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King and Calhoun corner project faces opposition
By Rachel Pleasant
Staff Writer
A group of developers looking to overhaul a key corner at the intersection of King and Calhoun streets will go before the Charleston City Council later this month but will do so with confidence after gaining approval from the city’s planning commission in August.
The PrimeSouth Group, the lead developer of the project, envisions a mixture of retail, office and residential units contained in a structure that will be eight stories high at its tallest point.
The building would replace existing structures on the 1.25-acre site, currently housing several businesses.
The first step in what promises to be a lengthy development process was to gain a zoning change for the handful of properties along King Street and Burns Lane.
The zoning change, from “general business” to “urban commercial,” allows for an additional seven residential units per acre. Last month the planning commission approved the change by a 6-to-1 margin, with one abstention.
PrimeSouth’s next stop is the council meeting on Sept. 27. The council will consider the change and either approve it, in which case it will come back to the council for a final vote in October, or reject it. If it is rejected, “it all stops there,” said Christopher Morgan, the city’s interim planning director.
PrimeSouth has not finished designing the building, said Jonathon Yates, PrimeSouth’s representative, and no plans have been submitted to the city.
The basic outline, however, calls for the demolition of existing structures and the construction of a tiered building designed to abide by height restrictions along King and Calhoun but reaching the maximum allowed height with a tower set back from the streets. The building will have one level dedicated to retail, another to office and five levels containing as many as 52 condos, ranging between 1,100 and 2,100 square feet. The project also includes a parking garage with spaces for 190 cars.
At the August planning meeting, Yates reiterated several times that the zoning change was simply the first step in a lengthy process.
“I am coming tonight with a very simple request,” he said. “Tonight is a starting point.”
Yates described Marion Square, the green space adjacent to the project site, as “underutilized” and emphasized the importance of the King and Calhoun corner.
Yates received support from Morgan, who said the zoning changes and the project are in line with the city’s ultimate plan for the intersection.
“The corridor between King and Meeting streets is designated for high-intensity mixed-use,” Morgan said. “This is completely within those parameters.”
Though the zoning alteration and the project that is being drawn up by developers may be within the city’s rules, it is not sitting well with a number of residents. Among the opposition is Robert Gurley, assistant director of the Preservation Society of Charleston.
Gurley was one of several who spoke against the zoning request in August. He also plans to be present at this month’s city council meeting.
“We’re certainly disappointed,” Gurley said, referring to the planning commission’s vote.
“I certainly hope that by the time the city council meets, we’ll have a lot more information. The community deserves to know a lot more about this project and needs to understand the traffic impact, the height scale and mass, and impacts on the infrastructure. There are just a lot of questions about whether this project is appropriate.”
Philip Woollcott, a principal at PrimeSouth, said concerns posed by Gurley and others are noted, but he cautions that there is a long road ahead for this project. For one, PrimeSouth must complete the purchase of the site, currently owned by Marion Square LLC.
Woollcott expects that sale to be completed by the end of the year, but development will stretch out much longer.
Rachel Pleasant is a staff writer for the Business Journal. E-mail her at rpleasant@charlestonbusiness.com.
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