Cainhoy Development a work in progress

The transformation of the former Cainhoy Plantation property into the city of Charleston’s largest planned unit development is well underway. In fact, this year the 9,000-acre parcel in the heart of the Cainhoy peninsula will see its first residential neighborhood take shape. Already, new roadways and street signs have been put into place where new homes will soon pop up, as well as two new playground areas.

INTRODUCING POINT HOPE

According to Carolyn Lancaster, vice president of marketing for the DI Development Company, the entity managing development of the parcel, the property’s initial community will be known as Point Hope.

“Located on the south side of Clements Ferry Road, Point Hope is being planned as a mixed-use community with new homes, nature and exercise trails, bikeways and parks, and shopping and conveniences,” noted Lancaster.

A shopping center, anchored by Publix, is already open with a number of spaces leased and more in the pipeline. Trails and a network of parks are also in the works. In addition, residents have begun moving into Paxton Point Hope, a new 312-unit apartment complex located next to the shopping center.

The emerging community is also home to three Berkeley County public schools serving students in grades K-12. Known as the Philip Simmons schools, the campuses have been up and running for several years.

The first neighborhood on the Cainhoy property will consist of about 60 home sites, said Lancaster, and is being developed adjacent to the schools. Construction is set to kick off later this spring. A community information center, currently being built near the entrance to the shopping center on Point Hope Parkway, will serve as a connection point for those interested in learning more about the emerging new enclave.

“Here, visitors and prospective buyers will be able to get an in-depth overview on the land’s rich history as well as its vision for the future,” said Lancaster. “The information center is expected to open in May and information about builders and homes will be available soon.”

The massive Cainhoy parcel, which extends from the Wando River across Clements Ferry Road to the Cooper River, was passed down to Peter Lawson-Johnston in a lifetime trust in 1971 by his cousin, the late businessman and philanthropist Harry Frank Guggenheim. Lawson-Johnston and his family still hold the tract today through various entities.

The DI Development Company — the same team responsible for Daniel Island — is overseeing the property’s development on behalf of the family. Much of the property is still in permitting, said Lancaster. But, according to the development team’s comments in previous articles in The Daniel Island News, the company has undertaken proactive studies of wetlands, ecological, historical and cultural assets; engaged wildlife and habitat consultants; analyzed the potential impacts on natural resources; and cooperatively worked with the conservation community to create innovative mitigation plans that incorporate natural resources into the fabric of the community. Less than half of the property will be actively developed, Lancaster told the paper in 2017. The tract will include what has been dubbed “Point Hope Nature Sanctuary,” a 500-acre public open space that will allow the developer to mitigate for environmental impacts on site, instead of outside of the new community in other parts of the region.

PLANNING FOR WHAT’S TO COME

Jacob Lindsey, director of planning, preservation and sustainability for the city of Charleston, said the Cainhoy property is “off to a good start.” The city first approved zoning for the property, and its master plan, in 2013. The massive parcel has some 18,000 “entitlements” — which means its zoning allows that number of “dwelling units,” noted Lindsey, but the developers have indicated to the city that they will likely construct half of that figure, perhaps 8,500 to 9,500 units.

“From here going forward, as individual projects within Cainhoy come forward, they will go through our technical review process and separately through our Planning Commission,” said Lindsey. “…We review the proposals to make sure that they conform with our standards in regards to transportation, zoning, tree protection, and, of course, most importantly, stormwater and engineering.”

Citywide, new projects will undergo enhanced scrutiny when it comes to stormwater criteria, as the city is in the process of adopting a new stormwater manual.

“New developments will be subject to the most rigorous stormwater standards we have ever had before,” noted Lindsey.

The new manual is “very vigorous,” he continued, “and takes unprecedented steps to be proactive about the management of stormwater.”

Preparing for the influx of thousands of new residents and hundreds of potential businesses to the Cainhoy peninsula over the next couple of decades is among the city’s top priorities. According to Lindsey, the city has been working collaboratively with other interested parties to ensure they are ready. Lindsey called Berkeley County a “phenomenal” government partner.

“Specifically, we’ve been working to make sure we have public safety in place and that secondarily we have the improvements for Clements Ferry to remain a healthy corridor,” he said. “And we’ve been working with Berkeley County and the Department of Transportation on things that are called ‘access control,’ as well as getting additional road connections off of Clements Ferry that will allow traffic to move around without getting onto the main highway. They are all long-term things that we’ve been working on and that we continue to work on.”

And Berkeley County is preparing for the expected growth surge as well. An update to the County’s Comprehensive Plan is scheduled to commence this year, according to Berkeley County Public Information Officer Hannah Moldenhauer.

“We have not yet kicked off the initiative,” she said. “When we do, we will have a robust public engagement process, utilizing a variety of media, to obtain feedback from the public.”

All entities are aware that proper planning for what is to come on Cainhoy is essential. Similar to the Daniel Island community’s evolution, full build-out on the parcel is expected to be complete within 20 to 30 years.

“The most important thing for us is that as Cainhoy moves forward, we want to work with our partners in Berkeley County as well as the development company to make sure that the projects are as good as they can possibly be — and we’re doing that,” added Lindsey. “The pace of development will ultimately be dependent on the economy and on how rapidly they can deliver these projects to market. Certainly, this project is just beginning and over the next five years we’re going to see continued design and construction.”