The city of Charleston’s Design Review Board (DRB) on Dec. 4 gave conceptual approval to a proposal for the redevelopment of the Ashley Landing shopping center with a new Publix grocery store located between Old Towne Road and Sam Rittenberg Boulevard in West Ashley.
The proposal from North Carolina-based developer Faison includes partial demolition of the shopping center across from the existing Publix building. Demolition will include a Big Lots and Dollar Tree, along with vacant storefronts such as the now-closed Red Orchids China Bistro. A new state-of-the-art Publix is set to replace the demolished section, complete with curbside cafe, additional rear parking and a drive-through pharmacy.
“This intersection was one of the areas identified by Plan West Ashley as a focus area for the revitalization of West Ashley,” said Robert Summerfield, the city’s director of planning, preservation and sustainability. “Seeing this energy in this area is exactly what the plan calls for and what the community has asked for.”
This DRB’s conceptual approval marks the first of three steps before the redevelopment project breaks ground. The next step will be a preliminary review and a deep dive into the specifics of the project. Step three is a final review, which takes place when most of the testing and design work is complete.
Future still in the works
The current Publix, located near Sumar Street, will remain open until the new one is complete, and plans have yet to be approved for what will happen to the large space once it’s vacant.
“The developer has floated a future phase once the Publix relocation has been completed that would include the possibility of some sort of mixed-use activity on the site,” Summerfield said. “Their focus right now, however, is purely on phase one, which will keep the Publix in this shopping center open.”
Outgoing Charleston City Council member Peter Shahid, whose district includes Ashley Landing, said this project and the ongoing Sumar Street developments are at the heart of the West Ashley Revitalization Commission’s purpose.
“I’m seeing a significant realignment of priorities as a result of Plan West Ashley and the work of the West Ashley Revitalization Commission,” Shahid said. “I’m just excited about the plans they have for Ashley Landing.”
Shahid added that one of the proposals for the project is a little controversial — the idea of any residential units going up on the site has thrown up some red flags for community members. But, Shahid said, several others have said they want the Northbridge community to more closely resemble popular communities like Avondale.
“The city will have to wrestle with that question down the road,” he said. “But all this fuss about Avondale, ‘We want an Avondale!’ Well here we are. … Those opposed to residential units being built there need to take into account that there is a dramatic housing shortage in their community. Housing prices have doubled in the last 10 years — that’s devastating.”
Traffic remains big concern
Adjacent to the Sumar Street development project, Ashley Landing sees significant traffic issues stemming from the “suicide merge” of Sam Rittenberg Boulevard and Old Towne Road. Summerfield said, however, that is high on the list of concerns Faison is keeping in mind moving forward.
“As a part of any larger redevelopment — and this is in essence replacing an existing development — they’ll have to look at any traffic generation based on any increase of intensity or footprint,” he said. “In the future, replacing the old Publix building with a more intense development — especially one that includes a residential component — they will need to look at more large-scale traffic and transportation options.”
For now, he said, developers are focused on improving the ingress and egress of traffic in the Ashley Landing shopping center.
At the same time, several traffic improvement projects led by Charleston County are on the way, including changes to neighboring intersections at Charlestowne Drive and Old Towne Road, and Amberly Street and Sam Rittenberg Boulevard.
And at the large intersection of Orange Grove Road and Sam Rittenberg Boulevard, plans are tentative. The corridor is heavily traveled, with most traffic turning left from Orange Grove onto Sam Rittenberg to head to the bridge and the arterial Interstate 26.
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