Mortgage Broker in Johns Island, SC

Three new places to grab a meal on the go or dine in are opening across the Charleston area over the next week or so and another plans to open by the end of January.

In Mount Pleasant, a Pawleys Island-based business wants customers literally to “get carried away” over a dining venue opening soon.

Get Carried Away, with its well-known Palmetto Cheese pimento cheese brand, will roll into the former Wild Wings Cafe space in Moultrie Plaza Shopping Center at 644 Coleman Blvd. tentatively on Jan. 11 with a soft opening, according to owner Brian Henry.

The cafe and market is awaiting one final inspection before it opens, according to David O’Donnell, part of the management staff overseeing final details. Stocking is expected to take place over the weekend.

The outside area, called The Perch, will be open for casual eating and drinking and will offer full service in late winter or early spring.

The site’s prepared to-go food offerings include Lowcountry boils, tomato pies, chicken salad, 18 different casseroles, dips, spreads, appetizers, pies, grab-and-go items, sandwiches, salads, soups, daily specials, steaks, chicken, pork, seafood, bread and everyday grocery items such as milk, eggs, butter and produce, craft beer and wine.

Hours will be 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday through Saturday. When The Perch opens with full service, the business will be open until 9 p.m. Henry also is considering opening on Sundays during the summer.

On the way

On Johns Island, a proposed mixed-used development includes dining and shopping venues, office space, residences and a hotel.

Developer New Leaf Builders wants to build three restaurants totaling 8,500 square feet, a 2,450-square-foot retail area, 7,500-square-foot office building, a 55,000-square-foot hotel and 65 residential units at 2935 Maybank Highway in a new development called Jubilee.

Business

The 13.3-acre site sits behind property owned by Church of God of Prophecy and extends to Cane Slash Road. It is near Wildts Battery Boulevard.

The developer is asking the city to review the planned unit development before it is submitted to the Planning Commission.

Landing soon

In North Charleston, the long-awaited Chick-fil-A restaurant at Charleston International Airport will open soon after a monthlong delay from the originally scheduled opening date in early December.

The fast-food venue is set for a soft opening on Jan. 11 before a ribbon-cutting ceremony takes place at 11:30 a.m. Jan. 18 for the official launch.

The new restaurant is unique at CHS because it provides access to ticketed passengers and non-ticketed visitors and airport workers. The main service counter is on the post-security side of the terminal while a service window will be available on the pre-security side in the Central Hall area under the dome.

Now serving

In Nexton near Summerville, Page’s Okra Grill has begun serving to-go items only at its newly built restaurant at 142 Brighton Park Blvd.

The dining room, located near the former food truck site off Rose Drive, is not open yet to the public while employees undergo training, according to the restaurant’s Facebook posting. In-house dining is expected to begin over the next week or so.

With its main operation on Coleman Boulevard in Mount Pleasant, Page’s also has a food truck in Moncks Corner and operates Hushpuppies Seafood Co. on North Main Street in Summerville.

Coming soon

A new hamburger-focused restaurant will open soon in North Charleston.

Smashley’s Burger Bar plans to open in late January at 5401 Netherby Lane, between Urban Nirvana and Accent on Wine off Dorchester Road.

Owners Victor and Ashley Valdivieso, who also have Victor’s Lab food truck, will offer several differently prepared all-beef burgers, chicken items, vegetarian offerings, zucchini chips, fried cauliflower, Latin fries, empanadas and various rice bowls. Beer, seltzers, ciders, soft drinks and tea also will be available.

Hours will be 11 a.m.-2 p.m. and 5 p.m.-9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, until 10 p.m. Friday, and 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Saturday. The restaurant will be closed on Sunday.

What’s cooking?

A bakery that’s been in the works for a couple of years is making its way through the city of Charleston review process again.

Mae’s Sweets With Soul wants to build a single-story building with a drive-thru on a 1.83-acre site at 3919 Savannah Highway, east of Rantowles Creek.

Real Estate

Owner Lillie M. Smalls first presented plans to the city in August 2022. A planning department committee recently considered the proposal but asked that the plans be revised and returned.

Cleaning up

Another new car-cleaning business recently opened in the Charleston area.

