roofer in Nexton, SC

Ample servings of Champagne coupled with a coastal poolside ambiance served as a fitting backdrop to a favorable economic forecast report during an April 4 Nexton luncheon attended by several local realtors at a sun-splashed Midtown Club in Summerville.

Following a brief synopsis of Nexton’s recent sales and continued growth as a “third job center” in the Charleston market, the mixed-use development’s marketing coordinator Alicia Smith introduced South Carolina Ports Authority Business Development Manager Marion Bull to the podium, as he delved into his group’s efforts of recruiting business activity to the Lowcountry.

The guest speaker sang the praises of Nexton — which is currently celebrating its 10th anniversary as a destination venue in the Summerville community — for its role in providing housing for incoming employees of national and global firms seeking to establish a presence in the Charleston region.

Moving forward, Bull anticipates Nexton continuing to offer corporations an attractive option for its staffers as a source of housing, employment and an ever-expanding array of amenities with new industry emerging in the Jedburg area of Summerville, as well as Ridgeville in the very near future.

“When they want to live somewhere with, you know, a high quality of life that’s affordable, this is a place where business leaders can feel comfortable locating their businesses here,” began the Mount Pleasant resident.

“South Carolina has done a fantastic job as a state, [and] not just as a port, in recruiting business. [We had] $10 billion in investment last year. I think the largest previous year was $3 billion or so. It’s a huge number for our economic development in the state of South Carolina and some of it has happened right here.”

Bull detailed that South Carolina Ports drives about $63 billion in economic impact statewide, with about $8 billion of it emanating from the Lowcountry. In fact, about 30,000 jobs are either directly or indirectly linked to port activity in the immediate surrounding zone — a number that he anticipates will “dramatically” increase due to investments by Volvo, Walmart, Mercedes-Benz and the like.

Luncheon attendees were also treated to a breakdown of expectations for the real estate market in 2023 by President of the Charleston Trident Association of Realtors (CTAR) Katesha Breland.

The Charleston-born real estate broker noted the Charleston region’s remarkable 25 percent population growth over the past decade, along with a 17 percent spurt of newcomers in Summerville over that same 10-year stretch.

“We see changes in our local culture, our restaurant scene, our retail opportunities, and of course, we feel it in our traffic as well,” she stated.

“The local economy is booming. The Nexton development offers something that Summerville residents hadn’t seen before, an intentionally-developed masterplan community that gives residents the ease and opportunity to live, work and play right in their backyards ... that’s just what Nexton does. They haven’t built a neighborhood, they’ve built a community. While local media doesn’t always like to focus on the positives of our real estate market, there’s plenty of good news I can share with you,” added Breland without referencing any specific news media outlet.

On that note, the CTAR leader communicated that closed property sales were down in 2022 by 18 percent, but compared to 2019, that total was actually up six percent.

Breland further spoke of a healthy, sustainable pace of growth, as the overall median sales price increased 14 percent, single-family home prices surged 12 percent and townhouse/condos similarly saw a 22 percent uptick.

Summerville and Moncks Corner, in particular, were two of the top areas in terms of home sales in 2022.

“We expect sales will remain at the pace we’re seeing now, which is a good, healthy pace. Prices will also increase likely at a slower pace than we’ve been seeing. But that’s good news for buyers who are challenged by the affordability of our region.”

Breland concluded her address by lauding Nexton for its development of a wide range of home options (single-family, townhouses, rentals, etc.) and a variety of price points for prospective residents.

Smith topped off the information session by filling in listeners on the imminent additions of Harris Teeter and Publix retail outposts in the Nexton area in Q1 of 2024 and Q2 of 2024 respectively.

Also mentioned were the opening of Pickle Bar, as well as a new hospital and middle school site that are both in the works.

Sharbell Nexton LLC says the first two retail tenants have committed to the ground-floor retail space in Downtown Nexton. A nail salon called iNails, with nearly 30 years of beauty service expertise and 10 Lowcountry locations, and Revive Health Studio, a health and wellness spa offering sauna, lymphatic massage, tune and red-light therapeutic treatments as well as therapeutic products for purchase, are the first tenants in phase one.

“We are excited to begin the leasing process in Downtown Nexton and welcome iNails and Revive as our first tenants,” Sharbell President Thomas Troy said in a news release. “Service-oriented providers, like iNails and Revive Health Studio, and a potential barbershop with which we are currently negotiating are the types of tenants we envisioned filling portions of the retail spaces in Downtown Nexton as they serve important community and regional needs. In addition to these service-based tenants, we are currently working with a high-end spirits store with onsite consumption and a Mediterranean bar and restaurant concept.”

