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MOUNT PLEASANT — No new apartment or condominium developments have been allowed since early 2017 in South Carolina’s fourth-largest city, and Town Council members are moving to extend that ban into 2025.

The town’s elected leaders also just slashed the number of homes that would be allowed above businesses, drawing criticism from real estate professionals.

Josh Dix, government affairs director for the Charleston Trident Association of Realtors, said Mount Pleasant has developed a culture “of privilege and exclusion” and is acting more like a homeowner’s association in a gated community than a large town.

Councilman Jake Rambo took offense at Dix’s suggestion that increasing development restrictions have been making housing less affordable.

Mount Pleasant has three or four times the population it had when he was growing up there, Rambo said, but amid all that growth and development the town has become more expensive and less diverse.

The town’s population is more than 91 percent white and the median single-family home price was $750,000 in the least expensive part of the town, according to January figures.

Dix and other real estate professionals acknowledge that newer apartments in Mount Pleasant are far from affordable but say restricting apartment construction can drive up rents in the region.

“When you just stop, there are some unintended consequences,” Rob Woodul, a town resident who is president of South Carolina Realtors this year said prior to the council meeting. “When you choke off supply, it drives up prices.”

But choking off supply is just what Mount Pleasant has done, very deliberately and in response to the wishes of the majority of voters. Controlling residential growth and traffic have been talking points in each recent election.

On Feb. 14 the council made its latest moves, voting unanimously to reduce the number of residences allowed in commercial areas and to give initial approval to a two-year extension of the apartment and condo moratorium.

“We don’t want any more,” Councilwoman Laura Hyatt said after the meeting. “We don’t need any more.”

At the same time, many council members agree that Mount Pleasant needs more housing that people, including town employees, teachers and hospital workers, can afford. The town describes that as “attainable housing” and is relying on the private sector to create it.

Both the moratorium and the reduction in the number of residences allowed in commercial areas carve out exceptions for attainable housing.

“This is a big thing for affordability tonight,” said Mayor Will Haynie.

Real estate professionals have predicted that no such housing will be created under the town’s exceptions because they are too strict and won’t make sense financially.

Specifically, Town Council reduced the number of homes allowed in mixed commercial-residential developments — homes above businesses — from 12 per acre to four, but allowed for four more if they qualify as “attainable” housing for middle-income buyers or renters.

That would prohibit future developments similar to Shelmore Village, a collection of three-story buildings with homes above offices and shops that was built in 2006.

At an earlier meeting about the down-zoning, Daniel Doyle, chief operating officer and director of development for The Beach Co., said expecting developers to make half of the residences in a development “attainable housing” units won’t work financially.

The moratorium on apartments and condos also includes an exemption for attainable housing. That exception has been included in the town’s moratoriums since 2019, and no such multifamily developments have been proposed during that time.

The stated purpose of the moratorium extension is to give the town needed time to complete a rewrite of Mount Pleasant’s zoning code, to match up with its most recent Comprehensive Plan. Earlier versions of the moratorium were said to give the town’s infrastructure time to catch up with development.

The restrictions come at a time when the Charleston area is facing an affordable housing crisis, soaring apartment rents and a shortage of housing for sale.

Mount Pleasant’s neighbors, the cities of Charleston and North Charleston, have seen soaring demand for apartment construction during the time Mount Pleasant has had a moratorium in place. Mount Pleasant and the two neighboring cities are three of South Carolina’s four largest municipalities.

Charleston issued permits for development of 2,213 multifamily units in 2022 and 2021, according to the city, and more than 7,500 since Mount Pleasant’s continuous moratorium started in 2017.

Nearly 48 percent of residences in Charleston are in multifamily developments, according to the city. In Mount Pleasant, multifamily homes accounted for 27 percent of residences as of 2020, and no new ones have been permitted for years.

In North Charleston, 5,631 apartment units were in some stage of the permitting process during the past two years, according to the city. Some of those were under construction and were likely permitted prior to 2021, but had not yet received certificates of occupancy.

“We need all the housing we can get, and at all price points,” said Dix, prior to the Town Council meeting.

“Mount Pleasant is not an HOA,” said Dix, who also chairs Charleston County’s Housing Committee. “If they want to be a gated community, that’s another discussion.”

The town’s prohibition on new apartment developments began in 2016, ended briefly, then came back in 2017 and has remained in place. Apartment buildings developed since that time were either permitted before the moratoriums began, or were allowed due to a legal settlement.

The town also had a permit allocation system from 2001 into 2008, prompted by concerns that home construction was outpacing the town’s ability to keep up with road improvements and public services.

