Mortgage Broker in North Charleston, SC

North Charleston has halted work on a onetime budget hotel after building officials learned the owner was converting the guest rooms into apartments without checking in first with the city.

The gray, six-story former Charleston Grand Hotel at 3640 Dorchester Road, just off Interstate 26, is now vacant.

The property was sold in early 2022 for $4 million to Lakewood, N.J.-based CG21 LLC, which also listed a Myrtle Beach address in public land and bank records.

After the sale, a sign on the door stated that the economy hotel was closed for a renovation project that would convert the guest rooms into apartments.

Those plans were neither filed with nor approved by the city, which issued a “stop-work” order after discovering that construction was underway.

According to the city, the building owner was told that in order to proceed with the project it needed to apply for the necessary permits. Also, inspections would be required to convert the structure from a hospitality use to a residential use.

CG21 could not be reached for comment.

North Charleston building official Darbis Briggman said inspections have determined that a significant amount of work would be needed to bring the property up to code before the units could be rented as apartments.

“The use of the building changes what we look for,” Briggman said. “For example, think of how much more water and sewer usage there is for an apartment complex compared to a hotel. Can the system handle that water usage at all hours of the day? What if there’s a kitchen fire in a building with no sprinklers?”

He said the owner should have hired a professional to draw up plans and consult with the city as to what inspections, upgrades, permits or zoning requests were needed.

Briggman added that hotels across the country are “thinking outside of the box” and looking at apartment conversions to generate a steadier revenue stream or repurpose aging buildings.

The previous owner of the Charleston Grand property and past potential buyers had explored the idea of converting the rooms into affordable housing, but those plans never materialized.

Briggman said the representatives of the property owner recently told the city that the apartment deal has been abandoned and that the plan now is to reopen the building as a hotel.

The company will need to reapply for a business license and a building code inspection, he added.

“There is a process to ensure it is up to code, and we will walk through the building again to make sure it’s taken care of before it comes back online as a hotel,” Briggman said. “It’s our job to ensure that anyone who stays there can feel comfortable and safe.”

In addition to the unauthorized renovations, CG21 is being sued for alleged breach of contract by a restaurant that leased space in the hotel.

In the early 1980s, a Howard Johnson Inn operated on the Dorchester Road property. It was replaced by Clarion Inn & Suites around 2008, and the name was changed again less than a decade later to Charleston Grand Hotel.

Rep. Marvin Pendarvis says it takes legislation a while to make its way through the system and admits it would be a huge undertaking to create a separate school

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - The lawmaker who filed a bill in the spring to remove North Charleston schools from the county district and create a new district, says that bill is still alive and will be discussed in the upcoming session. In the meantime, he and the leaders he has talked to hope to work with district leadership to remedy their concerns that led to the bill.

District 113 Rep. Marvin Pendarvis says it takes legislation a while to make its way through the system and admits it would be a huge undertaking to create a separate school district. He says the bill is alive, for now.

“It’s sitting in committee. I believe it was sent to the Charleston delegation for us to consider there hasn’t been much movement,” Pendarvis says.

Related: SC lawmaker files bill to establish North Charleston School District

Pendarvis, and North Charleston leaders, Mayor Keith Summey and council members said at the time, the desire to leave the district came from the district underfunding and failing North Charleston. The district responded with its analysis of the situation, in part including the following:

North Charleston’s schools currently account for 30.32% of the District’s total student population yet receive approximately 35.6% of funds allocated for schools. In addition, the average budgeted per-pupil allocation in FY2023 for North Charleston schools was $16,645.18 compared to that for all other CCSD schools at $14,171.06; isolating North Charleston’s schools served through Acceleration Schools boasts a $19,532.61 per pupil allocation.

In June, the Charleston County School District announced the hiring of Superintendent Dr. Eric Gallien to take over from interim Superintendent Don Kennedy. Pendarvis says since filing the bill, he’s been in contact with the district and city leaders.

“I’ve had conversations with the previous since the previous superintendent. I also got a chance to introduce myself and have an initial conversation with the current and new superintendent. And so I’m optimistic that there will be some momentum as to how we address the underlying needs that the bill was attempting to highlight,” Pendarvis says.

Pendarvis says that while the bill is still very much in play, he considers the new leadership to be an opportunity for a new start and new solutions to the concerns that prompted the bill.

“I would like to see a detailed plan for how the district is going to ensure that North Charleston stew, schools and students are serviced in a way that’s necessary and in the best way possible. I’m looking at as we’re starting straight from scratch. While the board is still the same, there’s new leadership within the district and I think it’s important for them to understand some of the things that we’ve been trying to work to address as relates to educational funding,” Pendarvis says.

Pendarvis says following the budget decisions made for the upcoming year, it is encouraging to see certain investments. For example, the district redirected funds from other lower-priority projects, to make improvements to the Stall High School Athletic and Garrett Athletic facilities in North Charleston.