Downtown Nexton retail is located on the ground floor of the Lofts Downtown Nexton, a collection of luxury rental apartments. INails will occupy 1,700 square feet while Revive Health Studio will occupy 1,775 square feet in the Lofts’ first completed building, with an anticipated opening in the first quarter of 2024. Upon completion of future phases in late 2024, the Lofts Downtown Nexton will include residential amenities such as a clubhouse, resort-style pool with tanning shelves, firepit with seating areas, private cabanas, outdoor café tables and bar area and a dog park.

Situated on nearly 100 acres between Sigma Drive and Brighton Park Boulevard, Downtown Nexton will provide retail, dining, hospitality, residential, service, office and commercial options within walking distance of many of Nexton’s neighborhoods. In addition to the Lofts, previously announced plans include The Ames multifamily community, AC Hotel by Marriott, Atelier office campus and Daybreak Market and Fuel.

Bridge Commercial provides exclusive leasing and sale services at the Lofts Downtown Nexton.

Other recent commercial real estate transactions include:

Trey Lucy, Blair Belk and Tim Metzler of Belk Lucy represented the landlord in the lease of 1,721 square feet of retail space in Suite A at 145 King St. in Charleston to E. Blackhurst. Lindsey Halter of Carolina Retail Experts represented the tenant.

Trey Lucy, Tim Metzler and Blair Belk of Belk Lucy represented the landlord in the lease of 1,454 square feet of retail space in Suite B at 145 King St. in Charleston to Yves Delorme. Edward Robinson of The Beach Co. represented the tenant.

Mark Erickson and Jarred Watts of Colliers represented M2 Land LLC in the sale of a 15,000-square-foot industrial building at 3240 Industry Drive in North Charleston to Sunny Enterprises LLC for $3,200,000.

Markus Kastenholz, Remington Beatty and Alia Bostaji of Colliers represented Pearce Development in the sale of a 10,000-square-foot building at 36 N. Market St. in Charleston and 0.5 acres of land at 235 E. Bay St. in Charleston to Marriott Ownership Resorts for $16,450,000.

Hot Properties highlights recently sold or leased commercial properties in the Charleston region. Send in your transactions using our online form.

SUMMERVILLE — The first retail stores and restaurants in a new development on the edge of Nexton across from Cane Bay could be completed by this summer, and the developer is in talks with three different grocery stores that could bring competition to the growing area of Berkeley County.

Four buildings currently are under construction in the first $30 million phase of the new North Creek Market at Nexton where North Creek Drive meets U.S. Highway 176.

The 53-acre development straddles North Creek Drive. Buck Management, an affiliate of Charleston-based Jupiter Holdings, bought the property in 2018 for $12.7 million.

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Developer Eddie Buck expects the first businesses to be operational, possibly as early as May, on the eastern side of North Creek Drive.

A Blue Water convenience store with Shell gas is rising on the corner while a Dunkin’ donuts shop and Azul Mexican Restaurant will sit in a separate building along U.S. 176.

“My goal is to have Blue Water and Dunkin’ open in May,” Buck said.

Two other buildings under construction along North Creek Drive behind the gas station will include a variety of businesses.

Tenants lined up for the structures include restaurants Buffalo Wild Wings, Jersey Mike’s Subs and Marco’s Pizza. Others include Heartland Dental and Princess Nails.

He believes Buffalo Wild Wings, Jersey Mike’s and the nail salon could be ready by June with the others following not long afterward.

“There is a little bit of space left in each building that has not been leased,” Buck said. “We will get them built out and then see who can fit in the space.”

Buck also is in talks with Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers to build a new restaurant on a parcel between the gas station and the building that will house Buffalo Wild Wings and other tenants.

“We are negotiating a lease with a goal to start by the end of the year,” he said.

A separate building planned near Arrogate Village Apartments on North Creek Drive is expected to become an Ace Hardware site in a second phase of construction.

Billed as South Carolina’s “most innovative and walkable community,” Nexton has recently announced its designs to build a new commercial property known as Dayrfield Park that will feature office space and residential offerings, as well as retail and service provider options.

Extending across 60 acres connecting to Nexton’s Brighton Park, the new project will consist of three phases, each of which will add five buildings to the area. In total, the undertaking — slated to break ground this summer with an expected 2026 completion date — is forecasted to deliver 500 new jobs.

Phase One, as detailed in a corresponding media release, is scheduled to combine about 100,000 square feet of commercial space and 20,000 square feet of retail and restaurant additions.

Some of the businesses on board to set up shop in Deerfield Park include The Goddard School daycare center, HYLO Fitness and Go Dog — a pet daycare, boarding and grooming service with an adjoining bar.

