CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCIV) — A new bridge is coming soon to the West Ashley Greenway. The upgrade will help walkers, bikers and with critical infrastructure for the Charleston Water System.

Construction is set to begin in January and will wrap up by the end of February.

The total cost of the project is around $390,000.

The current wood bridge will be demolished, and in its place will be an 8-foot wide aluminum bridge span. Jason Kronsberg, the director of parks and capital projects for the City of Charleston, said the upgrade is the next step in securing cross creek for the future.

"The existing bridge has been in place for a considerable amount of time. Its timber framed and has experienced a lot of deterioration over the years," said Kronsberg. "The aluminum will make it much more resilient to weather and forces of nature and much more low maintenance than the typical wood deck structure."

Kronsberg said the new bridge will also help with the infrastructure for the Charleston Water System. Charleston Water System owns the West Ashley Greenway, and the City of Charleston leases the land.

The Charleston Water System is paying for about $60,000 of the project.

"Their critical infrastructure traverses the greenway with sewer mains and water mains; They are partners in this project," Kronsberg said.

People we spoke to are excited about the new bridge. Rachel Mason walks the West Ashley Greenway every day with her two dogs.

"I love the greenway. It feels safe, it’s a good place to walk," said Mason. "There are a lot of families with kids and a lot of people with dogs. With me having my 2 dogs, I like coming here."

Mason said the current bridge can be wobbly.

"I think it's great [that the city is replacing the bridge]. The current bridge is rickety, especially if I walk by myself, and I like to go faster, or if I’m running," Mason said.

Katie Zimmerman, the executive director of Charleston Moves, said the change is a good thing and a positive sign for the future.

"It's investing in the quality of life for the community, and it's investing in splitting mode share," said Zimmerman. "A lot of people use the greenway to commute to work or run errands, so it's wonderful to see the city investing in improvements."

When construction on the bridge begins, the West Ashley Greenway will be closed from Arlington to Parkdale Drive. The detour to walk or bike is along the sidewalk of Savannah Highway.

Aventon Bees Ferry will be an Expansive 394-Unit Community in Charleston

CHARLESTON, S.C., Jan. 2, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Aventon Companies, a prominent multifamily developer and general contractor with active projects throughout the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast, announces that it has broken ground on its very first luxury apartment community in the state of South Carolina. Located in the booming West Ashley submarket of Charleston, Aventon Bees Ferry will be a 30-acre project encompassing 394 units and proximate to major employers as well as world-class dining and shopping options including the historic downtown Charleston peninsula.

With spacious one, two and three-bedroom floorplans, each apartment within Aventon Bees Ferry will be outfitted with the company's signature high-end finishes, with details normally found only in luxury single family housing. The expansive amenity package at Aventon Bees Ferry will include a community clubhouse with hospitality-inspired design and spaces for lounging, remote work and fitness. Amongst its two courtyards, residents will enjoy a resort-style pool and gaming lawn in the primary courtyard, and a nature-centered space for tranquility and relaxation in the secondary courtyard. This pet-friendly community will also feature a pet spa and on-site dog park. Each of the four-story buildings within the development will offer elevator access. Aventon Bees Ferry is expected to open in early 2024.

"With Charleston consistently experiencing year-over-year employment growth while seeing its economy and tourism industry reach unparalleled heights, Aventon decided to launch our first project in South Carolina here. South Carolina is a key part of our regional growth plan," said Ron Perera, Senior Managing Director. "Aventon Bees Ferry will provide luxury living amongst all that the city has to offer."

The property's buildings were designed by Watts Leaf Architects, with interior design curated by Studio 5 Interiors, Inc. Landscaping and hardscaping for Aventon Bees Ferry was designed by local South Carolina firm, Thomas & Hutton. The community is located near the intersection of Bees Ferry Road and Savannah Highway. Since 2019, Aventon Companies has assembled an impressive $2 billion portfolio of ground-up developments bringing over 9,000 Aventon-branded apartment homes to Florida, Georgia, the Carolinas, and the Mid-Atlantic.

Aventon Companies acquires, develops, and manages multifamily communities in Florida, Georgia, the Carolinas and the Mid-Atlantic with regional offices in West Palm Beach, FL, Tampa, FL, Orlando, FL, Raleigh, NC and Bethesda, MD. To learn more, visit www.aventoncompanies.com.

Media Contact:

Kristen Skladd586-222-2423kristen@andersoncollaborative.com

SOURCE Aventon Companies

The city of Charleston and a flagpole went to court. And the flagpole lost.

The S.C. Court of Appeals this week sided with Charleston zoning officials in a legal battle brought on by one homeowner’s fight to keep up a large flagpole over a waterway known locally as the Wappoo Cut.

Charleston resident David Abdo erected the 60-foot-tall flagpole in 2018 without a permit. Once the city became aware of it, officials argued the pole’s height was 25 feet taller than zoning permitted for structures in West Ashley’s Crescent neighborhood.

The debate first played out before the Charleston Board of Zoning Appeals, which had to decide whether the flagpole was a monument or a mistake.

The board unanimously agreed to force Abdo to remove or lower the pole. He appealed the ruling to circuit court, which sided with the city. He appealed that ruling too.

Abdo couldn’t be reached for comment but his attorney, John Massalon, earlier argued that the flagpole with the American flag was a monument — one that honors his father-in-law and brother-in-law for their military service — and therefore exempt from the city’s height rules.