But, Pendarvis says that’s only a first step and he’s hoping to see more investment in North Charleston.

“Everyone who I’ve had a conversation with is in support of ensuring that we do something to address the issues that exist within North Charleston schools. I’ve had conversations with school leadership, some members of the school board and even community leaders who have reached out and really have been supportive not only of the conversation that we’re trying to start, but also want to see some momentum on the bill,” Pendarvis says.

Pendarvis says further action on the bill depends on the planning he and his constituents see from the district this year.

Related: Superintendent addresses N. Charleston wanting to break away from district

The Charleston County School District provided the following statement when asked if they had a comment about the status of the bill ahead of the new school year:

Charleston County School District remains committed to providing educational opportunities for all children, including those in North Charleston and other traditionally underserved areas of our community. During his first 100 days in the role, CCSD’s new superintendent, Dr. Eric Gallien, is committed to listening and learning more about the Charleston community while leading CCSD.

He looks forward to working with the City of North Charleston and to continued collaboration and a commitment to equitable opportunities and resources.

Copyright 2023 WCSC. All rights reserved.

ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--WestRock Company (NYSE: WRK) today announced it will permanently cease operating its paper mill in North Charleston, South Carolina, on August 31, 2023.

“WestRock and its predecessor companies have had a long history in the region operating the North Charleston mill, and the contributions of the team members over the years have been greatly appreciated,” said David B. Sewell, chief executive officer at WestRock. “The decision to close a facility and impact the lives of our team members is never easy, and we are committed to assisting our North Charleston team with exploring roles at other WestRock locations and outplacement assistance.”

The North Charleston mill produces containerboard, uncoated kraft paper (KraftPak^®), and unbleached saturating kraft paper (DuraSorb^®), with a combined annual capacity of 550,000 tons. Containerboard and uncoated kraft currently produced at the mill will be manufactured at other WestRock facilities. The Company intends to exit the unbleached saturating kraft paper business when the mill shutdown is completed.

WestRock is committed to improving its return on invested capital as well as maximizing the performance of its assets. The combination of high operating costs and the need for significant capital investment were the determining factors in the decision to cease operations at the mill.

The North Charleston mill employs approximately 500 people. Employees will receive severance and outplacement assistance in accordance with WestRock policy and labor union agreements.

About WestRock

WestRock (NYSE: WRK) is a global leader in sustainable paper and packaging solutions, with more than 58,000 teammates in the Americas, Europe and Asia-Pacific. Our integrated packaging capabilities offer end-to-end solutions to help customers address their greatest challenges.

Forward-looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are based on our current expectations, beliefs, plans or forecasts and are typically identified by words or phrases such as “may,” “will,” “could,” “should,” “would,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “expect,” “project,” “intend,” “plan,” “believe,” “target,” “prospects,” “potential” and “forecast,” and other words, terms and phrases of similar meaning. Forward looking statements involve estimates, expectations, projections, goals, forecasts, assumptions, risks and uncertainties. We caution readers that forward-looking statements are not a guarantee of future performance and that actual results could differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements. Our businesses are subject to a number of general risks that could affect any such forward-looking statements. These risks are described in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including in Item 1A under the caption “Risk Factors” in our annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended September 30, 2022.

Contacts

Media:

Senior Manager, Corporate Communications robby.b.johnson@westrock.com

Investors: Rob Quartaro, 470-328-6979 Senior Vice President, Investor Relations robert.quartaro@westrock.com

North Charleston may soon have a grand new park on the Ashley River, with walking and biking trails, open spaces and water access.

Or it may not.

See, for the past year there have been competing plans for the former Baker Hospital site, which sits on the riverbank just a mile south of the North Bridge. Alas, neither plan may pan out because … well, politics.

The Charleston County Park and Recreation Commission recently approved a long-term lease with Sea Fox Boats as part of a $50 million deal to build a manufacturing plant and dry dock storage on part of the property … along with a 35-acre park that would include docks, kayak and canoe launches, nearly 2 miles of walking trails, picnic areas, an adventure playground, a BMX track, sports fields and an amphitheater.

Out of five proposals, that was the one PRC commissioners found most appealing. But in doing so, they turned down a similar idea from the College of Charleston and the city of North Charleston.

Which, not insignificantly, controls zoning of the site. See where this is going?

The city proposal included three soccer fields, a baseball/softball field — for both community use and intramural play — as well as walking trails tying into the Lowcountry Lowline. Plans suggest the city eventually could add facilities for the College of Charleston’s women’s NCAA beach volleyball team, as well as a ropes course, kayak launch, picnic area and fishing pier.

Most importantly, Mayor Keith Summey says, the city and college’s plan did not include a manufacturing plant in the middle of Union Heights.

