The billboards all say, “change is on the way”. And the Magnolia project has just gotten a step closer to making that a reality.
Charleston's Planning Commission on Wednesday approved the concept plan for Magnolia, a 216-acre development that aims to transform a polluted section of the Neck Area of Charleston into a mini-city with up to 4,400 homes.
The Magnolia land sits between Interstate 26 and the Ashley River, between the Rosemont community and Wagener Terrace and was for many decades home to fertilizer factories and a wood treatment plant. The developers have been working for years to relocate remaining industrial businesses and clean up old facilities. The area includes three national priority sites (Magnolia, Ashley River Center, Macalloy) that have required cleanup as part of the development.
Magnolia is redevelopment on a truly large scale.
The neighborhood's master plan uses textbook urban design principles similar to those used in Mount Pleasant's I'On neighborhood, and Noisette’s Navy Yard project. Pedestrian-friendly residential blocks would be built around about 24 acres of parks and a waterfront park. The developers propose to build new roads, parks, bike trails, thousands of homes and as much as 2.55 million square feet of office, retail and hotel space.
The new community will be modeled after downtown Charleston, with densely built city blocks meant to encourage walking rather than driving, according to the concept plan. Also energy-saving "green buildings" are planned, and the entire development is meant to be an environmental plus for the city.
The main street, Grand Boulevard, is modeled off of King Street's commercial district and calls for up to 700,000 square feet of retail space.
Magnolia Development hopes to start work on roads later this year and begin building construction next year.
The development has enjoyed the support of Charleston Mayor Joe Riley, the Greater Charleston Empowerment Corp. and city planning officials, who have worked closely with the project team for months to shape the plan.
Building the new community could take many years, and some environmental cleanup work still remains to be done, but the plan has received broad support from city officials and community groups and I continue to watch it’s progress with great anticipation.
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