms submitted proposals for the project this summer, local leaders became aware that their most recent cost projections were insufficient.

That’s when the estimate ballooned from $42 million about a year ago to about $74 million today. As a result, city officials had to secure more funding from county, state and federal agencies. In addition to dipping into the city’s hospitality tax funds, the Medical University of South Carolina chipped in too.

In total, the city’s contribution to the project via hospitality tax funds stands at $13 million.

Construction bidders attributed the higher-than-expected cost projections to rising interest rates, as well as increased labor and material costs. The winning bid came in at $73.8 million.

City leaders had considered scaling the project back when the new estimates were calculated but Councilman Mike Seekings said South Carolina Transportation Secretary Christy Hall was determined to find additional help from all levels of government to bring the project across the finish line.

“Secretary Hall put her money where her mouth is,” he said.

With Hall’s help securing an additional $30 million committed from various agencies, the city was able to move forward with a contract with civil contractor, Superior Construction.

NORTH CHARLESTON — To continue efforts to become the Coast Guard’s “operational center of gravity” on the East Coast, officials broke ground Jan. 26 on its new $160 million campus.

This 64-acre site along the Cooper River — just south of the former naval base that closed in 1996 — will house an administration building and redesigned 1,100-foot concrete pier.

Construction is expected to begin later this year and be completed in 2026.

“This Charleston campus will have improved infrastructure that translates into more productive personnel and more efficient operations,” said Capt. Neal Armstrong, the commanding officer of facilities design and construction.

The 51,500-square-foot administration building will provide training and conference room space, and additional rooms dedicated to cutter ship support.

Sustainability is a priority, so the new facility will achieve net-zero energy usage and a net-zero carbon footprint, Armstrong said.

The current Pier November will be replaced with a pier more than three feet taller to enhance durability during coastal storms. It will provide utilities to support five national security cutters and a 90-ton crane, which is critical for dockside maintenance, Armstrong said.

During the design and construction phases nearly 60 subcontractors will support the two main contractors on the project, Whiting-Turner Contracting Company and RQ Construction LLC, providing work for nearly 900 people.

Commandant of the Coast Guard Adm. Linda Fagan, who spoke at the groundbreaking ceremony, said every Coast Guard mission begins and ends at a shore facility. When the ships are not at sea, they need a base that can provide necessary maintenance, she added.

The missions conducted at Base Charleston are vital to protecting national security and economic prosperity, Fagan said, adding that the new campus will aid in “lifesaving work,” including patrolling the waters for smuggled narcotics.

A 3,000-acre development nearly two decades in the making is moving forward in West Ashley.

Long Savanna (with the “h” now dropped), a long-planned mix of homes and businesses off Bees Ferry Road, will include 10 neighborhoods developed on 1,200 acres, according to updated plans.

The remaining land will be placed into conservation .

The specific subdivisions are still awaiting approval by the city, but to date Mungo Homes and PulteGroup have signed on as builders.

Of the neighborhoods, nine will will be residential with the 10th intended as a master-planned urban center with an option for Charleston County to add an elementary school and a fire station.

Talks are also in the works to develop a YMCA, said Taylor Bush, president of the Long Savannah Co.

As part of the development agreement negotiations, Bush said, some of the land also will be used for two public parks.

The main entry point will be the future Long Savanna Parkway, an extension of the Glenn McConnell Parkway currently being engineered. The road will connect the neighborhood to the West Ashley Circle.

“The property was a timber tract when we purchased it, so there are miles and miles of logging roads on the property,” Bush said. “We plan to convert a significant amount of these roads into a trail network which may also connect to adjacent neighborhoods.”

Mungo has filed plans to build more than 800 homes in Long Savanna on two tracts totaling 212 acres. Three years ago, the company paid $11.75 million for about 56 acres within the development, county land records show.

Pulte has options to buy lots through a so-called land bank arrangement with an investment firm that paid nearly $35 million for a 147-acre tract at Long Savanna last year.

Planning aheadAn upcoming community on Maybank Highway will gain another neighborhood restaurant.

The hospitality giant behind a timeshare development planned for the historic City Market area announced new details about the project this week, saying it plans to start construction next year.

Marriott Vacations Worldwide Corp. also disclosed that the downtown property will be the first in its "City Collection" to operate under the Westin lodging flag.

"With the city of Charleston continually ranking on lists of the South’s best cities to visit for its thriving culinary scene, easy walkability and Southern charm, this new property ... will bring the city experience right to owners, members and guest’s doorsteps," Marriott Vacations said.