As in 2021, allowing the existing apartment and condo moratorium to expire this year would not have resulted in new apartment buildings because of the existing permit allocation system.

“Even if it does go away, there are no multifamily permits,” said Michele Reed, the town’s Planning, Land Use and Neighborhoods director, prior to the council meeting.

The permit allocation system is in place until February 2024, and could be extended, she said.

There have been other South Carolina towns and cities that temporarily halted permitting for apartments, but none have done so for as long as Mount Pleasant.

A new restaurant is in the works near a major intersection in Mount Pleasant, and the Charleston area’s eighth Planet Fitness gym is coming to Moncks Corner.

Damon Navarro is asking the town to annex a 1.51-acre tract on Ira Road between Abide A While Garden Center and Life Storage off U.S. Highway 17 at Interstate 526, where the new dining venture is planned.

The property, across from the Walmart-anchored Wando Crossing Shopping Center, once housed Lamb’s Auto Service Center.

Navarro bought the property last September for $2.1 million through 1434 Ira Rd LLC, according to Charleston County land records.

The planned restaurant is coming through a Charleston investors group called High Tide Provisions LLC and will be called Frank and Jack’s on Ira, according to Stephanie Samuels, project manager and investor. It’s named after two now-passed colleagues of the developers.

Plans presented to the town show a 4,600-square-foot restaurant with a potential wrap-around porch. Plans also include a 625-square-foot covered area behind the restaurant and similar-sized flexible dining space with an outdoor fireplace next to it.

The site also would include a 1,000-square-foot courtyard in the rear, a 400-square-foot children’s outdoor play area and 1,875 square feet of outdoor space dedicated for adult games such as shuffleboard and bocce ball next to a bar.

The linear development would include 73 parking spaces and an overflow area in the rear for employees and guests to park.

If annexation is approved, the site’s zoning would fall under the areawide business classification. Samuels hopes construction could begin by August with an opening by next spring, but the timeline is dependent on how quickly plans move through the town’s approval process.

Getting fit

The Charleston region’s eighth Planet Fitness site is in the works.

The workout business plans to open a 21,704-square-foot location at 110 Bi-Lo Drive in Moncks Corner in a shopping center anchored by KJ’s IGA supermarket.

The gym is going in next to Pointe North Church in a building that once housed Walmart before the big-box retailer moved to the northern side of town several years ago. It’s expected to open in September.

A company representative did not immediately respond for further comment.

A food assistance program called Feed Berkeley once operated in the site where the fitness facility is going. Feed Berkeley has moved to 207 Newell St. in Moncks Corner Pentecostal Holiness Church.

Planet Fitness has other Charleston-area locations in Goose Creek, James Island, Mount Pleasant, North Charleston, Summerville and West Ashley.

On the way

Two new shops are coming to a developing neighborhood in the Cainhoy area of Charleston.

Viva Tacos & Tequila plans to open in a 4,000-square-foot site next to a 2,000-square-foot Modern Movement Yoga studio at 836 Foundation St. in the Point Hope development, according to Bryan Fogle of Coldwell Banker Commercial Atlantic, who handled leasing for the tenants.

The building is under construction next to a similar 6,000-square-foot structure to be built where Ye Ole Fashioned Ice Cream and Sandwich Shoppe plans to open in about half of the building. The two venues will share a patio between the structures next to Clements Ferry Road. A fall opening is expected for the businesses.

Sweet treats

A new gourmet cinnamon roll bakery will make its South Carolina debut with a shop opening in downtown Charleston on April 7.

Cinnaholic at 415 King St. will host its grand opening 10 a.m.-2 p.m., offering a $2 cinnamon roll special, DJ, giveaways and samples.

The shop has more than 20 frosting flavors and 20 topping choices.

Also part of the Charleston rollout, the downtown location will have three limited-time offerings: lemon icebox pie roll, coconut cream pie roll and lemonberry coffee cake.

Franchisee Kishan Patel also has a location in Statesboro, Ga.

On the way

A new shop is on the way to a shopping center in Goose Creek.

Crafty Beer Sales LLC has applied for a state license to sell beer and wine for both on-site and off-site use at 214 St. James Ave., Suite 160.

The vacant space was once a dry-cleaning shop and is in the Planet Fitness-anchored Shannon Park Shopping Center.

On the way

A new commercial retail building is in the works for North Charleston.

Ironclad Construction recently submitted plans to environmental regulators to build on a 4.6-acre parcel at 8680 Dorchester Road, just west of a retail center that includes Great Harvest Bakery and Cafe and other tenants near Club Course Drive.

