Mortgage Broker in Kiawah Island, SC

CHARLESTON COUNTY, S.C. (WCIV) — A controversial development on Kiawah Island is treading water.

Developers of Island Park Place Medical Village said the project will be a mixed-use facility, including medical, health and wellness, that will save people from making long trips to the doctor.

Residents and town officials are working to change the proposal or stop it. Meanwhile, supporters believe it would be a one-stop shop for those not wanting to leave the area for medical care. Still, opponents continue to believe the project is too big and commercial.

"It will destroy wetlands," Louise Bennet said. "It will destroy trees."

Read more: "James Island's Dills Bluff development plan meets resistance: From woodland to townhomes?"

These are only a few of the reasons Bennett is against the project planned just across the way from her business on Betsy Kerrison Parkway.

"It also destroys what's left of Johns Island that is peaceful and rural," Bennett said.

While developers tout the project as a one-stop medical shop, some think the 160,000-square-foot building falls short of that goal. Others said the medical care isn't needed as MUSC and Trident are planning for their projects nearby.

"Only about 60,000 square feet, 40 percent or so, is intended to be devoted to medical-related uses," said Bradley Belt, a member of Kiawah's town council. "The rest is residential, other retail restaurants... There's no requirement that it is actually devoted to medical-related facilities."

Opposition rises against controversial Kiawah Island Park Medical Village (WCIV).

Read more: "Daniel Island townhome development defers second time due to grand oak tree concerns."

Bennett claims there are more viable areas to have a complex, including the central part of the island, where Trident Hospital will be.

An attempt by developers to rezone the area from low-density residential was denied by the Charleston County Planning Commission. That has developers looking to possibly scale back the project.

Meanwhile, an ad in support of the project has appeared on Facebook, seeming to suggest Charleston County Councilman Joe Boykin is in favor of the development. Boykin said he is adamantly opposed to it.

"I am aware that social media ads that utilized my image and words from a past speech were posted on Facebook in an apparent attempt to portray my support for a proposed Medical Health and Wellness Village on lower Betsy Kerrison Boulevard," Boykin said. "It is apparent to me that this was additionally an attempt to influence my constituents to ask me to 'keep my word,' as if I supported this project when the developer knew full well I was adamantly opposed to it.

"Angry constituents contacted me because they believed I supported this project only to learn just the opposite was true. I completely concur with the recommendation of the Charleston County Zoning and Planning staff, the decision of The Charleston County Planning Commission, and the opinions of the majority of the Charleston County voters who shared their views that this Planned Development should be denied."

Read more: "Could more development be coming to Johns Island after the New Year?"

Belt is holding a town hall on Thursday, Jan. 11, to discuss "key issues" impacting Johns Island and the Sea Islands community.

To the news, the development group provided the following statement to News 4.

“Our team has agreed to defer the PWC and first reading until we conduct an additional meeting with members of the community before the next scheduled PWC at Charleston County.”

The letters concerning the development can be read below.

It’s high time you added this Lowcountry destination to your beach bucket list.

Follow winding, oak-shaded roads 25 miles southwest of downtown Charleston's cobblestone streets and celebrated restaurant scene, and you'll find yourself on Kiawah Island. Carved by the Kiawah River on one side and fronting the Atlantic Ocean on the other, the barrier island is a true escape. Here, nature reigns supreme: ten miles of beaches roll out along the Atlantic; cicadas form their own sort of soundtrack; and lights-out is often determined by the sea turtles' nesting season. Even so, there's plenty to do for travelers who like their time in nature punctuated with good food, luxurious creature comforts, and a frozen drink in hand. Here are seven things to do in Kiawah Island, South Carolina.

Stay Like a Local

For access to all of Kiawah's amenities, from bike rentals to pools, you'll have to stay on the island. For an experience that's luxurious but unpretentious, book a room at The Sanctuary, an oceanfront hotel known for its five-star service and elevated onsite dining. For families who want a little room to spread out (or a kitchen), villa and home rentals are a smart choice; reserve through the resort directly, or book through a site like VRBO or Airbnb.

Spend a Day on the Sand

On the west end of the island, Beachwalker Park is Kiawah's only public beach access feels like a hidden gem, thanks to its wide, unspoiled expanses of sand. It offers the best of both worlds: In addition to the ocean frontage, you can also score views of the Kiawah River here.

