Hair Salon inNorth Charleston, SC

NORTH CHARLESTON — A decades-old deed restriction hinders the kinds of businesses, namely a grocery store, that can be included in a multimillion-dollar mixed-use project at Centre Pointe near the Tanger Outlets.

Lenn Jewel is with RealtyLink, the firm developing the Uptown North Charleston project along International and Tanger Outlet Boulevards. The development calls for a Topgolf entertainment venue, a 300-unit apartment building, two hotels, two parking garages, a coffee shop, several restaurants and office space.

Jewel said at the April 11 North Charleston Planning Commission meeting that Walmart at Centre Pointe had a restriction put in place about two decades ago when the Centre Pointe area opened to limit a grocery store from being constructed nearby.

“They had a list of what they consider primary uses and that’s why there’s no gas station, there’s no grocery store, no drug store and no department store greater than 35,000 square feet unless it’s part of the original (plan) 20 years ago,” Jewel said.

Conversation about the grocery store restriction took place as the city’s Planning Commission recommended approval for rezoning 125 acres along International and Tanger Outlet Boulevards for the Uptown project from commercial redevelopment to planned development. City Council will make the final decision for the rezoning, which would pave the way for a number of variances needed for the project, given its density and height.

It was initially unclear as to whether the new zoning would also hinder the kinds of businesses that could be established at Uptown, including grocery stores, wholesale clubs, department stores, pharmacies, discount stores and gas stations. Jewel clarified by saying the prohibitions have nothing to do with the zoning of the properties, but rather with the agreement made when Centre Pointe was being planned decades ago.

Walmart’s grocery store restriction applies to several hundred acres of land near International and Tanger Outlet boulevards, including the 125 acres where developers are constructing the Uptown North Charleston project.

Walmart is about a mile from the the incoming Uptown development, serving as the site’s closest grocer.

Farther south, the city has tried to draw a supplier of food and fresh vegetables.

Much of the city’s southern end along Rivers Avenue has been federally designated as a “food desert” due to the lack of a grocery stores nearby. The city years ago tried to draw a store to the old Shipwatch Square Shopping Center, but those efforts fell through. Charleston County is currently building a social services building on part of the Shipwatch land.

Planning Commissioner Matt Brady was the only commissioner to inquire about the grocery store restriction during the meeting.

Brady said he wanted clarification about the prohibition because he understands the city has been working for years to attract a variety of grocers to North Charleston. Though Walmart might fill that void for the Centre Pointe area, a variety of stores is beneficial for residents throughout the city, Brady said.

A few miles east of the Uptown project is the Park Circle community, where Brady lives. He said there’s a desire in Park Circle for more healthy food options. Park Circle abuts Liberty Hill, a historically African American community that could also benefit from a grocery store in the area, Brady said.

“My neighbors all want access to a wider variety of full-service grocers,” he said.

Brady said the development of Uptown’s multifamily units, entertainment venues and commercial properties could possibly draw a supermarket to the area wherever one is allowed.

“I think with the growth coming from Park Circle and from Uptown, that eventually the market dynamics will shake out to where a grocer will want to locate somewhere in that area,” he said.

Mayor Keith Summey said a grocery store would be more ideal if it were located near Park Circle or on the southern end. He noted the small residential population in the Centre Pointe area.

“I think that is not a good location for a grocery store,” he said. The residential component in that area is minuscule.”

The Uptown development, which Jewel valued at over $200 million, gained traction last year when the Army Corps of Engineers gave approval to fill more than 20 acres of wetlands on the site and to offset the loss by acquiring 780 acres in Berkeley and Dorchester counties for mitigation.

In addition to addressing environmental concerns, engineers for the project said the plan also keeps in mind the need to address traffic along an often-congested commercial corridor that houses the city’s Coliseum and Performing Arts Center, and several hotels.

Uptown engineers performed a traffic study of the roads and intersections near the project, including International Boulevard, West Montague and the Interstate 526/International Boulevard ramps, said Reveer Group project manager and civil engineer West Mauney.

The project team recommended roadway improvements including a new signalized intersection off International Boulevard across from the coliseum, and a new road that connects Centre Pointe Drive and Tanger Outlet Boulevard, Mauney said.

“The traffic study concluded that the surrounding intersections will operate at an acceptable level of service as defined by the S.C. Department of Transportation,” he said.