The company described its City Collection as "a metropolitan complement to our global resort portfolio" made up of timeshare properties that are "close to the action" and offer "stylish stays that are in the heart of local interests, transportation and attractions, reflecting the spirit and culture of their dynamic surroundings.”

“We know our owners, members and guests see great value in being close to the action, so we will continue to look for opportunities to expand our city offerings over the coming years” Marriott Vacations executive Lori Gustafson said in a written statement.

A similar Westin Vacation Club is planned for Savannah, starting in 2026.

The Charleston project was announced last May for 235 East Bay St. and 36 N. Market St., on the same wraparound site where plans for a conventional 50-room boutique hotel were approved in 2017.

Marriott Vacation bought the adjoining properties early last year for $16.45 million, according to public land records.

The East Bay portion of the property borders Guignard Street and has been used as a parking lot. Over the years, it housed several restaurants, including Molly Darcy's Irish Pub, Meritage and Kiva Han.

The existing 1850s-era building at 36 N. Market includes several ground-floor retail businesses and will be incorporated into the resort, which will include an on-site timeshare sales center.

Last year, Marriott Vacations began testing the site for soil and groundwater contaminants.

"The property has been used by various commercial owners since the late 1800s," according to a voluntary environmental cleanup agreement with state regulators. "It was also developed with auto repair shops from the 1930s to the 1960s and a gasoline filling station from the 1950s to the 1970s."

Representatives for the Westin deal sought early-stage approval in December from the city's Technical Review Committee, which asked them to return after they made unspecified changes to the development plan.

Marriott Vacations, also known as Marriott Ownership Resorts Inc., has been in the business since 1984. In addition to its core namesake brand, its 120 timeshare resorts operate under several others, including Sheraton, Ritz-Carlton, St. Regis and Hyatt.

The company's future downtown Westin outpost will be competing with at least three rival timeshare destinations: the Lodge Alley Inn near East Bay and Cumberland streets, Liberty Place Charleston at East Bay and Calhoun streets and King 583 Resort on upper King Street. They're all operated by Hilton Grand Vacations.

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - From West Ashley to Sullivan’s Island, businesses spent the day recuperating after heavy rains and strong winds caused them to temporarily lock their doors.

Many of the exterior windows at Hay Tire Pros, off Savannah Highway, shattered, and a large part of their ceiling collapsed on the inside.

Vice President Bill Sekula said that they have always expected severe storms to come through with being in Charleston, but that they have never had this much damage before.

“I guess it was like a microburst or something to that effect, but apparently it was raining harder than usual and then the windows started to buckle and snapped over. These windows on the side just kind of came apart and came out of the building,” Sekula said.

Sekula said glass from the windows was even in the back part of their building which is almost 30 yards away. They had to close the business for the day and return all of their customers’ vehicles. He said the incident happened during hours of operation as employees notified him at around 8 a.m.

The next-door business, Etto Leisure Cars, a golf cart dealer, also saw significant damage. Will Harton, chief executive officer, said that part of their awning was ripped off and hit their power box causing them to lose power.

“I said ‘Oh my goodness.’ You know, you live in Charleston long enough, you know a storm is going to happen. Usually, it’s a hurricane. It’s not a microburst like this, but we will be fine and we will move on from here,” Harton said.

He added that he’s glad that all of his employees are safe and that the building and golf carts can be fixed.

First Alert Chief Meteorologist Bill Walsh said the damage could have been from a potential microburst or straight-line wind, but the National Weather Service has not yet confirmed that.

The Co-Op Frosé and Eatery on Sullivan’s Island had around two feet of water inside their restaurant. Their staff members spent the day using buckets to help get rid of the water. They said they have had flooding in the past, but never anything over a foot, so this is the worst they’ve seen.

“This morning, we lifted everything off the floor because we were expecting rain and heavy floods, but we didn’t know it was going to get this bad. So, as we were lifting things off the floor, it started coming in through the back door. Next thing you know there is water all over the place and we started getting buckets and mops and throwing water out. We’ve been throwing water out for the past three and a half hours,” employee Havannah Malan said.

She said that they have had to get their floors redone three times, and she expects the business will have to get them redone a fourth time after Saturday’s flood.

The businesses said they hope to repair the damages quickly, so they can return to normal operation as soon as possible.

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CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - Residents who live near one West Ashley development learned more about the future of their community during a meeting hosted by developers.

Cameron Property Company, the company overseeing the development of 26 acres near the Essex Farms community, invited residents to share their concerns and provide input at a meeting Thursday night.

The 26-acre lot runs from Essex Farms Drive, down Skye Drive and extends to Dorothy Drive.

Developers were accompanied by Charleston city officials representing the council, planning department, and traffic department to discuss what potential businesses residents could expect to see.

