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January 2004
* SPECIAL EDITION*
From the President: Oakland Plantation hearing set
Laurel Grove Update: Improvement delayed
Home values still rising
FROM THE PRESIDENT
Important public hearing
set for Wednesday on Oakland Plantation
A second public hearing is scheduled for Wednesday (Jan. 21) on a major
commercial development -- nearly the size of Towne Centre -- planned
across from Ivy Hall in what is now Oakland Plantation.
The Planning Commission
hearing will be at 5 p.m. at Mount Pleasant's Municipal Complex at 100
Ann Edwards Lane, off Houston Northcutt Boulevard. It is expected to be
the last such public hearing before the development is sent to the town's
Planning Committee for further review.
Town Council could vote on
the project as early as March.
The development, dubbed
The Avenues, would be built on 77 acres of Oakland Plantation and would
include mostly retail stores and office space. Gas stations are a
possibility. Some big-name retailers rumored to be looking at the site
include Home Depot and Circuit City.
Obviously, a development
of this size would impact Ivy Hall residents substantially. The primary
entrance off U.S. Highway 17 into the development would be opposite
Lexington Drive, which means we'd get a traffic signal at our entrance.
Additional traffic signals would be constructed along Highway 17 at
Porchers Bluff Road and at Charleston National's main entrance, according
to the proposal.
The good news for
residents is that the plans call for a 100-foot buffer along Highway 17,
which means buildings wouldn't be built right next to the road as they
are in Towne Centre. The bad news is that the developer, Greenville-based
Avtex Commercial Properties, wants to remove 33 healthy historic trees
without having to get a variance for removal from the town's Board of
Zoning Appeals.
It is the view of the the
Ivy Hall Property Owners Association Board that the developer should
present its case for tree removal before BOZA. The board will present
this position at Wednesday's meeting.
We all realized when
buying into Ivy Hall that this type of development would come up Highway
17 some day. And while we can't stop it, we certainly can have a say in
the review process with the hope of promoting positive changes.
I encourage all residents
to consider attending the public hearing. To speak with someone in the
town's planning and zoning department, call 884-1229.
Bob Lang
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LAUREL GROVE UPDATE:
Common area improvements delayed
A playground and other
additions to our main common area likely will come this summer, says the
developer of the new neighborhood going up near our entrance.
The improvements
originally were scheduled to be completed by now, but those plans have
been delayed to coincide with the start of major home construction in
Laurel Grove, said Rick Estee of Meridian Development.
Estee said Mount
Pleasant's strict permit allocation system garnered him just two home
construction permits in the first quarter. Construction of those two
homes will start within the next few weeks, he said. The next big
allocation date for Estee is July 1, when he expects to be able to start
construction on 20 to 30 additional homes.
A total of 76 homes are
planned in the development, which also includes an office/retail portion
closer to U.S. Highway 17.
Meanwhile, workers are
continuing to prepare the site for homes. Estee said installation of
drainage lakes, water and sewer lines, and other infrastructure should be
completed by early spring.
Under a contract signed
with the Association last year, Meridian will improve the main common
area by adding such things as a children's playground, lined soccer
field, three picnic areas and other recreational items. Meridian also
agreed to enhance portions of Lexington Drive with landscaping.
Meridian and the
Association will share the maintenance and insurance costs of the
improvements.
More information on Laurel
Grove may be found on the Internet at
www.laurel-grove.com.
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HOME VALUES STILL
RISING
Ivy Hall home values reached record
highs in 2003 as 31 homes sold at an average of $116 per square foot,
according to the Charleston Trident Association of Realtors.
The average price of a home sold in
the neighborhood during 2003 was $173,700, up from $153,100 in 2000. The
statistics don’t include homes sold by owners (FSBOs).
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