Tenants have not been announced. The site has 1.88 acres of wetlands with planned disturbance to about 1.76 acres, according to site plans.

Gassing up

A Charlotte-based convenience store chain recently purchased a 6-acre parcel where a nursery once operated in Moncks Corner.

Circle K Stores Inc. paid $1.05 million for the property on U.S. Highway 52 at Ben Barron Lane last month, according to Berkeley County land records. The previous owner was ZZ Real Estate LLC, an affiliate of The InterTech Group of North Charleston.

The purchased site is on the northern end of the former 686-acre Carolina Nurseries wholesale plant farm that closed in 2010. Berkeley Electric Cooperative’s headquarters and other businesses are now located on part of the sprawling tract. A new housing development is being laid out behind the Circle K parcel.

Cleaning up

A Michigan-based car wash company recently broke ground on its first of four planned locations in the Charleston area.

Tommy’s Express is bringing its first Lowcountry site to 3680 Ashley Phosphate Road, next to Republic Services, in North Charleston. Two others are slated for Summerville and another on Tanger Outlet Boulevard in North Charleston.

The wash tunnels are designed with a rounded transparent roof and full-size windows running along the length of the tunnel. Floor mat washers, vacuum stations and membership programs also will be available.

MOUNT PLEASANT, S.C. (WCBD) – A new taco shop is set to open in Mount Pleasant this spring boasting unique flavors set in a tropical theme.

The owners of White Duck Taco Shop, which originated in Asheville, North Carolina, have been renovating the former Sticky Fingers restaurant on Johnnie Dodds Boulevard for the past year.

A complete overhaul of the building included opening the ceiling and removing some walls to create a larger feel inside the establishment. Bamboo is being used to section off seating areas and fresh paint will brighten up the once-dark barbecue joint.

Muralist Lacey Hennessey was brought in from Greenville, South Carolina to help merge the planned color scheme to give the restaurant its tropical feel and showcase floral themes, a large VW bus, and even a surfing duck.

“We’re very proud of what she accomplished here,” said Laura Reuss, who owns the restaurant.

The bar area will feature big-screen televisions and windows will open up to an outdoor lanai with bar service in addition to its deck area. “It gives an open-air feeling even though we’re in the middle of Mount Pleasant,” said Reuss.

Reuss has been working in the restaurant industry since she was a teenager. She left Park City, Utah in 2010 – working in restaurants at ski resorts – to later open the first White Duck Taco Shop in North Carolina.

The idea was to create a fun atmosphere where patrons would feel comfortable enjoying great, from-scratch food at affordable prices.

“We had been working at four- and five-star restaurants. We really wanted to be more approachable to everyone. So, we came up with the idea of White Duck Taco Shop,” she said.

The new restaurant ushered in new life for a part of Asheville that was still in its growth phase – the River Arts District.

“We were in Asheville, we actually moved there to start the brand. It was really a mom-and-pop organization, we just couldn’t keep up—it was crazy,” she said of opening the new shop.

The new location in Mount Pleasant will be White Duck Taco’s 14^th venture.

Reuss and her late husband had roots in the Charleston area. And after reopening its other locations post-COVID-19 pandemic, she decided that it was the right time to bring the restaurant to the Lowcountry.

“I spent about seven, eight months looking for the perfect location with a lot of help from other people, and we came across Sticky Fingers,” she recalled.

A crew came in to determine how best to transform the former barbecue restaurant into a brightly-colored taco shop. After a few bumps in the road, thanks to logistics and delivery woes – White Duck Taco will soon serve customers just in time for the summer season.

Reuss described the menu as unique fusion tacos. “We do everything from fried oyster tacos, pork belly tacos with pickled watermelon rind, we have Thai peanut chicken tacos … the whole idea was to take really cool flavors and just put it in the form of a taco so that you could eat almost internationally.”

If you order a sandwich or burger off a menu, you only get to try one style or flavor at a time. Here, you’ll be able to select three variations in one sitting.

“The taco is the new American way,” she said. “Everyone loves a taco and a beer.”

Reuss is eyeing an opening in mid-to-late April depending upon final approvals from the Town of Mount Pleasant.

Brandon D’Agostino was a member of SOCiETY, formerly MethodRide, for two years before taking his biggest stride yet: buying the business. Having been named the best cycle studio in Charleston several years in a row, including 2022, D’Agostino was thrilled to take the MethodRide legacy to the next level under a new name.