Hit the Links

Five state-of-the-art golf courses are open to the public. For avid fans of the sport, the Ocean Course alone makes Kiawah worth the trip. Host to two PGA Championships, the 18-hole course is not for the faint of heart. Raised above the dunes to capitalize on the expansive shore views, golfers are also subjected to ocean breezes (which don't make for an easy or predictable trip around the green). Try Cougar Point for marsh views and a slightly less technical experience.

Go for a Cruise

One of the best ways to explore the island is to leave the car in park and take a beach cruiser for a spin (you can reserve them through the resort or bring your own). Between 30 miles of paved trails and 10 miles of hard-packed beach, there's no shortage of routes to explore. Ask for directions to the Marsh View Tower, an observation deck primed for birdwatching and soaking in the marsh and river scenery.

Visit Heron Park Nature Center

The naturalists here will school you in many of the species who call the island home, from bobcats and white-tailed deer to loggerhead sea turtles and American alligators. Sign up for a guided tour, like "Back Island Birding", "Marsh Kayaking," or "Ocean Seining and Beach Combing," or ask for their recommendations for the best nature-spotting places in the area.

Explore Freshfields Village

Built around a lush lawn, Freshfields Village has plenty of restaurants and shops to explore, plus a boutique stay, the Andell Inn. Pick up a beach read at Indigo Books; snag treats for your four-legged friends at Dolittle's; and gear up for island adventures SeaCoast Sports and Outfitters. Start the morning with coffee and a breakfast sandwich from Java Java; settle in for grilled cheese and a milkshake at retro Vincent's Drugstore & Soda Fountain; or cap off the day with a glass of wine at FortyEight Wine Bar and Kitchen. Check their calendar for seasonal events, like summertime's "Music on the Green" concert series and farmer's market.

Venture to Bohicket Marina & Market

Make the short drive to neighboring Seabrook Island for a taste of the area's salty maritime culture. Snag a umbrella-shaded table on the upper deck at Salty Dog Café for fresh catch, a cold beer, and riverfront views of the boats coming and going from the marina.

KIAWAH ISLAND, S.C. (WCSC) - Multiple four-story condominium complexes could be coming to Kiawah Island and residents there want the proposed plans to change.

They have concerns about the potential project on Upper and Lower, or Ocean Pines, Beachwalker Drive and say development on the island should not be rushed.

“The impacts are far-reaching for everyone on Kiawah Island, Johns Island, and people wanting to go to the public beach,” Kiawah resident Lance Spencer said. “The infrastructure costs that the city is going to have to bear and that taxpayers are going to have to bear are significant.”

Homeowners said they aren’t against development, but it needs to be done responsibly and they say what’s been proposed is far from it.

“We’re not naïve, we know the developers have the right to develop, but we just want them to develop more responsibly, meaning less density,” Homeowners Association representative for Kiawah Island Lynda Leffler said. “These two areas that they are trying to develop are the most dense on Kiawah Island.”

Their concerns include an uptick in traffic, stormwater management, and that the complexes won’t fit in with the surrounding communities.

“The additional building and construction that the partners and developers want to do is all just for profit with no consideration to the environment and the sensitivity of the environment to what is best for this community,” Kiawah Island property owner James Caltabiano said. “No consideration, it’s all just for profit.”

The complexes would be in a similar fashion to “The Cape” being built now on the island.

“It’s a monstrosity on the beach next to the county park that people come from all over to enjoy,” Caltabiano said. “Now they have The Cape to look at, and it’s terrible.”

Residents say the process to get this development approved has felt rushed and left little time for community feedback.

“The partners have a development agreement which expires December 4th of this year, so certainly they are trying to get everything approved before then, because in that development agreement they can put four stories on these buildings,” Leffler said. “We know they can do that, we just object to that and we wish they would tone it down to two stories.”

They said a two-story building would fit in with surrounding communities as well as address their other concerns.

“It would have a more positive impact on the environment,” Kiawah Island Cottage Association Board Member Cynthia Hadley said. “The stormwater retention is a huge issue in the sense that we experience more and more flooding as the ocean levels rise and the king tides come in. So, a smaller development is definitely what we’d like to see.”

To view the full proposed plans, click here and scroll down.

Copyright 2023 WCSC. All rights reserved.

Just 25 miles from downtown Charleston, Kiawah and Seabrook islands are the destinations for anyone looking to escape the bustle of the city.

These islands offer so much more than beautiful beaches. They have sports, spas, top restaurants and amazing shopping.

We’ve compiled a guide for tourists and locals drawn to the islands’ natural beauty. Whether you like fine dining or a relaxed day on the golf course or the beach, we have a guide for you.

