Color Hair Salon near West Ashley, SC

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.

WEST ASHLEY — On a hot October morning, Travis Richardson and his 6-year-old brother Nasir were playing basketball at Forest Park Playground, a parcel of courts and fields that first opened in 1970.

Richardson had ideas for sprucing it up.

“Better bleachers,” he said between shots, pointing to the shallow stands beneath a hoop.

“Give this thing a nice little wash,” Richardson continued, eyeing the faded court.

“Plant some flowers,” he added, examining the cropped grass. “Get some color out here.”

More color could be coming. A $70 million bond referendum on the Nov. 7 ballot could kickstart improvements to parks across the city of Charleston, including this one in West Ashley, where residents say they want greater investment in the area — from its parks to parking lots.

Richardson, who recently relocated from North Charleston, had a wish list of renovations: better sidewalks, a park closer to his house and a local YMCA to take his brother in colder months. He joins a chorus of residents calling for more attention to West Ashley, where the first English colony south of Virginia took root, and some 80,000 people now live.

About 40 to 50 percent of the city’s population resides west of the Ashley River. Yet “most people would agree West Ashley doesn’t get 40 percent of the attention in City Hall,” said Gibbs Knotts, a political science professor and dean at the College of Charleston.

Charleston City Council contenders want to change that. Five candidates are vying for the seat Councilman Peter Shahid is vacating to launch his mayoral bid. They are: Francis Marion Beylotte III, Mike Gastin, William “Roy” Gilliard, Kenneth Marolda and William Tinkler. The victor will represent District 9, which encompasses a development project some say symbolizes how investment in West Ashley has fallen by the wayside.

COLUMBIA — South Carolina’s Supreme Court heard arguments Feb. 6 over the constitutionality of the firing squad and electric chair as death penalty methods with some justices indicating discomfort with the procedures, especially the firing squad.

Four death row inmates, all convicted murderers, are suing the state Department of Corrections arguing the electric chair violates the state constitution’s prohibition of cruel punishment.

They also contended the firing squad violates prohibitions against unusual or corporal punishment.

During the hearing, the justices additionally seemed to be seeking a middle ground on how much information the department must give to death row inmates, the courts and the public about the drugs used in lethal injection under a recently signed Shield Law.

Thirty-two men are on death row in South Carolina, the corrections department said.

Palmetto Politics

Though South Carolina now has the drugs to carry out a lethal injection execution, the dispute over the other two methods stems from the 12-year period after its last execution in 2011 when the state was unable to obtain them, creating a de facto moratorium.

Drug companies will not sell death penalty drugs to states if their identities could be revealed, fearing public backlash, though South Carolina moved to change that thanks to a 2023 law protecting a company’s identity.

Since 1995, the state’s default method of execution had been lethal injection, though inmates could choose electrocution. In 2021, the governor signed a bill that made electrocution the default death penalty method but gave inmates the choice of firing squad or lethal injection if the drugs were available.

The inmates sued, claiming that with no lethal injection drugs available, they would be forced to choose between two unconstitutional methods of execution. Circuit Court Judge Jocelyn Newman agreed with the inmates and found the electric chair and firing squad unconstitutional in September 2022 after a trial in Columbia.

The state appealed, and the Supreme Court heard arguments in the case in January 2023 but asked the lower court to investigate whether the state had done all it could to obtain lethal injection drugs.

Meanwhile, Gov. Henry McMaster signed the Shield Law in May, which barred the release of any information that would give away the identity of the companies from which the state purchased lethal injection drugs. In September, McMaster announced the state obtained pentobarbital, a lethal injection drug, and was ready to resume executing the inmates who have exhausted their appeals.

With lethal injection now an available option, the state Supreme Court again took up the question of the constitutionality of the electric chair and firing squad Feb. 6.

Grayson Lambert, a lawyer for McMaster who argued the case for the state, told the court the availability of lethal injection provided them an “off-ramp” to avoid weighing in on the constitutionality of the other two methods because the inmates now have the choice of lethal injection, which their lawyers have conceded is constitutional.

“I don’t think that someone should be able to elect an unconstitutional method,” countered John Blume, a lawyer from the Cornell Death Penalty Project who represents the inmates.

