By Lindsay Danzell
Contributing Writer

Laura Meehan, 23, has aspirations of one day owning a condo or home on Daniel Island. In the meantime, she is one of the new residents of Daniel Island’s affordable housing development on Seven Farms Drive, which opened in late 2006.

“I’m building myself up to that,” she said of home ownership.

In a town of 4,831 people, nearly 1,800 of Daniel Island’s employed population hold white-collar jobs. More people have a bachelor’s degree than those who finished high school. The median household income is more than $70,000.

According to OnBoard LLC, a provider of property and neighborhood information, Daniel Island residents pay nearly 25% more per household on expenditures than the national average, from utilities to shelter to clothes.

The manicured community of Daniel Island entered into an agreement with the city of Charleston in 2001 to set aside 5% of the residential units on the island for affordable housing. From that figure, the Daniel Island Co. set a goal for 225 units.

Seven Farms Apartments, which was developed by the Humanities Foundation, fulfills Daniel Island’s goal of having at least 75 housing units available for rent to people making 50% of the island’s median household income, according to Matt Sloan, president of the Daniel Island Co.

Parkside, another affordable housing development, consists of 75 homes available to first-time homeowners who make less than 150% of the median income. The last 75 units will be available to moderate-income individuals who make above 60% of the median income.

Seven Farms Apartments represents 4% of Daniel Island’s households. Apartments range from one to three bedrooms and rent for $461 to $632 a month. Residents of the new complex must pass a background check, and for an individual, the maximum income cap is $19,750 per year.

“We hope this model may serve as an example for other areas trying to make housing more accessible and affordable for hardworking individuals who are struggling against the high cost of today’s housing market,” said Tracy Doran, president and co-founder of the foundation.

John Henry, executive director of the Humanities Foundation, and Debby Waid, vice president of programs at the foundation, reported a “grassroots effort” by Daniel Island companies to encourage employees to reside in the available affordable housing.

Meehan, employed by United American on Daniel Island, confirmed the foundation’s observations. She was encouraged by her co-workers to apply to live at the new complex.

“It speaks well of the community that people who serve the community have the opportunity to live there,” Sloan said. A “vast majority” of Daniel Island employees would be unable to live on the island and affordable housing offers an opportunity for them to do so, Sloan added.

With no current public transportation program into the Daniel Island community, Henry and Waid admit a potential problem for lower-income residents working off the island. The Humanities Foundation has filed a request to CARTA to add Daniel Island to its routes. Another solution is a possible connection to Clements Ferry Road where a rural transport picks up, according to the foundation.

The Humanities Foundation will provide workshops to residents of the new complex, including debt and budget counseling. The complex also gives lower-income children the opportunity to go to Daniel Island’s schools, Sloan said.

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