Roofer in Mount Pleasant, SC

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MOUNT PLEASANT, S.C. (WCIV) — New housing units are coming to Coleman Boulevard in Mount Pleasant.

Town leaders said the previous Queens Court property was built in the 1980s and upgrades were long overdue.

Mayor Will Haynie said the impact on residents is his top priority regarding redevelopment. He spoke with nearby Bayview Acres neighbors who said they support the rebuild.

READ MORE | "Mount Pleasant receives $2.3 million in funding for key part of 47-mile path project."

Crews are clearing the Queens Court lot to make room for 22 new duplexes to replace the old ones. Town officials said the new units will take up more square footage but won’t be taller.

“These units were old, they're outdated," said Michele Reeder, the town's director of planning and land use. "We've had people that had moved out, they were in poor condition, there was mold, mildew, so they were really not safe, and it was time for an upgrade."

Mayor Haynie said an upgrade is the best way to describe the rebuild.

With the same number of units following the existing zoning codes, the mayor said the project didn’t require a vote by the town council.

But a different proposal did.

“When a developer tried to develop that with some really big buildings that were not in character of the surrounding neighborhood, we listened to Bayview Acres and listened to the residents, protected their quality of life and their sense of place, and voted it down,” the mayor explained.

He hopes the new units will be a positive addition to the neighborhood. A key piece for this goal is that the duplexes were not designed for short-term renters.

“The previous duplexes were short-term rentals. They went through our short-term rental program. They had all the permits,” Reed said. “But once those went away and they were demolished, they lost their permit.”

READ MORE | "Mount Pleasant Town Council extends apartment and condo build ban through 2024."

In the clearing process, some neighbors raised concerns about the number of trees that were removed from Coleman Boulevard.

“That was an invasive species, the Chinese Privet tree. And so, that has been taken out and native species will be planted there. That's better for our environment; they're better aesthetically,” Mayor Haynie said.

The mayor said a ten-foot sidewalk will be added to the Coleman Boulevard side of the lot, becoming part of the Mount Pleasant Way.

Mayor Haynie also said he doesn’t expect the rebuild to worsen traffic or parking in the area.

As of now, a timeline for completion hasn’t been set.

In the land of storybooks, things commonly found underneath a bridge are often gnarly or downright scary. But there are no trolls or goblins at the Mount Pleasant Pier, found within the Memorial Waterfront Park - and beneath South Carolina's tallest bridge. To the contrary, underneath this bridge is a magical place where sunsets paint the sky in brilliant hues, children dance and play, and Mount Pleasant's number one attraction consistently lives up to its ranking.

Welcome to the Mount Pleasant Pier, the town's biggest outdoor attraction.

It's ranked by Trip Advisor as the number one place to go to enjoy fresh air and beautiful scenery in all of Mount Pleasant.

The pier itself stretches 1,250 feet out into the Charleston Harbor.

Most people don't realize the historic tie the pier has to area.

It is constructed upon the pared down pilings of the old three-lane Cooper River Bridge (seen here on the right).

The old cantilever bridge linking Charleston to Mount Pleasant opened in 1966 and was removed shortly after the new Arthur Ravenel, Jr. Bridge opened in 2005. The new pier in Mount Pleasant uses the old pilings of the old "new Cooper River Bridge," as it was called back in the day.

History aside, there area many things to enjoy when visiting the Mount Pleasant Pier.

Art and culture, and wide open spaces abound.

A gift shop on the pier functions as a cafe, too.

Devour delicious subs, club sandwiches, a reuben, and other specialty sandwiches all affordably priced and made fresh daily.

Or, stop at one of the many restaurants in Mount Pleasant and bring your own meal.

Plenty of outdoor seating, including shady tables underneath the 8,100-square-foot pavilion make dining here easy to practice social distancing.

Don't forget your quarters!

No scenic overlook would be complete without one of these!

From here, you can see all the way to the U.S.S. Yorktown complex.

While you're in town, hit up the Yorktown for even more fantastic ways to enjoy Mount Pleasant's waterfront attractions.

As TripAdvisor users attest by unanimously keeping the Mount Pleasant Pier at the top of the pile of attractions in the town, you simply can't go wrong with a visit to the pier.

Pier hours and gift shop/cafe hours change regularly. For current hours, see this link. For other pertinent info and pier guidelines, go here.

Plenty of parking is available at the pier and right under the Arthur Ravenel, Jr. Bridge.