Season tickets for the 2022-2023 North Charleston POPS! season are on sale NOW. Concerts for the North Charleston POPS! 2022-2023 season previously announced in April. The season features something for everyone. The shows are: LaKisha Jones: QUEENS OF ROCK & SOUL on Saturday, September 24; STAR SPANGLED EVENING on Saturday, November 12; DANCE PARTY on Saturday, January 28; MAESTRO NICK'S PICKS on Saturday, March 25; and SUPER HEROES on Saturday, April 29. All performances are at the North Charleston Performing Arts Center. Show time for all concerts is 7:30 PM. The season is sponsored by The Boeing Company.

New season tickets are on sale NOW. To purchase season tickets go to www.NorthCharlestonColiseumPAC.com or www.NorthCharlestonPOPS.com. To purchase by phone, call 843-202- ARTS (2787). Single show tickets will go on sale at a later date.

"Wow do we have some super fun music for you next season!" said Nick Palmer, North Charleston POPS! Conductor and Music Director. "Audience members will certainly remember the amazing singing of LaKisha Jones, opening our season with a superb program featuring songs from Diana Ross, Donna Summer, Tina Turner and Aretha Franklin. POPS! favorite Rich Ridenour will be returning in November, this time to the podium, for a patriotic program loaded with his signature wit and the added talents of the School of the Arts Chorus. We open 2023 with Dance Party: just about every kind of dance you can imagine performed by your hometown orchestra, followed by Maestro Nick's Picks. I can't wait for this one... our greatest hits from the last 10 years of the Pops plus my personal favorites. The season will conclude with an exciting program of music from Super Heroes including Iron Man, Jurassic Park, Black Panther, Pirates of the Caribbean, Harry Potter and The Avengers. Let us reserve your seats!"

Season ticket packages start at only $90. In addition to having the same seats for all performances, North Charleston POPS! season ticket holders enjoy many other benefits such as free parking, priority access to tickets for select Coliseum & Performing Arts Center events before they go on public sale and special discounts & offers not available to the general public.

The North Charleston POPS! made their concert debut on June 26, 2012 at the North Charleston Coliseum to back up legendary musical group Earth, Wind and Fire when they made a stop in the Lowcountry as part of their "Guiding Lights" tour and to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the City of North Charleston. Members of the North Charleston POPS! have performed with such national touring Broadway shows as WICKED, MARY POPPINS, CHICAGO, PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, THE BOOK OF MORMON and BEAUTIFUL THE Carole King MUSICAL during their engagements at the North Charleston Performing Arts Center.

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - A Coast Guardsmen jumped into action to help an injured boater after a vessel crashed into a seawall near the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center on the Cooper River in North Charleston.

The crash happened at around 9:30 p.m. on Friday.

“I was outside playing a game of corn hole with some of my fellow classmates when we heard a boat coming by and a loud crash,” Petty Officer 2nd Class Clifford Marshall said.

Marshall is currently a student at the training center and is based out of St. Louis.

He said once he heard the crash, he saw the boat up against the seawall and ran inside to tell his superiors to call base security and to call 9-1-1 for help.

He then ran toward the seawall and shimmied for several minutes on the rusted seawall, cutting his hands in the process, to reach the spot where the boat was, being the first person on the scene.

“My hands were about eye high on me,” Marshall said. “My feet were on a knife-edge, and I just had to walk sideways on it for about 100 yards to get out there.”

Once he got there, he said he made sure the boater was the only one on board and assessed the person’s injuries before help arrived.

“After doing some of that, I signaled to the fire boat that was coming in the area where I was at, announced myself as U.S. Coast Guard, told them I was there to help,” Marshall said. “Then, I began assisting them putting the individual onto the backboard and moving them from that vessel onto their vessel after we had to move some of the damage from the boat there.”

Coast Guard Lt. Nathan Ryan, an instructor at the training center, said Marshall’s actions are part of what the military branch stands for.

“The Coast Guard’s motto is Semper Paratus, always ready, and I believe that Petty Officer Marshall’s actions were indicative of that motto,” Ryan said. “We’re always ready. We rely on our training and our instincts that we’ve gathered from that.”

Marshall has since gotten tetanus shots for his cuts, but that doesn’t matter to him -- only that a person in trouble needed help.

“I don’t think anyone else wouldn’t have done that as well if they had that opportunity. Just did my best,” Marshall said.

The petty officer said he was in the right place at the right time and just a Coast Guardsmen doing his duty.

Authorities said the boater suffered significant injuries and was transported to MUSC.

The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources is continuing to investigate the crash.

Copyright 2022 WCSC. All rights reserved.

Food trucks have become a key part of Charleston’s food and beverage industry, but it hasn’t always been that way.

Roti Rolls co-owner Cory Burke recalls being one of just four Charleston trucks when he hit the road with favorites like the “Mother Clucker” and “Thurman Murman” in 2010. That’s why he decided to launch the Charleston Food Truck Festival, which will return for an 11th time in May.