The justices did not skirt the constitutionality issue, pressing Lambert, the state’s lawyer, on how the firing squad would not be an “unusual” punishment as it has never been used in South Carolina and has only been used four times in the United States, all in Utah, since 1960.

Justice John Kittredge, who appeared otherwise skeptical of the circuit court decision — calling it a “scorched-earth order” that was “riddled with errors,” listed statistics about how rare the firing squad has been used in American executions during the last century.

Chief Justice Don Beatty asked pointedly whether it would be constitutional to bring back hanging.

The firing squad is a long-established method elsewhere in the U.S. and hasn’t been totally discarded, Lambert said. It’s gaining some popularity as some inmates across the country argue it’s less cruel because it kills almost instantly, Lambert added.

Lambert blasted the circuit court for finding that electrocution was unconstitutionally cruel.

In the 1970s when the Legislature last rewrote the state constitution, it included capital punishment, Lambert said. At the time, the only form of execution allowed was electrocution. That shows the legislature clearly intended to allow the electric chair, Lambert argued.

As to its cruelty, Lambert said the experts the inmates’ lawyers called in the trial never proved that someone being electrocuted would feel excruciating pain as their body is essentially cooked rather than being knocked insensate immediately. The inmates’ experts only proved that it was possible, which wasn’t enough to meet their burden of proof, Lambert said.

Blume said the reason the experts could not definitively prove inmates would suffer several seconds of intense pain was because scientists cannot ethically conduct lethal electrocution experiments on humans.

While the definition of cruel hasn’t changed, Blume told the high court, “it’s what we know about electrocution that has changed, and that means you have to reevaluate what’s cruel.”

Blume also asked the court to order the Department of Corrections make more information available to the courts and the inmates about the drug they plan to use to kill the inmates. Currently, the department has only revealed that the drug is pentobarbital and the dosage that they’ll use, citing the Shield Law.

Palmetto Politics

“If too much is disclosed or disclosed in the wrong way, it will thwart the efforts of SCDC moving forward to obtain the drugs, and lethal injection will once again become unavailable,” Lambert warned.

Palmetto Politics

The justices seemed to favor a bit more disclosure.

“Seems to me they don’t want to give you anything. Seems to me, even though you probably won’t acknowledge it, you want everything,” Kittredge told Blume. “Help us with a framework that would be somewhere in between.”

A decision is expected later.

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.

Copyright 2024 WCSC. All rights reserved.

Pizza is that feel-good companion that goes with any time, place, or occasion. The Lowcountry may be known for Southern favorites like shrimp and grits, but there is certainly no shortage of pizza joints serving up irresistible pies. Charlestonians have the luxury of not having to choose a favorite style, as influences from all over the world make up the eclectic pizza scene. New establishments may be the talk of the town, but these 13 mainstays are where to go for a quality slice that’s guaranteed to hit the spot.

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Eater maps are curated by editors and aim to reflect a diversity of neighborhoods, cuisines, and prices. Learn more about our editorial process. If you buy something or book a reservation from an Eater link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics policy.

Grab take-out or delivery from this North Charleston establishment. Choose from one of the many creations like the pepperoni and pineapple topped Big Z or the barbecue chicken Bird on the Wire. Any pie can be made into a calzone, and the eatery also offers toasted sandwiches and salads.

Each component of this Park Circle parlor’s Neapolitan-style pies is chosen with care, from the bakery-quality dough to the local cheese. EVO’s ingredients are picked from local farms to form masterful combinations like the pancetta, Brussels sprouts, and pear pie. Meat eaters can’t go wrong with the renowned Pork Trifecta made with handmade sausage, bacon, and pepperoni.

Customers can find creative neo-Neapolitan pies out of Renzo, like the classic margherita or the creative Cheli with feta, lamb sausage, pickled peppers, and honey. There’s also non-pizza options like charred broccolini with XO sauce or a crunchy Caesar salad. The wine list is pretty rad too.

2018 Eater Pizza of the Year award winner Melfi’s offers thin and crispy Roman-style pizzas in an elegant atmosphere with white tablecloths. The Stretch Armstrong, an amped-up margherita pie highlighted by a stretchy homemade stracciatella cheese.

This Mount Pleasant eatery uses imported Italian San Marzano tomatoes and mozzarella cheese. Try the standby thin Neapolitan slices or go for the thick, square Sicilian, both of which are topped with the highest quality ingredients.