Visitors can also fish from the pier with a fishing pass which costs $60 for an annual pass ($40 for seniors and kids age 12 and under). Additionally, a wonderful children's playground provides hours of endless fun for visitors under the age of 12.

Have you ventured over to the Mount Pleasant Pier yet? Let us know about your experience by leaving a comment!

For another top outdoor attraction in South Carolina, visit Brookgreen Gardens!

The results of an $108 million referendum to bring Charleston County libraries into the 21st Century back in 2014 were made manifest at the July 9 Mount Pleasant Town Council meeting.

On hand to show and discuss improvements yielded with those public monies was Charleston County Public Library (CCPL) Executive Director Angela Craig, who walked public officials through recent upgrades at Mount Pleasant's three branches.

The CCPL spokesperson began by highlighting the Wando Mount Pleasant Library's fifth anniversary, while also mentioning the numerous amenities at the 40,000 square-foot "jewel of a complex."

The Carolina Park venue — one of five new library edifices added with referendum funds — currently features a 250-seat auditorium, two editing labs, two creative studios, dedicated areas for children, teens and adults, along with a storytime room, study spaces and learning labs.

The auditorium in particular, according to Craig, has served the community well, as astronaut presentations and summer reading sessions have taken place inside the spacious quarters.

"Right now, we are thriving with summer reading. Wando Library has some of the highest completion rates for several reading programs, we are proud to say," added the University of South Carolina grad and avid reader of all genres.

Craig went on to showcase slides of recent events at the Wando Mount Pleasant branch, including scenes of a fishing program in progress, as well as a teen information session on the dangers of opioid use.

When shifting her focus to the Mount Pleasant Library on Mathis Ferry Road, Craig shared that the location has retained more shelves since its 2021-2022 renovation due to producing the highest checkout rates countywide.

The smaller Village Library on Whilden Street, conversely, experienced a more efficient use of its floor plan during the site's 2022-2023 remodeling, which also furnished the public venue with updated carpeting and new furniture.

"We are very, very thrilled to have our three libraries here in this town that we love serving because it's a wonderful place to live and grow," said the married mother of two. "Our five focus areas are: literacy, workforce development, educational success, community engagement and equity. That is the center of everything that we do for our services, our partnerships."

At the conclusion of Craig's rundown, Councilmember Howard Chapman lauded the County's Public Works department for improving and maintaining the aesthetics of the three local libraries in question.

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MOUNT PLEASANT, S.C. (WCSC) - A project that has been in the works for about three years is another step closer to completion.

The $6.75 million project will bring several new amenities and updates to Memorial Waterfront Park and the project is now in phase three and reaching the last leg.

Crews have made a lot of headway this year. In May, they completed the ¼ mile walking path and installed the MoveStrong outdoor fitness equipment. This area includes a calisthenics and functional fitness area, as well as an obstacle course with fitness challenge stations. They have also completed the fenced-in dog park to accommodate both large and small dogs. They have also mounted a structure showcasing a piece of the original Grace Memorial Bridge.

Now, crews are actively working on installing a splash pad for community members to use that will feature a tower replicating the old water tower that used to stand in the Old Village of Mount Pleasant. They are also working on pouring the asphalt for the multi-purpose sports court. This court will accommodate two basketball courts and four pickleball courts. Crews have also almost completed the restroom facility. They are making improvements to parking and once these steps are completed, all that will be left is the addition of landscaping, signage and park furnishings.

Steve Gergick is the Director of Recreation for the Town of Mount Pleasant. He says they are looking forward to getting this project completed and bringing these new amenities to the community.

“We’re really excited about it, it’s been a long time,” he says. “This area has been just used for an overflow parking for a long time and to be able to take this big chunk of space and be able to put it to use for the community, both in additional parking but the dog park, the pickleball courts, the basketball courts, the splash pad, all those sort of things that people have been wanting this for a long time. So, it’s been about three years in the works and it’s coming to a close. We’re excited about it.”

Many residents in the area also shared their excitement for these new additions, especially as the town continues to grow and expand. Mount Pleasant resident Elton Carrier, says he is looking forward to the impact these new amenities will have on their growing community.

“Our community is 100,000 strong now so, back when this first was open, it was not near that, so any more capacity we can provide - or the town can provide - is terrific,” Carrier says. “It’s much needed. Our residents love this place, so anything they can add to it and enhance it would be terrific and the progress so far looks really good.”

Community members can enjoy all the new additions and updates very soon as this project is anticipated to be fully completed by September. For all project updates, you can go to the Town of Mount Pleasant’s website linked here or through the town’s Facebook, Instagram and X pages.

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