Tommy’s Express Car Wash can be found at 3680 Ashley Phosphate Road in North Charleston. One other location is coming to the city near Tanger Outlets, while three will be located in the Summerville area: at 1509 Trolley Road, 1319 N. Main St. and 1581 Central Ave., according to the company’s website.

JOHNS ISLAND, S.C. (WCSC) - Those who live on or travel through Johns Island say they have mixed feelings about a new road designed to connect Maybank Highway to two other roadways.

Work is continuing on what is called the Northern Pitchfork, which will connect Maybank Highway to Fenwick Hall Allee and River Road. That work will require lane closures from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Friday on Maybank Highway at River Road.

Some residents are hopeful it can be part of a solution for what they say is horrendous traffic but others say it’s just a Band-Aid on a bullet wound.

There is also frustration surrounding the daytime lane closures for Friday, as residents believe it will be a nightmare, and the work should be done overnight instead.

Charleston County Construction Project Manager Sheila Parker said this has to get done in a specific window of time and they don’t want project delays. The new road is something the city and county have been working on bringing to life for years, with the goal of alleviating congestion and moving traffic along on the island.

“People coming off of James Island onto Johns Island using the Maybank Highway corridor will be able to take the Northern Pitchfork road and kind of bypass the Maybank Highway and River Road traffic light,” Parker explained

Byhira Thorn, who frequents the island often, said she thinks the new road will cause confusion for drivers, and it’s not addressing the root issue.

“I think another lane in general needs to be added,” Thorn said. “I mean, they did it with the bridge which was awesome, but they need to do it with the island. The island itself all around, roads need to be doubled for sure.”

Johns Island resident Kristin Nolan said she hopes this will help, but wishes it was done sooner.

“First of all, I think they should have thought about this before all of the building that went on and the extra light that was put here,” Nolan said. “I feel bad for people that go to James Island in the morning if Maybank and River are backed up for miles.”

Earlier this month, Charleston leaders said they are working on a $30-million project to improve traffic on Johns Island, part of which includes widening Maybank Highway to four lanes from River Road to the Stono River Bridge. But funding for that has yet to be nailed down and those plans are years away.

The construction on Friday is weather-dependent and drivers are asked to use caution while driving through the area.

Copyright 2023 WCSC. All rights reserved.

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - Officials with the city of Charleston and Charleston County have announced a plan to address traffic concerns on Johns Island.

Charleston Mayor John Tecklenburg said the plan is the result of collaboration between the city of Charleston and Charleston County and will tackle traffic flow problems at the intersection of Maybank Highway and River Road, portions of Maybank Highway and the northern and southern Pitchforks, Tecklenburg said.

“Traffic congestion has been a huge issue coming and going on Johns Island,” he said. “And it was accentuated when that traffic light got added down the street. And everyone came to the realization that we needed to go back and rethink what got done six or seven years ago, what’s been done since then and what can we do collectively and collaboratively to make it better and make improvements.”

The city and county laid out the main points of the plan:

“Pitchforks” means two new roads that will branch off of Maybank towards River.

“The current cost estimate sits somewhere between $25 and $30 million to do all of this,” Charleston County Councilmember Joe Boykin said.

Tecklenburg said the money will come from future sales tax and Department of Transportation funding and once permitted, will apply for federal funding.

The full construction funding will have to be identified and approved by both city and county councils, according to Tecklenburg.

The first goal for short-term, interim improvements to Maybank Highway are expected to be complete in the first quarter of 2024, Tecklenburg said.

Robby Lingenfelter who works on Johns Island said he’s hopeful about the project but still frustrated.

“They say that the northern pitchfork will be completed by the first quarter of 2024, that’s good,” he said. “Southern pitchfork they said will take years, so we’re still five to ten years from alleviating the issues we have now.”

He said the city and county have been meeting since June to address the traffic issues on Johns Island.

“It’s going to happen. We are committed to making that happen,” Tecklenburg said.

Some locals question the mayor’s timing.

“Hearing this press conference that is happening five days before an election, can’t help but notice that a lot of this was conceptual and funding for a lot of this isn’t even secured,” Logan Mcvey said. “So, this seems like more talk and a lot more traffic just sitting and waiting on stuff to happen.”