Welton’s Fine Foods started popping up around the Lowcountry with its naturally leavened, slightly charred pies in 2019, and now it has a home base for its pizza parties at Welton’s Tiny Bakeshop. Most Sundays, owners Zachary and Hannah Welton announce the pizza lineup for the day on Instagram, which usually includes a hot honey and pepperoni pie or a seasonal selection, like a recent green garlic pie.

Philadelphia natives Nick and Ben D’Allesandro wanted D’als to be a casual shop with cold beer and handmade pizza, which is exactly what it has become for the Cannonborough/Elliotborough neighborhood since opening in 2006. Diners can go for a classic meat lovers or head for one of the more unique — and tasty — options like the Beetnick topped with bacon, goat cheese, and golden beets.

In addition to fresh pastas and seasonal starters, King Street Italian restaurant Indaco offers several wood-fired pizzas. Selections range from the classic margherita to a lamb version with ricotta and olives.

Find New York style slices at Slice Co. in West Ashley. One of the few spots to order by the slice, this spot is great for a taste of pure cheese, sauce, and dough. Chef Todd Lucey perfected his pies in Brooklyn, before moving to the Lowcountry.

Hip hotel restaurant Frannie and the Fox offers woof-fired creations in a buzzy atmosphere. The standout pizza is the classic margherita with its perfect portions of flavors, but if a meatier option is required, take a look at the fennel sausage pie with red onion.

The name says it all, as the wood-fired oven is the star forming charred crust and sizzling cheese. The kitchen tops pizzas with locally-sourced ingredients meant for high-heat cooking. Squash and onions caramelize before being finished with truffle oil on one called the Butternut, while five meats roast to perfection to make up the Crustavore.

This lively beach-side getaway is a place for oysters, handmade pastas, and most importantly, pizzas. Most consider the Old Danger a must-get when dining at The Obstinate Daughter — it comes with dots of pancetta and a runny farm egg in the middle that melts throughout the white sauce pizza.

There are multiple Famulari’s Pizzeria locations in the Charleston area, but the James Island one doubles as a brewery offering house brewed beers like the Cup of Clouds New England style IPA. For pizza, find a seemingly endless variety of topping options, from pineapple to pesto to cheese steak.

Mobile kitchen Dough Boyz Pizza has amassed an army of fanatic followers around the Lowcounty. The charred crust and just-thin-enough dough makes for repeat customers. The truck can be found at the Sea Island Farmers Market, various breweries, and sometimes Graft wine shop. The pepperoni and banana pepper pie brings the right amount of spice and tang to satisfy, while the prosciutto pie is an indulgent blanket of ham-y goodness.

Grab take-out or delivery from this North Charleston establishment. Choose from one of the many creations like the pepperoni and pineapple topped Big Z or the barbecue chicken Bird on the Wire. Any pie can be made into a calzone, and the eatery also offers toasted sandwiches and salads.

Each component of this Park Circle parlor’s Neapolitan-style pies is chosen with care, from the bakery-quality dough to the local cheese. EVO’s ingredients are picked from local farms to form masterful combinations like the pancetta, Brussels sprouts, and pear pie. Meat eaters can’t go wrong with the renowned Pork Trifecta made with handmade sausage, bacon, and pepperoni.

Customers can find creative neo-Neapolitan pies out of Renzo, like the classic margherita or the creative Cheli with feta, lamb sausage, pickled peppers, and honey. There’s also non-pizza options like charred broccolini with XO sauce or a crunchy Caesar salad. The wine list is pretty rad too.

2018 Eater Pizza of the Year award winner Melfi’s offers thin and crispy Roman-style pizzas in an elegant atmosphere with white tablecloths. The Stretch Armstrong, an amped-up margherita pie highlighted by a stretchy homemade stracciatella cheese.

This Mount Pleasant eatery uses imported Italian San Marzano tomatoes and mozzarella cheese. Try the standby thin Neapolitan slices or go for the thick, square Sicilian, both of which are topped with the highest quality ingredients.

Welton’s Fine Foods started popping up around the Lowcountry with its naturally leavened, slightly charred pies in 2019, and now it has a home base for its pizza parties at Welton’s Tiny Bakeshop. Most Sundays, owners Zachary and Hannah Welton announce the pizza lineup for the day on Instagram, which usually includes a hot honey and pepperoni pie or a seasonal selection, like a recent green garlic pie.