Explore

The two barrier islands each offer world-class golf courses that have been featured in major sporting events. Anyone looking to live out their professional golf fantasy can find a home at Kiawah Island Golf Resort’s Ocean Course. The resort has twice hosted the PGA Golf Championship, in 2012 and in 2021.

The resort renovated all of its courses in preparation for the 2021 tournament which brought thousands of fans to the island.

Those looking for a golf membership should also consider the Seabrook Island Club. The club’s two courses, Ocean Winds and Crooked Oaks, are open to members, group outings and events.

The two islands aren’t just for golfers; they also feature world-class beaches. Kiawah alone has 10 miles of beaches. The Charleston County Parks and Recreation Commission operates Beachwalker County Park, the only beach on the island open to the public.

Seabrook’s Pelican and North beaches also offer views of the sunset and sunrise, although they are not open to the public. The rest of Kiawah’s beaches are privately owned, so those looking for a longer stay should consider all-access options.

The islands are also a great place to explore Lowcountry wildlife. Those looking to get up close to dolphins should visit the northernmost tip of North Beach during low tide at Seabrook or Captain Sam’s Inlet on Kiawah. Bottlenose dolphins are known to strand-feed there — a technique the dolphins used to trap fish and drive them onto sandbars and shorelines.

This week we sought reader photos that glisten and gleam.

This week’s winner is Herbert M. Schiller who took a photo of the Hungarian Parliament building in Budapest on the Danube River.

Honorable mentions go to Dale Johnson and Ronald Allen Charles. Johnson’s photo captured glowing, floating spheres at Universal Studios. Charles’ photo was of glowing light fixtures at a shop in Venice, Italy.

Next week’s topic is new, so show off your best photos of new things or new beginnings in honor of the new year.

The rules: Send your best photo to yourphotos@postandcourier.com by noon Thursday. Include your name, town and where the photo was taken. Add your name and the topic to the file. If you want your photo to be eligible to run in the newspaper, it must be at least 1,500 pixels, not have a commercial watermark and not have been published in another publication.

On Fridays, we first announce the editors’ pick of the week at postandcourier.com/yourphotos and declare a topic for the next week. On Saturdays, we publish an online gallery.

On Sunday, the photo pick of the week will appear in this section, Life.

All photos submitted will be considered for publication in The Post and Courier’s yearly magazine, My Charleston. Some images may be selected for other editorial or noncommercial use.

We reserve the right to not publish any photo for any reason.

Get a weekly list of tips on pop-ups, last minute tickets and little-known experiences hand-selected by our newsroom in your inbox each Thursday.

One of South Carolina's favorite spots along the coast has been ranked among the top 10 beaches in the country.

Kiawah Island's Beachwalker Park in Charleston County is listed as No. 8 on the 2023 list of best U.S. beaches released this week by “Dr. Beach,” aka coastal scientist Stephen Leatherman.

(Above video is the Friday morning headlines.)

The pristine beach is on the west end of Kiawah Island, and gives visitors ocean and river views, according to the Charleston County Parks website.

Charleston County Parks

Beachwalker is also the only public beach access on Kiawah Island, which is a 45-minute drive south of Charleston between Folly and Edisto beaches.

The park is operated through a cooperative agreement among Kiawah Development Partners, Charleston County Council, and the Charleston County Park & Recreation Commission.

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North Carolina's Lighthouse Beach, in Buxton on the Outer Banks, came in at No. 5 on the list.

Located along Highway 12, Lighthouse Beach is about a six-hour drive from Myrtle Beach.

National Parks Service

Once the site of the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, the beach is convenient and renowned for its good shelling and great waves, according to the National Parks Service.

Florida’s St. George Island State Park earned the top slot on the best beach list.

The barrier island park offers nine miles of pristine beaches along the Gulf Coast.

With nature trails for biking and hiking, plus birding, fishing, boating and camping, St. George offers excellent swimming and sunbathing and is also a prime spot for stargazing with limited light pollution, the list says.

Leatherman has been ranking America’s best beaches since 1991.

He uses 50 criteria to evaluate hundreds of public beaches in the United States. The criteria include beach width, sand softness, water temperature and color, wildlife and more.

Half of the top 10 beaches in the United States for 2023 are in Florida and Hawaii.

None of Florida’s Atlantic beaches appear in the 2023 top 10; Leatherman pointed out that the Atlantic coastline is being affected this year by sargassum seaweed.

Top 10 U.S. Beaches for 2023