Tecklenburg’s response was that they needed enough vetting through engineers and design teams before the plans could be presented.

Charleston County Council member Jenny Huneycutt, Charleston City Council member Karl Brady and the city’s planning and traffic directors also attended the news conference.

WATCH THE CHARLESTON LEADERS ANNOUNCE THE JOHNS ISLAND TRAFFIC IMPROVEMENT PLAN BELOW

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

Copyright 2023 WCSC. All rights reserved.

JOHNS ISLAND, S.C. (WCSC) - Charleston County held a public hearing Tuesday night to discuss and hear from anyone interested in the development of a large medical village on Johns Island.

The planned development, located between 4357 and 4365 Betsy Kerrison Parkway, called the Island Park Medical Village would take up more than 17 acres.

The medical village has been a topic among residents of the islands for months now with polarizing opinions supporting and against the development.

More than 30 people spoke during public comment and hundreds of letters were sent to the council in opposition.

RELATED: Neighbor worried about proposed development on Johns Island

Developers are requesting to rezone the land from low-density residential to large-scale medical office park with almost 160,000 maximum square feet of business space.

The medical village was proposed to Charleston County Planning Commission Members back on November 13 with all 7 members denying the zoning request.

Tuesday night, the questions raised included what types of medical options and concerns about traffic.

“We do agree that we need medical facilities, that we do need access,” Long-time Johns Island Resident, Tamara Butler, says. “My question is just what kinds of medical facilities are going to be there and what services are going to be provided.”

Almost 900 property owners on Kiawah Island were surveyed with 80% saying they are against the medical village and think the size of the project is too large.

“In this particular instance, the site of it, the location, the scope and the scale, feels out of character with the area of the island,” Lowcountry Land Trust President Ashley Demosthenes says.

However some community members want the development, sharing why the area needs accessible medical facilities closer to their homes.

“We lack health care. So, this project, the wellness village, actually helps alleviate a lot of that for us because now we’re going to go in a different direction,” Long-time Johns Island Resident, Jim Hart, says.

Developers say they have held meetings to hear from the community about what they want out of the project, and have reduced the project’s size by 25%.

“We care about the community. All we want to do is to provide a development that meets the needs of the people, to curtail the traffic and to allow people to have a choice,” project developer Jill Skerchek says.

With no action being taken, the developers will present the plan again in two weeks to the county council with any possible changes they make in the meantime.

Copyright 2023 WCSC. All rights reserved.

JOHNS ISLAND, S.C. (WCIV) — It started as an island paradise, but residents at a Johns Island apartment complex say their home now resembles the woods.

The residents of Sea Island Apartments, which houses about 48 people off Maybank Highway, are speaking out against what they describe as "deplorable" conditions.

Read more: One80 Place launches eviction prevention line to support Charleston renters

"We have seen grass grow almost knee and chest high," said Farley, a disabled military veteran who has been living in the complex for six years. "You see fallen trees in the area, people not receiving maintenance, and overloaded trash bin."

In addition to the overgrown vegetation, the residents are concerned about random visits from wildlife. They say it seems management has slacked off and there's been little to no communication.

"You're forced to pay rent on time, but still, your issues are going unaddressed," Farley said. "We'll reach out to management and they haven't meet with us. Every time, they change management or owners. Nobody has contact to it."

It started as an island paradise, but residents at a Johns Island apartment complex say their home now resembles the woods. (WCIV)

There is also only one trashcan in the entire community and a small number of parking spaces.

"You have disabled people having to walk all the way down to one trash bin," Farley said. "There are not enough handicap parking spots. (Management) told us we'd have to park on the side of the road if there are no parking spaces."

"It's time we be up to date, as we were before," said Charlotte Turner, who has been living in the complex for 10 years. "Management needs to show a serious concern about resident complaints, at least be willing to meet or communicate."

Read more: Mayor Tecklenburg to host ribbon cutting for six new affordable housing properties in Charleston

A councilman was reached for comment on this area, but he was unable to conduct an interview due to prior commitments. A representative from the Charleston Development Group was also reached for comment.