“That’s just not the right plan,” Summey says. “We feel like this is an opportunity to get waterfront access to an area that needs some help. City residents don’t want to see any more industry in that area. Let ’em try to move south and put it in the city of Charleston, see how that goes.”

Yeah, North Charleston is playing rough. The city and college eventually partnered with Azalea Green — a nonprofit that had submitted a separate proposal to the park commission, and was set up by the philanthropists who donated the land to the PRC in 2014.

That didn’t move the commission, which said combining proposals wouldn’t be fair to the other applicants.

As that played out, City Council rezoned the Baker Hospital property from general business and light industrial to single-family residential against the recommendation of the city’s Planning Commission. Critics call it a “spot rezoning” ripe for litigation.

The meeting’s minutes say council decided the property would eventually be used “as community and College of Charleston practice fields.”

So, for the moment anyway, Sea Fox can’t build its manufacturing plant … or the park.

Summey says North Charleston — one of South Carolina’s premier hubs for industry and retail — most certainly isn’t anti-business. But the city opposes the PRC’s plan because residents don’t want any more industry in that area. The mayor says various interests are now lobbying City Council, and mayoral candidates, to change the zoning again come January — when he retires.

Of course, the Park and Recreation Commission is unaccustomed to such bare-knuckled local politics. Folks with the commission say Sea Fox simply offered a fully — and privately — funded development plan that costs taxpayers nothing … and includes more money for environmental clean-up needed at the site. And it has design input from Tom O’Rourke, who ran the PRC for nearly two decades.

The commission has been sitting on this strategic land — 12 miles from James Island County Park, 18 miles from Mount Pleasant’s Palmetto Islands and 17 miles from Wannamaker — for a decade. For years, it was tied up in a lease option with a sports training company that never got its funding.

Kevin Bowie, executive director of Charleston County PRC, concedes the Sea Fox proposal can’t work without a zoning change from North Charleston — but it would’ve needed one anyway, as the previous zoning didn’t allow for boat manufacturing.

“We do want to work with the city,” Bowie says. “This is just the first step, and there are partnerships that need to be defined.”

Bowie says the next step is for the public to review and possibly recommend changes before Sea Fox and the Park and Recreation Commission settle on final plans. But there’s still the not-insignificant hurdle of the zoning.

Freddy Renken, president of Sea Fox Boats, says he’s not going to let this stop plans for what he calls a “live, work, play” lifestyle. Not only would the park provide recreation for all county residents, but the plant would bring jobs to local residents.

“I can give your grandmother a job in our upholstery shop, and also give your grandchild a job welding in the aluminum shop or assembling boats in our finishing department,” Renken says. “I think this would help people in the community.”

Most folks, particularly county officials, say a park in that underserved area would be awesome. And they hope this gets settled sooner rather than later, and without a lawsuit.

If that doesn’t happen, the real losers here will be the people of Charleston County.

Facility will insource production of key security products and bring new jobs to the region

RESTON, Va., July 6, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Leidos (NYSE:LDOS), a FORTUNE^® 500 science and technology leader, today announced plans to establish a new security systems manufacturing facility in North Charleston, South Carolina. This will be the company's third security systems manufacturing location in the U.S., expanding its presence and support to customers. Leidos will invest $31.7 million in the new facility, creating up to 170 new jobs in the region over time.

"This facility brings more manufacturing back into the U.S. and expands Leidos' global security capabilities for the aviation and critical infrastructure markets," said Jim Moos, Leidos Civil Group president. "We're thrilled to expand into the North Charleston area and look forward to making a positive impact in the community."

The new facility will produce security systems for Leidos' Security Enterprise Solutions (SES) operation. SES offers a comprehensive suite of fully automated and integrated products for aviation, shipping ports, border crossings and critical infrastructure customers. These systems provide threat detection by screening baggage, cargo and people at checkpoints around the world.

"Leidos' $31.7 million investment in their new facility here in the Lowcountry will lead to significant job growth and economic development," said Congresswoman Nancy Mace (R-SC-1). "We congratulate them on their expanding operation and thank them for putting their faith in South Carolina."

Located in Ladson Industrial Park, the new 150,000-square-foot facility will enable Leidos to onshore more manufacturing increasing the company's critical capacity to support its growing customer base. The new plant will optimize manufacturing efficiency, quality and safety through application of best-in-class manufacturing processes. The facility is currently under construction and is expected to be fully operational by the first half of 2024.

About Leidos

Leidos is a Fortune 500^® technology, engineering, and science solutions and services leader working to solve the world's toughest challenges in the defense, intelligence, civil, and health markets. The company's 46,000 employees support vital missions for government and commercial customers. Headquartered in Reston, Virginia, Leidos reported annual revenues of approximately $14.4 billion for the fiscal year ended December 30, 2022. For more information, visit www.Leidos.com.

SOURCE Leidos