“Our team and community are second to none,” said D’Agostino. “I wanted to preserve that for Mount Pleasant and hopefully bring it to other cities in the future.”

D’Agostino initially discovered rhythm-based cycling by accident. A friend turned him onto it after buying a Peloton, a popular subscription-based stationary bike that is designed to bring the cycling studio home. D’Agostino wanted to try a live class before investing in a bike, and now, he’s glad he did. That small decision turned into fate.

By trying an in-studio class, D’Agostino discovered the unique magic that happens inside a cycling studio, in the dark, when working alongside a team that tends to grow into a bona fide community.

“I have a musical background,” explained D’Agostino, “so riding to the beat of amazing playlists is what attracted me to becoming an instructor. Our coaches put a lot of thought into their playlists, curating an experience for every ride— it might make you laugh or even cry. It gets deep in there sometimes,” he said, only half kidding.

While many online and app-based workout subscriptions aim to create interactive and community-based experiences, nothing can replace the face-to-face, side-by-side energy of a group of riders working toward similar goals. D’Agostino chose the name SOCiETY because he believes that the studio exists for the community.

“Even the logo and how we spell it is significant,” he stated. “The I in SOCiETY is lowercase on purpose—it represents our members, who are at the center of everything we do.”

D’Agostino wants members to remain individuals and to be true to themselves while growing alongside the community they have so fervently built as parts of a unit.

He and his team are in the process of expanding their current location. They have leased additional space to provide functional strength training classes this fall. The innovative classes will be high-energy, athlete-style training which will sculpt the body while providing functional benefits that promote longevity and energy. They have also started offering childcare during many of their classes, which the kids love. D’Agostino loves seeing the kids get excited to visit the studio alongside mom and dad.

Looking ahead to next year and beyond, D’Agostino would like to expand to several locations in South Carolina and around the Southeast. There are many places where he believes SOCiETY would thrive in offering indoor cycling, strength training, childcare and the luxury boutique experience. Most of all, there are many places he can see building community through the love of the sport.

For more information, please visit SocietyCHS.com, or call 843-867-3339.

By Isabel Alvarez Arata

The Southern Welcome: Community Connection Heavens Marketplace: A Place to Shop and Be Inspired

MOUNT PLEASANT — A prohibition on new apartment and condominium developments has been extended for a seventh year, until mid-March 2024.

Previous plans to extend the town’s apartment and condo ban into 2025 were scaled back just before the most recent moratorium extension was approved.

Municipalities need a justification to impose a moratorium, and the latest reason for Mount Pleasant is that more time is needed to rewrite zoning regulations to match up with the town’s Comprehensive Plan.

Previously, the moratorium was said to be needed so that the town’s infrastructure could catch up to its rapid population growth.

A 180-day moratorium was imposed in 2016, and after it expired the town imposed a new one in March 2017 that’s been in place ever since.

Mayor Will Haynie said the zoning code update should be accomplished within a year, so a two-year extension of the moratorium was not needed.

“We all agree that governing by moratorium is not the best way to do that,” he said, just before Town Council’s unanimous vote on March 14, with Jake Rambo absent.

The town’s rapid development and population growth, and the resulting traffic, has prompted residents to elect Town Council members who pledged to slow things down. And so they have.

In addition to the moratorium, Mount Pleasant limits annual building permits, particularly for multi-family buildings. Even without a moratorium, there are no permits left this year for apartments or condos.

An earlier permit limit was in place from 2001 into 2008, and focused on single-family homes.

More recently, the town greatly increased its impact fees for development, reduced the allowed height of new buildings in many areas, and has been changing zoning rules to allow fewer dense residential developments.

Charleston Trident Association of Realtors representative Josh Dix was the only person to address council members prior to the moratorium vote. He urged that they not approve it.

“In order for us to plan for the next generation we need housing options, and single-family homes are not the only answer,” he said.

With all the restrictions, some residents may wonder why some new apartment complexes have been built nonetheless. Just two months ago, the 224-apartment Atlantic Beach House opened on Ben Sawyer Boulevard.

That apartment complex was initially blocked by the town in 2015 but was later allowed as part of a 2017 settlement that ended a lawsuit against the town.

Growth and development was a top election issue in the town in 2015, and Mount Pleasant became the most-sued municipality in the state for development-related disputes.

Other apartments created in recent years were either approved prior to the moratorium or allowed under existing development agreement contracts with the town. The last time a new apartment development was submitted to the town for review was in 2015.

The town moratorium has since 2019 included an exception for “attainable” below-market-rate housing, but no such apartment or condo developments have been proposed.