Look for U.S. Highway 17 in front of Ivy Hall to be widened to six lanes within the next three years.

The expansion is one of many transportation upgrades coming to the town, as outlined by Mayor Harry Hallman in a letter published today in the Moultrie News.

Other pending projects include the installation of an overpass at the intersection of 17 and I-526; and the extension of Hungryneck Boulevard from the IOP Connector to Porcher's Bluff Road.

Highway 17, according to the town's plan, will be widened from four to six lanes from the IOP Connector to the entrance to Park West. The state is funding much of the project.

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All Ivy Hall property owners, as required under our Covenants, must pay an annual assessment fee to the Property Owners Association. The fee is used to pay for maintenance of common areas, insurance and other neighborhood expenses. For a detailed explanation of the annual assessment, read Article IV of the Covenants.

Notices of this year's fee -- $157.50 per household (same amount as last year) -- were mailed in early December and stated the payment deadline of Jan. 31. Checks received after that date are subject to late fees and/or other penalties. Mail your check made out to "Ivy Hall POA" to the following address:

Ivy Hall Property Owners Association
c/o Odessa Companies
1233 Ben Sawyer Blvd.
Mt. Pleasant, SC  29464

Thank you for your cooperation!

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The big monument sign is getting pressure-washed, repaired where needed and repainted. The metallic letters also are getting a fresh coat of paint.

Look for the work to be completed by early March. It's the second facelift on the sign since the neighborhood started in the early 1990s. The last time the sign was reconditioned was around 2000.

 Sheds amendment issue to be revisited
 Measure requires two-thirds approval to pass 
(Posted 1-23-08)

A proposed amendment that would allow sheds in Ivy Hall got new life this week when the Ivy Hall POA Board voted to go ahead with a previously scrapped door-to-door petition drive to garner support for the measure.

The Board decided to petition residents directly because of the poor response to a December mailing. All residents were mailed amendment approval forms along with their annual POA fee invoices. Those in support of the amendment were given about two weeks to return their signed forms. Those opposed didn't have to do anything.

The amendment received only 28 votes, far from the 166 votes (representing two-thirds of the lots in Ivy Hall) needed to change our Covenants.

Given the paltry response to the letter, the Board reviewed the matter and decided that a petition would be a much better way to poll the neighborhood. As it stands now, the Board has no way of knowing if the majority of residents oppose sheds or they simply didn't take the time to return the form.

With the petition, the votes of all property owners -- yes and no -- will be recorded.

The Board originally had planned to present the amendment in petition form but decided in November to try the mailing, believing it would be a more efficient way of polling residents. Unfortunately, the Board didn't take into consideration at the time that some residents might overlook the form, misplace it, forget to mail it in, or refuse to spend money on a stamp to mail it in.

It is the Board's belief that the petition will provide a much more accurate gauge.

Sheds have long been a topic of conversation in Ivy Hall, where homes aren’t known for having a lot of storage space. The only structures our Covenants allow on a private lot are a main dwelling and garage.

The Board did a lot of research in preparing the amendment, having combed through the shed-related covenants of similar neighborhoods locally and nationally. The result, the Board feels, is an amendment that would protect Ivy Hall’s existing architectural and aesthetic harmony.

Central in the amendment is the point that plans for any shed would need to be approved by the POA’s Architectural Review Committee BEFORE construction. The prior-approval requirement would ensure that no unsightly sheds are erected in the neighborhood.

Amendment language:

The Covenants would be amended in two areas under Article VI, Section 2, pertaining to property use restrictions. Under Section 2, a., the beginning would be changed from this:

a.   No structure shall be erected on any Lot in the subdivision other than one permanent single-family dwelling and detached or attached garage of similar design, and no use shall be made of the Property or of any right or privilege appurtenant thereto…

...to this (changes in red italics):

a.   No structure shall be erected on any Lot in the subdivision other than one permanent single-family dwelling, a detached or attached garage of similar design, and a detached or attached storage shed. All plans for proposed structures must be approved by the POA Board’s Architectural Review Committee BEFORE construction or installation can begin. No use shall be made of the Property or of any right or privilege appurtenant thereto…

Additionally, a new paragraph, designated “i”, would be added below paragraph “k” and read:

i.    Utility or storage sheds are subject to the provisions of this Declaration
      and may be subject to further provisions of the POA Board’s
      Architectural Review Committee. All sheds and locations MUST BE
      APPROVED through the ARC process prior to installation. Utility and
      storage sheds shall: (1) be constructed so as not to encroach upon any
      easements or setback lines; (2) be constructed on an ARC-approved
      level floor structure AND within 5 feet of the back side of the home; (3)
      not alter drainage patterns of a Lot; (4) not exceed 14’ X 14’ in base
      dimensions; (5) not exceed 10’ in height at its highest point measured
      from the pad floor; (6) be located so as not to be viewed in full from the
      front of the Lot; (7) be constructed of materials and colors that match or
      are compatible with the main residence; and (8) must be designed to
      respect the visual rights of neighboring properties and cannot be
      offensive to the community. No metal siding or metal roofing is
      permitted. Only one shed per residence is permitted.

The Chick-fil-A would be the second Chick-fil-A in Mount Pleasant. The other is near the intersection of Anna Knapp Boulevard and Highway 17.

The freestanding McDonald's would be the second such restaurant in town, joining the one at Bowman Road and Highway 17.

More restaurant tenants at Oakland are expected to be announced in the coming months. For more information, click here at Market at Oakland.