“At Nexton, we strive to think one step beyond what is needed to deliver amenities that will improve the daily lives of our residents and employees,” said Nexton Vice President and General Manager Brent Gibadlo. “Dayfield Park will provide an immersive community experience while eliminating or improving the daily commute to the office.”

Speaking on behalf of the collaborating leasing firm was Bridge Commercial Senior Vice President Daniel Pellegrino, who underscored the project’s aim on meeting the needs of Nexton employees.

“Dayfield Park is the first of its kind in the Charleston market to focus on the complete workday beyond the hours of nine to five, further cementing Nexton’s position as the metro region’s third major employment center,” he stated.

Architectural services will be furnished by Rush Dixon Architects and Bello Garris Architects, with SeamonWhiteside serving as the engineering company on the grand-scale construction venture.

The Dorchester District Two Board of Trustees voted Monday, Sept. 25, on the recommended process to follow over the next several months to rezone school attendance boundaries beginning with the 2024-25 school year.

“The natural question would be why is this process necessary in Dorchester School District 2,” said Dr. Shane Robbins, superintendent of Dorchester District 2. “The simple explanation is our strong academic reputation and our community’s appealing quality of life means we have welcomed thousands of new families in a short amount of time.”

Robbins said new growth and housing developments in part of Dorchester County have produced increased enrollments in some of the district’s facilities and now require the board and administration to consider setting new attendance zones to relieve overcrowding at Beech Hill Elementary, Sand Hill Elementary and William Reeves Elementary. Additionally, East Edisto Middle School, Ashley Ridge High School and Summerville High School are nearing capacity.

“The overcrowding at these locations just happens to coincide with a lower enrollment in other portions of Dorchester School District 2,” Robbins said. “We will rezone attendance boundaries because crowded classrooms create unsafe environments and make it difficult to provide the high-quality education that is a cornerstone of our community. We also understand the importance of maximizing our resources (facilities) for the taxpayers of Dorchester County.”

Several key dates have been identified as part of the rezoning process over the next year:

Nov. 7-14 – public engagement: District officials will collect feedback and answer questions during public meetings and an online process.

Dec. 11 – board meeting for public engagement: The meeting agenda will include a public comment opportunity and the results from the public engagement in November.

Jan. 8, 2024 – final board vote: Anticipated board vote on the recommended map for rezoned school attendance boundaries.

Summer 2024 – rezoning takes effect: The new maps for K-12 school attendance boundaries will determine where students are zoned to attend school based on their home addresses.

Visit www.ddtwo.org/rezone for more information. Robbins said the website will be updated as the rezoning process moves forward.

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A new office and commercial condominium development is coming to Summerville.

Atelier Downtown Nexton is planned by an affiliate of New Jersey-based Sharbell Development on 7.5 acres on Brighton Park Boulevard off of U.S. Highway 17A.

Located in the developing mixed-use Nexton community, the project″s campus-like setting will include multiple two-story buildings up to 18,000 square feet. Office, service and commercial space will be for sale or lease.

“The design for Atelier Downtown Nexton was inspired by a modern think-tank environment with common green spaces and connectivity to the surrounding community,” said Thomas Troy, president of Sharbell Nexton LLC.

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He called the finished product a place “where work happens, creativity thrives and people want to be.”

The project is expected to break ground later this year, with the first phase completed in 2024.

Bridge Commercial will provide leasing and sale services for Atelier Downtown Nexton.

Downtown Nexton is a nearly 100-acre development between Sigma Drive and Brighton Park Boulevard. When completed, it will provide retail, dining, hospitality, residential, service, office and commercial options within walking distance of many of Nexton’s neighborhoods.

Previously announced plans include The Ames multifamily community, The Lofts mixed-use development and Daybreak Market and Fuel.

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A six-story building with 134 studio-only apartments is planned on Spring Street in downtonw Charleston.

Real Estate

11: Number of new gates proposed in the 20-year expansion plan for Charleston International Airport.

19: Number of Chick-fil-A restaurants now serving the Charleston area after the recent opening of a new restaurant in Berkeley County.

26: Number of years women’s clothing store Ellington​​​​​​​ has operated in Charleston before recently moving off the peninsula.

Real Estate

+ Rezoning rejected: Developers’ plans to build a 150-unit apartment project on Charleston’s upper peninsula, where a restaurant and bar operate, hit a roadblock Oct. 19 when the Planning Commission unanimously opposed the change in land use.

+ Eyes have it: A national eyewear company recently opened its second Charleston-area location and 10th in South Carolina.

Patriots Annex is a 31-acre development at Patriots Point and will include a mix of hotels, offices, shops, conference center, amphitheater, parking decks, park and a boardwalk. The Grand Patriot Hotel, in background, will serve as the centerpiece of the new multiyear project.