DINA spearheads discussion amid fears of future apartment complex

Residents are looking down on what will be one of the next apartment buildings on Daniel Island. Not only because it is scaled to be one of the tallest structures island-wide aside from St. Clare of Assisi Church’s steeple, but also because they question the design.
 
It’s been public knowledge since April 2021 that a four-story, 87,500-square-foot apartment complex with 242 units, 471 parking spaces and a wrap-around parking garage was slated for Parkline Avenue. The site is adjacent to the CubeSmart Self Storage facility and directly across from the Talison Row Apartments. 
 
This will be the third site change in four years because the last two planned developments failed to break ground. In 2018, a 30,000-square-foot office building was proposed. In 2019, it was slated to be a recreational soccer complex with artificial turf fields for youth and adult leagues, retail space and a restaurant. 
 
In December 2021, Georgia-based multifamily housing developer Davis Development acquired the 5.05-acre plat of land from The Daniel Island Company with a $2,146,250 million purchase. Currently, Davis Development has secured the rights to fence and grate the site, but has not received the final approval to begin building.
 
Last week, a few dozen residents, particularly those closest to the future development near Cochran Park, became aware of the coming multifamily housing. On June 28, the Daniel Island Neighborhood Association had an educational meeting with the Daniel Island Property Owners Association a few hours before holding a special meeting at the Daniel Island Library to inform residents of their soon-to-be neighbor — a tall apartment complex with a pool and a courtyard.
 
The overall mood of the meeting was apprehensive. Citizens expressed concern of the development’s imposition on their quality of life in terms of privacy, traffic and population density. As well as the “unsightliness of the monolithic structure.”
 
Due to its initial zoning as a business park development, the apartment complex is not adjacent to a freeway to lessen the congestion of traffic in residential neighborhoods. The building’s 40-foot height will the tree line and impact views from homes along the south side of Cochran Street down to Dunham Street where new homes are being constructed, according to DINA.
 
The gripe was aesthetic and intrinsic, such as the height, complexity of the building materials, and shape of the building. A three-story building that is broken into smaller segments like the surrounding apartment complexes would be ideal, according to the neighborhood association’s email blast before the meeting.
 
“There is nowhere else on Daniel Island where there is a four-story development that is encroaching that closely to single-family homes,” said Tory Sullivan, chair of DINA’s Development and Land Use Committee and husband of DINA President Andrea Sullivan. “It’s not a thing.”
 
At the meeting, the Sullivans informed residents that on July 7 Davis Development will go before the City of Charleston Technical Review Committee for a fourth review. TRC cannot give Davis Development the final approval to build the structure; that must come from Daniel Island’s Architectural Review Board and Property Owners Association at a later date. July 13 is the next ARB meeting.   
 
One resident questioned whether the influx of apartment residents would impact the zoning of school district lines on the island. Another questioned: “How did something so plain and boring and ugly get presented?” 
 
DINA has requested that the ARB make contact with Davis Development immediately. If unsuccessful, DINA plans to engage Davis Development directly.  
 
The DINA Board has not met to discuss taking an official position on the project. However, the Sullivans both publicly acknowledged that an online petition to modify the future apartment complex is in the works.  
 
“As a resident of Cochran Park, I echo the concerns raised by our neighbors that this project is not compatible with the existing neighborhood as designed,” Andrea Sullivan added. “We sincerely hope the ARB and developer will take our comments into consideration as to not create a blight on the neighborhood.” 
 
Davis Development did not respond to requests for comment prior to the time of this article’s publication. 
 

Daniel Island Publishing

225 Seven Farms Drive
Unit 108
Daniel Island, SC 29492 

Office Number: 843-856-1999
Fax Number: 843-856-8555

 

Breaking News Alerts

To sign up for breaking news email alerts, Click on the email address below and put "email alerts" in the subject line: sdetar@thedanielislandnews.com

Comment Here