With 35 food trucks, almost 20 retail vendors and a new North Charleston venue, Burke hopes to build on the momentum from the 2021 festival that was held in the spring for the first time.

“Last year, I couldn’t even believe the turnout,” said Burke, describing the 2021 two-day festival that brought 18,000 people to North Charleston’s Riverfront Park. “It was one of the best vibes we’ve ever had. Everyone was in it together, and I think there’s always been a camaraderie (between) the trucks.”

This year, A Peace of Soul Vegan Kitchen, The Motley Chew, Bangin’ Vegan Eats, & Lobster, Area 51 Foods, La’Son Anchor Grill, Lola’s Lumpia and many more will set up shop in the Tanger Outlets parking lot (4840 Tanger Outlet Blvd.) in North Charleston. The free event will take place from noon-8 p.m. May 21 and 22.

And moving forward, Burke says the festival will be biannual, with the fall fest scheduled for Oct. 22-23. Making the festival free enhances sales opportunities for the trucks, Burke said.

“We started this as food trucks to support food trucks, and the biggest way for us to support food trucks is to not charge admission,” he said.

Since its 2010 debut, Roti Rolls has expanded to Atlanta, where Burke operates another Roti Rolls food truck, mobile bar and brewpub called Best End Brewing Co. With these new spin-offs, Burke is continuing to prove that food trucks can be thriving ventures long-term alongside business partner Alton Ankersen.

They hope the Charleston Food Truck Festival helps newer trucks grow their brand locally.

Last year’s festival was the first time & Lobster owner Rob Cassi, who debuted his New England-inspired truck in 2020, had participated in an event of that size and stature. He’s since added more festivals to the truck’s schedule, shortening his menu for the high-volume events to feature & Lobster’s specialties: Lobster, crab and shrimp rolls, which will be available at the Charleston Food Truck Festival.

For Cassi, the best part of popping up at festivals is the chance to converse and collaborate with other food truck owners.

“The truck community is really cool to be a part of, and it is honestly refreshing to work alongside other great owners,” Cassi said. “I love these festivals because we’re generally all of a mindset that we want everyone to succeed.”

Beverage tents will be stationed throughout the outdoor venue, and vendors will even swing by individual food trucks to serve patrons who are waiting in line; although Cassi says customers won’t have to worry about waiting in line at & Lobster.

“We don’t want to keep people waiting in line,” he said. “I try to keep our wait time to order at a minute and then serving our food to less than 5 minutes.”

For more information on the Charleston Food Truck Festival, go to chsfoodtruckfestival.com.

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - The Charleston County School District confirmed Tuesday it has placed a newly-promoted principal on administrative leave.

Carolyn Anderson, the principal of Septima P. Clark Academy was placed on leave pending an investigation, district spokesman Andy Pruitt said Tuesday.

However, because it is “a personnel issue,” Pruitt said the district declined to reveal what is being investigated.

READ MORE: Charleston principal now on leave was promoted despite active investigation

Anderson was promoted to the principal position on Friday after serving as interim principal of the school since the beginning of the school year. Throughout her career, she held positions at a number of other Charleston County School District schools.

The district says the decision to place her on administrative leave has nothing to do with fights at her school reported Monday.

District officials said multiple fights placed the school on “hold” for a time Monday afternoon. Charleston County deputies helped bring the fights under control. It was not immediately clear whether anyone was seriously injured or how many students were involved. The district would respond to the incidents per its discipline protocol, Pruitt said.

Anderson began her career in the district in 1989 at Burke High School as a teacher assistant, according to a release. She later served as a Career and Technical Education teacher for several years before joining the staff at Brentwood Middle School in North Charleston as an Advancement via Individual Determination teacher.

In 2009, she joined Morningside Middle School as a leadership teacher where she designed a curriculum around character and leadership skills. Two years later, she became an assistant administrator at the district’s Sixth Grade Academy at the Ron McNair campus before taking a position as a career and technology teacher at Jerry Zucker Middle School.

She became an assistant principal at North Charleston High School in 2017.

She holds a Bachelor of Science in Marketing from South Carolina State University, a Master of Business Administration from Webster University, and a Master of Education in Secondary Administration and Supervision from Charleston Southern University.

Anderson has also served as a South Carolina Teacher Mentor from 2008 to 2017 and is the founder and director of Anderson Alpha Angels, LLC, an all-girls’ elementary, middle and high school team program designed to cultivate the personal strengths of young women through stepping, the district’s release states.

Copyright 2022 WCSC. All rights reserved.