Philadelphia natives Nick and Ben D’Allesandro wanted D’als to be a casual shop with cold beer and handmade pizza, which is exactly what it has become for the Cannonborough/Elliotborough neighborhood since opening in 2006. Diners can go for a classic meat lovers or head for one of the more unique — and tasty — options like the Beetnick topped with bacon, goat cheese, and golden beets.

In addition to fresh pastas and seasonal starters, King Street Italian restaurant Indaco offers several wood-fired pizzas. Selections range from the classic margherita to a lamb version with ricotta and olives.

Find New York style slices at Slice Co. in West Ashley. One of the few spots to order by the slice, this spot is great for a taste of pure cheese, sauce, and dough. Chef Todd Lucey perfected his pies in Brooklyn, before moving to the Lowcountry.

Hip hotel restaurant Frannie and the Fox offers woof-fired creations in a buzzy atmosphere. The standout pizza is the classic margherita with its perfect portions of flavors, but if a meatier option is required, take a look at the fennel sausage pie with red onion.

The name says it all, as the wood-fired oven is the star forming charred crust and sizzling cheese. The kitchen tops pizzas with locally-sourced ingredients meant for high-heat cooking. Squash and onions caramelize before being finished with truffle oil on one called the Butternut, while five meats roast to perfection to make up the Crustavore.

This lively beach-side getaway is a place for oysters, handmade pastas, and most importantly, pizzas. Most consider the Old Danger a must-get when dining at The Obstinate Daughter — it comes with dots of pancetta and a runny farm egg in the middle that melts throughout the white sauce pizza.

There are multiple Famulari’s Pizzeria locations in the Charleston area, but the James Island one doubles as a brewery offering house brewed beers like the Cup of Clouds New England style IPA. For pizza, find a seemingly endless variety of topping options, from pineapple to pesto to cheese steak.

Mobile kitchen Dough Boyz Pizza has amassed an army of fanatic followers around the Lowcounty. The charred crust and just-thin-enough dough makes for repeat customers. The truck can be found at the Sea Island Farmers Market, various breweries, and sometimes Graft wine shop. The pepperoni and banana pepper pie brings the right amount of spice and tang to satisfy, while the prosciutto pie is an indulgent blanket of ham-y goodness.

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - Charleston County officials held a community meeting with the hope of addressing crimes associated with people who are homeless in West Ashley.

Prompted by community concerns, the Charleston County Sheriff’s Office held the meeting at the Bees Ferry Library Wednesday evening.

Charleston County Sheriff Kristen Graziano opened the meeting by discussing a recent incident involving William Whitfield, a person who resided in the woods along Bees Ferry Road. Mental health officials provided an update on his condition.

READ MORE: Arrests, charges continue for man who lives in trees on Bees Ferry Rd.

“He is flagged in the jail, so if he is about to be released, he’s going to be seen by the mental health team at the jail and evaluated for whether or not he needs to go to the hospital either voluntarily or involuntarily,” William Malcolm, director of mental health, said.

Community members shared their experiences and raised questions about the city and county’s efforts to find solutions.

Some emphasized the need for more support and collaboration.

Aaron Comstock, the founder of Uplift Charleston, a homelessness advocacy group, highlighted some solutions.

“None of this can be solved unless we have more shelters and more affordable housing and housing solutions,” Comstock said.

A West Ashley resident, Olivia Grafton, shared her efforts to help the homeless by cleaning up the community and spending time with those in need.

Elected officials were asked tough questions about their plans to address the issues in the future.

Charleston City Council member Stephen Bowden shared potential solutions.

“We’ve got to do a better job of going to our county partners and going to our state partners and letting them know what the dollar figure is,” Bowden said.

Community members wanted to know the whereabouts of Charleston Mayor William Cogswell during the meeting.

When asked about the meeting, the mayor’s spokesperson Deja Knight McMillan provided the following statement:

The Sheriff did not notify anyone from the Mayor’s office that this meeting was happening. Poor communication will not help us collaborate on solving issues in our city.

Officials and organizers acknowledged that this is a long process and stated they will continue working towards solutions.

Copyright 2024 WCSC. All rights reserved.