During the meeting, community members said they were relieved to learn that the developer withdrew its request to change the zoning language to include drive-thru windows at restaurants.

The developer is in talks with a grocery store and gas station, but plans have not been finalized.

Some residents said they are less than pleased about the big changes coming to the Essex Farms community.

Residents also expressed concerns about traffic congestion and the potential for a gas station to be built on the property.

“Tonight’s the first time we’ve heard gas station. That was a shock for all of us. When we purchased our properties, we were told specifically that a gas station wasn’t allowed to be there,” resident Kellie Kinard said.

Development Manager Collins Moe said he wants community input but that the company has the right to build to the zoning order, which does allow a grocery store and gas station.

“We’re going through the appropriate city of Charleston permit steps which require traffic studies. Things that outline what we’re proposing to make sure they meet all the standards with the county, the state, and the city, more importantly, based on where this property lies. At the end of the day, we’re still very far out,” Moe said.

Kinard said she is disappointed and was left with even more concerns and questions.

“I think my husband and I are going to have a serious conversation about whether or not we’re going to list our home. Which is really unfortunate because we love our neighborhood. We have great neighbors, but we do not want this type of development that they’re talking about potentially literally within several feet of our driveway,” Kinard said.

City officials stated that this development was approved many years ago and the zoning goes back to 1997.

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CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - After months of her son being chronically sick, which even led him to temporarily stop walking and talking, one West Ashley woman wants to warn people about the effects of living with mold.

Mold test results allege this is exactly what former tenant Lauren LaMantia experienced while living at The Heyward Apartments.

“There’s nothing more frustrating than knowing something is wrong with your kid and there’s no one that will help you,” LaMantia said.

LaMantia and her son Leo moved into The Heyward apartments in West Ashley in 2020. What began as off-and-on colds, led to a sickness that wouldn’t go away for Leo LaMantia last spring.

Lauren LaMantia says he had constant mucus, an oozing eye and he even eventually stopped walking and talking. He was diagnosed with three different viruses and pneumonia in his right lung.

A specialist recommended getting an environmental test in their apartment, which is when she hired The Mold Girl, LLC and GSL Engineering.

She explained what The Mold Girl, LLC recommended.

“[An employee] said, ‘Based on how I feel after being here and testing, I wouldn’t keep my family here for another day,’” LaMantia said. “So, that night we packed up and we left.”

She took the topical tests to The Heyward management, who then hired a vendor to remediate the area and clean invasively, which she claims only exacerbated the problem.

“It was worse, obviously, than what was just topical,” LaMantia said. “And those spores got thrown out into the air, into the air ducts and contaminated all of our belongings.”

When the two initial companies came out to test again, the results were worse than before.

GSL Engineering’s air quality test says anything higher than a five requires an investigation. The apartment’s levels were 7.7.

In The Mold Girl, LLC’s test, there were a variety of molds found, with some of these also showing in the 95th percentile in Leo’s urine sample.

“When I told the complex that, they considered this matter closed and that they had denied any allegations with my initial concern with sending a vendor out there to fix it,” LaMantia said.

She says The Heyward offered to terminate the lease, under one condition. She was asked to sign a waiver of liability, a confidentiality agreement and a non-disclosure form. When she refused, she had to pay nine more months of rent in an apartment she couldn’t live in.

“Between moving, medical, rent, legal counsel - just consultations - it’s between $40,000-$50,000 out of pocket,” LaMantia said.

The Heyward’s attorney, Thomas Howard, sent this statement in response to the allegations:

Due to privacy concerns, it is our policy not to comment on specific questions regarding any resident. We are aware of the resident’s complaint to which our community representatives promptly investigated and responded. We contest the resident’s portrayal of the facts and our corresponding actions. At Heyward, the safety and well-being of our community residents are paramount, and we treat all concerns with utmost seriousness. Heyward has been nationally recognized in the country for resident experience placing in the Elite 1% ORA Power Rankings (34th nationally) by J Turner Research. The ORA® Power Ranking is based on the relative strength of over 140,000 communities assessed by J Turner Research, a prominent consulting firm that monitors resident satisfaction. This accomplishment reflects the hard work and positive impact of our onsite management team which remains dedicated to providing the best possible environment for all of our residents.

Since moving out, LaMantia says she still experiences memory loss and is on more antibiotics now than she has been in the last ten years. She wants to warn other renters about the dangers mold could present.

“I just hope that people get out of that place,” LaMantia said. “...It’s just a breeding ground for mold... And they have no idea that they’re going to breathe in these terrible things and that could permanently damage them.”

She recommends if anyone is feeling symptoms no matter where they live, to get your place tested.

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