The state appeals court disagreed Jan. 4.

“The zoning administrator, BZA, and circuit court all found the flagpole did not meet the exception for monuments. We agree,” the opinion stated.

The judges cited the Merriam-Webster dictionary’s definition of a monument as “a memorial stone or a building erected in remembrance of a person or event.”

Charleston officials celebrated the decision.

“The ability to enforce zoning restrictions is a critical component in protecting neighborhood livability and quality of life. The City appreciates the court’s unanimous ruling in this case,” said city spokesman Jack O’Toole.

The pole and flag atop it was still there Jan. 5, a reporter observed.

When the issue first came before the BZA, no one spoke publicly against the flagpole, but the city’s zoning administrator shared an email from a neighbor who found it out of character.

“The extra large flag flapping in the breeze and halyard banging against the metal pole are audible problems as well,” the email said. “On some days, the halyard and pole sounds like someone constantly ringing a bell — we can actually hear it in our house with the windows and doors closed!”

The dispute is not the only of its kind in South Carolina. In October, a chapter of the Sons of Confederate Veterans raised a massive Confederate battle flag near where Interstate 85 and I-85 Business converge northeast of Spartanburg.

The flag was later replaced with a South Carolina state flag and a U.S. flag in the following weeks.

Spartanburg County notified the group the flagpole was in violation of a 1999 zoning law and the group filed an appeal, requesting to keep the flag up.

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCIV) — From student to maestro. A special guest conductor for the Charleston Symphony Orchestra is returning to his roots for limited performances this week.

As he takes the stage, Jonathon Heyward is inspiring a new generation of musicians.

“All my musical life began here,” he says.

Jonathon Heyward’s journey began as a child watching the Charleston Symphony Orchestra.

“I grew up in West Ashley, I went to the Charleston County School of the Arts for middle and high school,” he says. “Just being a 14-year-old running into rehearsals and skipping classes every now and then to see this amazing orchestra rehearse, that was a huge inspiration actually.”

Yuriy Bekker, the artistic director and concert master for the Charleston Symphony Orchestra, remembers meeting Heyward back in 2007.

“Apparently, he was skipping French class to come and with the score open, behind the cello section just observing, and was very attentive, and I saw him writing things in the score,” Baker says with a laugh. “We all knew this is a very, very serious musician in the making.”

That dedication, watching and practicing, leading to Heyward’s rise in the performing arts community.

“It feels like a long time coming in a lot of ways, and it’s just so exciting to be here and to just have the flood of memories, amazing memories, and remember how I got here,” says Heyward. “It took a village to get to where I am today.”

At 29 years old, Heyward is making history. Starting this Fall, he’ll lead the Baltimore Symphony as its music director, making him the first black conductor over a major US Symphony Orchestra and the first at the Baltimore Symphony.

“To be able to have that representation in Baltimore is really exciting,” he says. “Just by being hopefully myself as an artist, that will encourage people to understand that this is for them. This can be for anyone.”

With every flick of the baton, he hopes young musicians see themselves in the spotlight.

“You just have to dream, you have to have the vision, and you have to be hungry for it, you have to want it.”

There is one more chance to see Heyward conduct. The final performance with the Charleston Symphony Orchestra is Saturday at 7:30 at the Gaillard Center downtown.

Heyward will return as part of Spoleto’s three-day concert orchestra series in June.

The City of Charleston could soon be spending millions to turn the site of a former radio station in West Ashley into a public park with waterfront access.

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - The City of Charleston could soon be spending millions to turn the site of a former radio station in West Ashley into a public park with waterfront access.

It’s been a while since WPAL signed off from a two-acre site along Wappoo Road near Savannah Highway on the Stono River. The city bought the property in 2015 and was ready to design the project in late 2019, but the pandemic delayed plans to move forward.

“Waterfront access is one of the priorities of the city of Charleston,” Parks and Capital Projects Director Jason Kronsberg said. “Waterfront parcels are some of the most expensive pieces of land in the country, and so anytime we can provide that space to the public, it’s just a benefit to all.”

Officials have budgeted $2.7 million for the park, which they said will have walking trails, a potential picnic area and a 1,000-foot-long dock that leads out into the river.

The council will be voting on a contract to begin designing the park at Tuesday night’s meeting.

“The biggest aspect of this future park is the waterfront access,” Kronsberg said. “Whenever we have the ability to provide waterfront access in the city, we do try that.”4

However, the WPAL site is not the only instance of the city repurposing unused land for parks.

Earlier this year, the city completed work on Shiloh Park on Smith Street on the peninsula. The half-acre site was the former home of the historic Shiloh African Methodist Episcopal Church, built in the 1880s.

“We’ve got a lot of development that’s going on all around and having some of that greenspace to kind of have places for recreation and just keeping things green for sites currently not being used, I think it’s a great use of the land,” neighbor Jose Gonzalez said.

Gonzalez also said he’s in support of increasing access to Charleston’s waterways.

“In general, all the water around Charleston and giving people some access to that without having to own a house on the water or whatever, I think it’s a great thing,” he said.

If the contract is approved, the city said design work would start in January, but there’s no timetable yet on when the park will open.

“Whether you’re down there just for a picnic, fishing, crabbing, putting your canoe in, your kayak, it’s available to everybody,” Kronsberg said.

Copyright 2022 WCSC. All rights reserved.